PRINCE2 Resources e-book 2
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TABLE OF CONTENTS PRINCE2 Project Management Explained PRINCE2® process diagrams PRINCE2® vs Agile or PRINCE2 Agile®? Popularity of PRINCE2®: Illustrated guide PRINCE2 Agile® PRINCE2® Helped This Student Get A Job PRINCE2® myths exposed PMP vs. PRINCE2 certification PRINCE2 FAQs
PRINCE2 Project Management Explained
Introduction PRINCE2 project management consists of: 1. PRINCE2 Methodology Structured methodology guidance in the form of the official PRINCE2 manual (‘Managing Successful Projects Using PRINCE2® 2017 Edition’, ISBN: 9780113315338, 18 May 2017). 2. PRINCE2 Certification Professional qualifications aimed at people either in the project management profession or seeking entry into the profession. 3. PRINCE2 Training Hundreds of PRINCE2 courses take place every week somewhere in the world. That’s thousands of people studying to learn about PRINCE2 and gaining PRINCE2 project management qualifications. 4. PRINCE2 Practitioners There are hundreds of thousands of active PRINCE2 professionals applying PRINCE2 in their daily jobs forming an active body of PRINCE2 practitioners.
PRINCE2 Project Management Methodology The PRINCE2 is a principles-based project management method. Its principles are universal so they can be applied anywhere, anytime, on any project. It provides guidance about managing core project management themes. Its themes cover business justification, organization, quality, risk, plans, change and monitoring progress. The themes enable the project management team to control the timescales, costs, quality, scope, benefits and risks on the project. It also provides a project lifecycle model in the form of processes. These describe what decisions need to be taken, who is responsible for taking decisions, and when the decision should take place. All the themes and processes in PRINCE2 are to be tailored appropriate to the scale, complexity and risk of the project. The PRINCE2 manual provides guidance on the full methodology (principles, themes, processes) and about tailoring the method.
PRINCE2 Project Management Certification PRINCE2 project management qualifications are very popular. Since 1996 over 1.5 million PRINCE2 exams have been taken. This makes PRINCE2 the most popular project management certification anywhere in the world. The 2 levels of PRINCE2 Project Management Certification are: ➢ Foundation level – aimed at people working on projects ➢ Practitioner level - aimed at people managing or directing projects.
PRINCE2 Project Management Courses PRINCE2 Training Courses typically teach students the basics of the methodology. This is a requirement for passing the PRINCE2 Foundation exam. Higher-level Practitioner courses teach people how to apply the methodology to a non-complex project scenario. Such a course will prepare students to pass the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam.
PRINCE2 Project Management Practitioners Because PRINCE2 is a proven project management methodology, it’s widely practiced throughout the world. It’s popular because it provides many benefits both to individual practitioners and to organisations. PRINCE2 Practitioners can take advantage of the AXELOS membership scheme. This is an online content subscription enabling members to apply best practices and develop their skills and knowledge.
PRINCE2 Project Management infographic
PRINCE2® process diagrams
The 2 diagrams below show the PRINCE2 process model. The first diagram shows a more detailed representation because it includes the activities of each process. The second diagram is less detailed but shows the time sequence of each process. These diagrams form part of our training materials on our classroom PRINCE2 courses. You can download PDF versions which have been designed to be printed out at A3 size. Both diagrams have been updated to reflect the latest version of PRINCE2 which was released in 2017.
PRINCE2 activity diagram
Note: you can add this diagram to your web site but you must link back to this page as the original source. Each of the 7 processes are shown by the large coloured rectangles. These are: Directing a Project, Starting Up a Project, Initiating a Project, Controlling a Stage, Managing a Stage Boundary, Managing Product Delivery and Closing a Project. The diagram above shows the 7 PRINCE2 processes. These are the large coloured rectangles on the diagram. Inside each process rectangle are smaller rectangles representing each activity which occurs within the process. Each rectangle also lists the products (or outputs) or the process. The diagram does not show the details of where every management product gets updated, because the diagram would become too complex by doing this. Instead, the diagram focuses on where the products are created, reviewed and approved and the most important updates.
