What Is PRINCE2 And Why Should I Bother?
Many people need clarification in comparing and contrasting PRINCE2 with a project management qualification.
Two great examples of the latter are the Association for project management, which offer its APM Professional qualification, and the project management institute (PMI), which offers its project management professional (PMP) qualification based upon its Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).
Sorry about all the acronyms. You need to understand this distinction from the very start.
PRINCE2 is a methodology or a framework describing how to manage your project. In contrast, the project management qualifications mentioned above are there to provide you with detailed knowledge so that you can work as part of a project team.
Having taught PRINCE2 for 25 years, a common confusion in thinking is that once you become a PRINCE2 Practitioner, you already have the skills to manage a project. But this is not the case as PRINCE2 is a methodology describing a set of processes and approaches coupled with good advice from pre-project through to project closure.
For example, PRINCE2 does not cover the soft skills of project management, such as team and stakeholder management, nor does it explain the various project management techniques, such as critical path, earned value management, and resource levelling and levelling.
PRINCE2 is not an introduction to project management qualification; instead, it is a methodology for those already familiar with working within a project environment.
If asked for advice, a novice project manager or an individual wishing to move into the profession should first get experience in project management. An excellent place to start is to check out the Association for Project Management Introductory Certificate Primer (APMIC), or for those who already have some project management experience and wish to develop their skills further to get their hands on my Project Management Professional Masterclass.
PRINCE2 gives those who already understand the broad principles of project management a best practice, a tailorable and controlled framework to manage their projects.
In summary, PRINCE2 provides you with the method to manage your project, and a project management qualification gives you the knowledge, skills, techniques and tools to become an effective project manager and play your part within the project team.
So who ‘invented’ PRINCE2?
The name is an acronym for PRojects In Controlled Environments – well, they had to call it something, didn’t they? It continues to represent the project management Industry’s Best Practice.
Axelos own it, which is free to use (apart from investing in the PRINCE2 Manual or attending an accredited training event).
I warn you now that the standard PRINCE2 foundation and practitioner course is typically held over five days, and it is a challenging training event having a very steep learning curve. Many delegates need to reach the required standard on their first attempt.
The organization that sets and marks both exams is called Axelos and are responsible for maintaining standards in training and certification by accredited organizations and individuals like myself.
Initially, the method was developed in 1989 and known as PRINCE – it was intended for IT projects only. But much like Agile, which was created for software projects only, it could be seen at the time that the PRINCE method could also be used for projects outside of IT.
In 1996, PRINCE2 was developed as a generic method suitable for white all types of organizations of all types and sizes of projects working within any environment.
The popularity and take up of PRINCE2 was exponential and is now the most popular and widely used method, not just in the UK but worldwide in over 50 countries.
For many years now, I have been advising current or future project managers that they should get some form of PRINCE2 knowledge and experience on their C V’s or resumes, as it has become clear that those wishing to recruit project managers are nearly always also looking for those with PRINCE2 experience. It will get you to the front of the interview queue!
So what EXACTLY is a project management methodology?
The project management methodology describes the method or way of conducting and managing a project.
PRINCE2 is built upon seven principles:
- Continued business justification
- Learn from experience
- Defined roles and responsibilities
- Manage by stages
- Manage by exception
- Focus on products
- Tailor to suit the project environment
It is a process-driven method based on seven processes:
- Starting up a project
- Directing a project
- The initiating a project
- Managing a stage boundary
- Controlling a stage
- Managing product delivery
- Closing a project
Supporting the seven processes are seven Themes.
A theme is an aspect of project management that needs to be addressed continually, and they describe the specific treatment used within the processes so that they are integrated effectively. The themes guide how the process activities should be performed.
The themes are:
- Business case
- Organization
- Quality
- Plans
- Risk
- Change
- Progress
The above could be seen as a sequenced road map framework to deliver projects.
The PRINCE2 method describes what should be done from triggering the very start of a project. It continues until a successful project shuts down and is detailed in the ‘Managing Successful Projects Using PRINCE2′ textbook. It is brim-full of diagrams and dense text running to over 400 pages.
PRINCE2 has two levels of qualification; Foundation and Practitioner levels.
Passing the foundation level shows that you understand the methodology, and the exam consists of multi-choice questions and is a ‘closed book.’
By contrast, the practitioner qualification illustrates your ability to apply the principles of PRINCE2 to a ‘real-world’ project. The exam is an open book based on a case study backdrop where the candidates must answer situation-based questions to provide evidence of the PRINCE2 application of their knowledge.
PRINCE2 Masterclass
Fully compliant with the current PRINCE2 2023 Syllabus
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