Activities You can see that inside each process rectangle are several smaller rectangles. These smaller rectangles are the activities which form each process. Each of the activities has a name which is shown on the rectangle. An activity in PRINCE2 is simply a series of steps to be performed. The PRINCE2 manual describes who is responsible for each step, what should be produced and when it should occur.
Triggers A trigger in PRINCE2 is an event or a decision which triggers one of the 7 processes. Triggers on the diagram are shown by a pale grey lozenge shape. Each trigger has a name and an arrow attached to it. The direction of the arrow shows which process is triggered. Inside each process rectangle are a list of outputs with letters after them. The letters indicate what happens to each output as follows: ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢
A – the output is approved in the process C – the output is created in the process R – the output is reviewed in the process U - the output is updated in the process
Some of the outputs have an asterisk (*) after them. This indicates that the output is not one of the PRINCE2 management products.
Outputs Attached to some of the triggers are coloured swirl shapes. These are meant to indicate the outputs which are used as inputs into the next process. The shapes contain numbers which indicate the outputs concerned and the colour of the shape indicates from which process it is an output. For example, take a look at the arrow which comes out of the yellow process (starting up a project). There is a trigger attached to the arrow called "Request to initiate a project". You can see a yellow swirl shape attached to it. Yellow indicates that the outputs are listed in the yellow rectangle (i.e. the starting up a project). process). In this case, the two numbers are 8 and 9. Looking these up in the list of outputs from starting up a project tells us that the project brief and the initiation stage plan are used as inputs into the process which is triggered next – i.e. the directing a project process.
PRINCE2 sequence diagram
Note: you can add this diagram to your web site but you must link back to this page as the original source. The diagram above shows the 7 PRINCE2 processes occurring in time sequence. On this diagram time is running from left to right.
Management stages The vertical thin black lines represent the start and end of a PRINCE2 management stage. On the left, the 3 curly braces named “Directing”, “Managing” and “Delivering” represent the 3 levels of the PRINCE2 project management team namely, the project board, the project manager, and the team manager levels.
Management levels The curly braces indicate which processes are performed by each level of the project management team. At the top of the diagram, you can see that part of the starting up a project process and all of
the directing a project process is performed by the "Directing" level i.e. the project board. At the bottom of the diagram you can see the braces labelled "Delivering" and to the right of the label you can see the process labelled managing product delivery. This is performed by the "Delivering" level of the project management team i.e. the team manager. In the centre of the diagram on the left, you can see the "Managing" curly brace. This refers to the project manager. To the right of the braces you can see that part of the starting up a project process is performed by the project manager as well as all of the initiating a project, controlling a stage, managing a stage boundary and closing a project processes. The lines and process in orange indicates what happens in an exception situation. The grey ellipse shapes represent PRINCE2 triggers (events of decisions which trigger a process). The arrow attached to the trigger shows which process is triggered.
Time-driven controls The diagram also shows 2 time-driven controls – highlight reports and checkpoint reports. These are shown at regular intervals on the diagram and are also shown in the key at the bottom of the diagram.
PRINCE2® vs Agile or PRINCE2 Agile®?
There's a lot of confusion between PRINCE2[1] and agile methods, and indeed debate (PRINCE2 vs Agile) about which should be used on projects. In fact, both can and are being used increasingly on projects – often together. In 2015, AXELOS, the owners of PRINCE2 launched PRINCE2 Agile. PRINCE2 Agile is an attempt to get the best of both worlds – the structure and governance of PRINCE2, combined with the flexibility of agile. This article compares PRINCE2 and agile methods and approaches and explains how PRINCE2 Agile can bridge the gap between the two.
PRINCE2 vs agile PRINCE2 PRINCE2 is the world's most widely used project management methodology. PRINCE2 qualifications are a standard feature of project management job specifications in the UK and have grown in popularity since PRINCE2 was launched in 1996.
Currently, over 150,000 PRINCE2 exams are sat somewhere in the world every year.
Agile ‘Agile’ is an umbrella term used to refer to numerous product development methods, frameworks and techniques used by development teams. Agile approaches emerged from the software industry in the 1990’s, to try to overcome many of the problems which had beset traditional software projects, namely: late delivery, over budget, and low quality. There are many different agile approaches, the most famous being Scrum, Kanban, Extreme Programming, and Lean. All agile approaches are based upon the 12 agile principles.
Who is PRINCE2 for? PRINCE2 is a customer-focused project management methodology. It offers a set of principles, themes and processes to enable an organisation’s key managers to justify a project. It helps them understand “why should we do it (the project)?” and “are the benefits worth the costs and risks of doing the project?”. It also focuses on how to manage a project effectively to ensure it remains a worthwhile investment in a changing business environment. PRINCE2 was developed by the UK government in 1996 as a generic project management methodology.
Focus of PRINCE2 Principles PRINCE2 is based upon a set of 7 principles which guide all aspects of the methodology. Since it is a project management methodology, it describes the roles and responsibilities of all members of the project management team. This includes higher levels such as the project board, as well as the project manager and team manager roles.
Themes It also covers a wide range of key project management themes – business case, organization, change, risk, planning, quality and progress. Success on a PRINCE2 project is measured by how well it enables the benefits to be realized by the customer organization.
Processes PRINCE2 also includes a full project management lifecycle which explains which role is responsible for taking key decisions at crucial times during a project. PRINCE2 recognizes that on projects there are all kinds of products (outputs) which are produced by teams of people with various specialist skills. These teams have myriad ways of working and PRINCE2 does not attempt to guide how they should work. Instead, PRINCE2 simply defines the interface between the project and these teams in terms of reporting, accountability and the work to be done.
Who is agile for? History of agile Agile approaches were developed by engineers in the software industry in the 1990s when trying to address problems with software projects being consistently late, over-budget or delivering low quality software. Agile approaches are now increasingly being used in industries besides the software industry.
Focus of agile Agile approaches don’t concern themselves with the wider questions about whether a project is worth it, or whether the benefits can be realized afterwards. They do focus however on delivering value to the customer by delivering products incrementally, in the most efficient manner possible. These products are likely to do what the user/customer needs because the customers have been involved in a constant cycle of defining and prioritizing requirements, developing, testing and providing feedback.
Delivery of working products Agile methods are aimed at the teams doing the work - whether part of a project or not. They focus on questions for the team such as ‘what needs to be delivered next week?’, and ‘is the working software what the customer needs?’
Collaboration One of the agile principles is that people on teams must work together collaboratively with the customer. This is done by defining
and prioritizing requirements, developing, testing and providing feedback in a continuous and repetitive cycle of iterations. Often, the customer will be co-located with the development team.
Self-organisation Self-organisation by teams is also one of the agile principles. Agile teams determine their own tools and techniques to use (e.g. task backlogs, burn-down charts, Kanban boards), rather than these being mandated by a project manager.
Comparing PRINCE2 and agile Planning One key difference between PRINCE2 and Agile methods is that PRINCE2 is often described as a predictive (plan-based) approach, while Agile calls for short-term, incremental achievements independent of an over-arching plan (the adaptive approach). This means that, while PRINCE2 enables the customer to remain focused on the project’s original business goals, Agile approaches are very responsive to changes in the project environment and customer requirements. Agile approaches operate on the assumption that the development process is (predictably) unpredictable. They encourage complete transparency, close collaboration and frequent delivery of usable sub-products that will eventually contribute to the final product delivered.
Levels of plan PRINCE2 has the concept of ‘levels of plan’. This suggests that different plans are required by different levels of the project management team. There are 3 levels of plan in PRINCE2: ➢ Long-term – this is a high-level project plan which is required by the key decision-makers (the project board); ➢ Medium-term – this is a stage plan required by the project manager for every stage of the project; ➢ Short-term – this is a team plan required by each team manager (leader) to cover the work done by their team. This is a detailed plan.
Sprints and timeboxing Agile approaches such as Scrum, take this concept even further by suggesting a detailed plan for each ‘sprint’. A Scrum sprint is
based upon the key Agile concept of a ‘time-box’ - a fixed time period typically ranging from between 1-4 weeks.
Delivering working products At the end of every Scrum sprint a delivery of working software is made to the customer. Delivering working software at the end of each sprint guarantees that the software will never be delivered late. The customer receives ever increasing increments of working software until, at the end of the final sprint, they receive the fully built and tested system.
Time-boxes and team plans The agile concept of time-boxes or iterations fits in neatly with PRINCE2’s concept of a team plan because there can be one or more time-boxes within a team plan. PRINCE2 doesn’t prescribe how many time-boxes a team plan should contain because that’s a decision for the self-organizing Agile team members.
Responding to change Cost of change One criticism of more predictive project management approaches is that it is difficult and costly to manage changes. Changes are managed through formal change control processes, and decisions taken by a change authority. In agile approaches, changes can be done quickly. This is because customer requirements (e.g. software features) are described by the customer in the form of tasks which are prioritised in a backlog. Because planning is never done further in advance than the next iteration (1-4 weeks usually), tasks can be quickly re-assigned a different priority, new tasks added, or unnecessary tasks removed.
PRINCE2 doesn’t have to be waterfall There is a perception (wrong in my view) that PRINCE2 struggles to adapt to changing business requirements. This view is based upon the assumption that PRINCE2 is a project ‘waterfall’ approach. A waterfall approach is where requirements
are documented and approved before moving to a design phase, followed by a build phase and finally a testing phase. There is nothing in PRINCE2 which prescribes such a waterfall approach. In fact, the latest PRINCE2 manual (2017) assumes that on many projects, requirements emerge and evolve as the project continues. PRINCE2 manages such changes to project scope using its change control approach. However, lower level changes, such as a feature requests can easily be managed at the team level using the prioritization techniques common in agile approaches.
Using both PRINCE2 and Agile The best of both worlds Whereas PRINCE2 focuses on understanding what products are required to support the business needs, agile focuses on completing those products in an efficient manner, incrementally delivering more working software (products) as the work progresses. Utilizing agile approaches on PRINCE2 projects therefore can bring the best of both worlds – the structure and direction of PRINCE2, coupled with the flexibility and responsiveness of agile. PRINCE2 isn’t concerned with how teams organize or the methods they use. It does however define a simple interface between the customer organisation which is paying for the project and the supplier organisation which provides the teams to do the specialist work.
Business focus and timely delivery This therefore means that teams on a PRINCE2 project can use any development approach they choose – including any of the agile approaches. Providing they comply with the interface defined by PRINCE2, teams can utilize the benefits of agile (such as ontime delivery), whilst the customer maintains the benefits of PRINCE2’s focus on the business justification. Quick comparision of PRINCE2 and agile PRINCE2 Agile methods Useful for the customer to justify Useful for the supplier to deliver a project working software
PRINCE2
Agile methods
Focuses on higher management Focuses on lower-level teams levels Answers questions such as “should we do the project?” and “are the benefits worth the costs and risk?”
Answers questions such as “what do we deliver next week?” “how will we know it (a product) is finished?”
More predictive approach
More adaptive approach
PRINCE2 Agile In 2015, in recognition that many people were struggling to find a way of applying PRINCE2 on agile projects, AXELOS launched PRINCE2 Agile[2]. PRINCE2 Agile at its core is essentially the same as PRINCE2. They both rely upon the exact same principles, themes and processes. The only real difference is that the PRINCE2 Agile guidance explains in detail how to tailor these elements for agile projects.
Fix or flex? In particular, PRINCE2 Agile explains what to ‘fix or flex’ for the 6 performance targets of PRINCE2 (time, cost, quality, scope, risks, benefits). For PRINCE2 Agile, time and cost are fixed. These cannot change. However, in order to be able to deliver what the customer truly needs, scope and products’ quality criteria can be flexed. What to flex has to be agreed with the customer. Typically, this is done using Agile prioritization techniques such as MoSCoW, coupled with sprint backlogs. The other 2 performance targets (benefits and risk) may be either fixed or flexed depending upon the customer’s needs.
Conclusion Simply choosing to use a particular method or approach will never guarantee a project is always successful. In fact, any method or approach used without thinking will make a mess of any project.
PRINCE2’s focus on the business justification and whether a project remains justified when the business environment changes remains its biggest asset. It helps to ensure that projects proceed based upon sound business sense. The ability to respond quickly to changes with on-time delivery of products which deliver value to the customer is the biggest contribution of agile approaches. So, is it a matter of choosing either PRINCE2 or agile methods? I don’t think so. If you’re looking for a robust project management methodology to use on agile projects, then PRINCE2 Agile fits the bill perfectly. PRINCE2 Agile gives practitioners both the control and governance to guide the project, whilst at the same time provides the agility and ability to deliver rapidly in a changing business environment. If you want to learn more about PRINCE2 Agile, or want to become certified, take a look at our PRINCE2 Agile training page.
References [1]AXELOS (2017). Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2. 2017 ed. Norwich: The Stationery Office. 400.
[2]AXELOS (2015). PRINCE2 Agile. Norwich: The Stationery Office. 356.
Popularity of PRINCE2®: Illustrated guide
The popularity of PRINCE2 as the preferred project management qualification of choice continues to grow around the world. Check out the infographic below for the statistics until 2012 and read the article below for updates since then! Very useful for anyone thinking whether or not to gain PRINCE2 certification.
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As the article explains, we forecast that by the end of 2019
the total number of PRINCE2 exams sat since 1996 will reach over 2 million. Simon Buehring To see infographic click this link: https://www.knowledgetrain.co.uk/projectmanagement/prince2/prince2-popularity-grows
Recent update (end 2018) Since 2012 when I first started to compile statistics for the number of PRINCE2 examinations sat across the world the total number of exams had just reached 1 million exams. Since then, the annual release of examination statistics has not been forthcoming from the accreditation body. Therefore, if we assume that the same number of exams each year since remained at the 2012 level of 145,000, then a further 870,000 exams have been sat since 2012. So, by the end of 2018 we have a total estimate of 1,870,000 exams taken worldwide sine 1996. If the presumed annual number of exams continues into 2019, then we can safely assume that by the end of 2019 over 2 million PRINCE2 exams will have been taken. The rest of this article remains unchanged since it was first published in 2012.
Original article (2012) In 2012 (the last year when annual figures were released by the PRINCE2 accreditation body) showed the number of PRINCE2 examinations taken globally rose 5% compared with 2011. The figures show more than 144,000 people sat PRINCE2 examinations in 2012 compared with 136,000 the previous year. By the end of 2012, more than 1 million candidates had taken PRINCE2 exams since 1996. In fact, the total number of exams taken in 2012 was the highest on record, beating the previous record (in 2011) by more than 8,000. 2012 also saw record numbers of candidates take both Foundation and Practitioner examinations.
Growth outside UK The growth of PRINCE2 exams occurred in all regions except in the UK which suffered a fall in exams of 6%. The fastest growing regions during 2012 were Central Asia with a 148% increase in exams compared with the previous year, Scandinavia with a growth of 61%, Eastern Europe with 23%, North America with 16%, Africa and East Asia with 11%, Australasia with 9% and Western Europe (excluding the UK) with a 1% increase. The general increase in exams across regions was also matched in individual countries where statistics are available, although the
rate of increase was uneven. Again, the UK was the exception to the general rule along with the Netherlands and Italy. Although the UK remained the largest market, 2012 showed a 6% year on year fall in exams. The Netherlands suffered an even larger 13% fall in the number of examinations. These figures probably reflect the fact that both countries have the most mature market for PRINCE2, and the market has reached saturation point in both countries. Italy showed a fall in the number of exams of 8%. On a positive note however, India proved to be the fastest growing country in 2012 with a total increase in exams of 168%. After India, the next fastest growing countries were Denmark (52%), France (42%). China (26%), Poland and South Africa (both 20%), Czech Republic (15%), Germany (14%) and Australia (4%). The phenomenal growth of PRINCE2 is expected to continue and has already passed the 1 million mark in September 2012. Only 10 years ago, only 35,000 PRINCE2 exams were sat, compared with the 144,000 in 2012. This is a 400% increase over 10 years.
Taking exams online Interestingly, the number of candidates now taking PRINCE2 exams online is also experiencing rapid growth as more students study using accredited eLearning courses. Statistics showed a 126% increase in candidates taking their PRINCE2 exams online in 2012 compared with the previous year.
PRINCE2 Agile®
This article explains in detail what is PRINCE2 Agile. It forms a comprehensive, yet brief summary of the main aspects of PRINCE2 Agile. If you are planning on getting PRINCE2 Agile certification then this article will be good preparation before attending a PRINCE2 Agile course
What is PRINCE2 Agile? PRINCE2 Agile is an agile project management solution which combines the flexibility and responsiveness of agile with the governance of PRINCE2®. PRINCE2 Agile was launched by AXELOS in 2015 in response to demands from the user community. PRINCE2 Agile exists at the boundary between project management and agile product delivery. PRINCE2 Agile is composed of 2 things: ➢ The official guidance[1]; and, ➢ A certification scheme (PRINCE2 Foundation and PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner)
Agile
PRINCE2 and agile We will now look at both agile and PRINCE2 and look at the strengths of each.
Agile Agile approaches were born in the 1990’s in the software industry as a response to a long-term trend of software projects being delivered late, over budget and with quality problems. We will use the term ‘agile approaches’ to refer to all of the many development practices, methods, techniques and frameworks which subscribe to the values in the Agile Manifesto. Some of the most common methods include Scrum, Kanban and XP.
Agile strengths and weaknesses The strengths of agile approaches rest in their ability to deliver value to the customer early and often. Agile approaches are iterative and incremental. Agile teams focus on only doing the work prioritized with the customer in the current iteration and avoiding wasted effort. Agile is well-suited to projects where customer requirements are not known at the start, or are likely to change, or where the project environment is subject to external changes. Agile enables changes to be made quickly and cheaply, when compared with more traditional waterfall approaches. Agile approaches are designed to enable teams to deliver value quickly and frequently, but they neglect the business justification for the project. Because agile approaches are not project management methods, they miss seeing the bigger picture about why the project is being done.
PRINCE2 Since 1996, PRINCE2[2] has become the most popular generic project management methodology in the world. It is used by many organizations and governments because it provides clear guidance about effective project control and governance. PRINCE2 is not usually thought of as being part of the agile community because it is a project management methodology. Instead PRINCE2 is usually classified as a ‘predictive’ approach – one which relies upon planning by a project manager, and
delegation of authority from a higher management level to lower levels, usually through something known as ‘tolerance’.
PRINCE2 strengths and weaknesses The main strength of PRINCE2 is its focus on the business justification. A PRINCE2 project is funded based upon a costbenefit analysis to determine whether the project should continue or not. Another strength of PRINCE2 is its project governance. PRINCE2 defines several controls which enable senior management to gain visibility about project progress, and to take effective, informed decisions about the project. Readers must be clear however that PRINCE2 is not a development method, and there is nothing intrinsically agile about PRINCE2. It can be used in both in agile and non-agile ways.
Why combine PRINCE2 with agile? To answer the question ‘why combine PRINCE2 with agile?’, it important to consider both the strengths and weaknesses of each. Whilst on their own, both PRINCE2 and agile approaches are perfectly good in and of themselves, they can both be even more valuable if they are used together. That’s the rationale behind the creation of PRINCE2 Agile. PRINCE2
Strengths
Agile
Ability to deliver early and Decisions based often; upon business Good for projects where justification; requirements are unknown Project governance; or subject to change;
Not specifically agile; No business justification; Weaknesses Is not a development Is not a project management methodology; methodology;
Tailoring PRINCE2 for agile PRINCE2 is formed of 4 inter-related elements: ➢ Principles – these form the building blocks for everything else. They describe good practices; ➢ Themes – these are important aspects of project management which must be addressed continuously throughout the project; ➢ Processes – these describe who takes which decision and when; ➢ Tailoring – every project is different therefore practitioners must apply PRINCE2 to suit the specific environment in which the project operates. Prior to 2017, the PRINCE2 manual didn’t provide much guidance about tailoring PRINCE2. Tailoring was mainly left as something that more experienced project managers would do. Since 2017, the latest version of the PRINCE2 manual provides much more guidance about tailoring PRINCE2 and has become much more practical as a result. Understanding how to tailor PRINCE2 is extremely important when considering PRINCE2 Agile. That’s because the underlying methodology of PRINCE2 informs everything in the PRINCE2 Agile guidance. However, the latter provides much more guidance about tailoring for agile projects, and also includes a valuable overview of several agile practices. We will explore tailoring PRINCE2 for agile projects. Management by exception PRINCE2 uses 6 tolerance areas (time, cost, quality, scope, benefits, risks) to delegate authority from a higher management level to lower level. This is the PRINCE2 principle ‘management by exception’. For example, the project board might give a time tolerance of +/- of the time target (e.g. +/- 1 month). By doing this, it gives the project manager room to manoeuvre if progress starts to slip from the plan. Management by exception saves senior management time it doesn’t need to be involved in every small decision when slippages occur which are within the delegated tolerance.
Fixing and flexing Whereas in a traditional waterfall project, time and cost are often seen as the most important variables. In agile, scope and quality are the most important. PRINCE2 Agile introduces the concepts of ‘fixing and flexing’. In PRINCE2 Agile, time and cost are fixed (i.e. have zero tolerance), but scope and quality (actually quality criteria) are flexible (do have tolerance). The other 2 tolerance areas in PRINCE2 (benefits and risk) may be either fixed or flexed (might have tolerance).
Five targets Underlying the concept of fixing and flexing are 5 targets in PRINCE2 Agile. These are: ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢
Be on time and hit deadlines; Protect the level of quality; Embrace change; Keep teams stable; Accept that the customer does not need everything.
Applying PRINCE2 principles on agile projects Whether all the PRINCE2 principles are being applied on a project determines whether a project is genuinely being run as a PRINCE2 project or run as a PINO (PRINCE2 In Name Only) project. So, how can you apply the principles on a PRINCE2 Agile project? Let’s see.
Continued business justification Here the PRINCE2 Agile emphasis is on delivering customer value by defining a minimum viable product (MVP). An MVP is a product with just enough features to satisfy customers early and provide feedback for future product development. If the project is to fail, it’s better to fail early. An MVP helps with that decision.
Learn from experience The team and the customer learn by having retrospectives, short feedback loops and by working in an ‘inspect and adapt’ manner.
Defined roles and responsibilities PRINCE2 Agile keeps all the defined PRINCE2 roles but assigns some agile responsibilities. In addition, some agile roles are added.
Manage by stages In PRINCE2 Agile, stages should be short and consist of regular timeboxed delivery (sprints) focusing on product releases to the customer.
Manage by exception Tolerances for cost and time are zero (fixed) but variable (flexed) for scope and quality. This empowers the team to organise their work in the most efficient manner to deliver the agreed scope for the timebox (sprint).
Focus on products PRINCE2 Agile maintains a product-focus by prioritisation of product features, products and their quality criteria.
Tailor to suit the project PRINCE2 Agile recommends the use of the Agilometer tool. This helps the project management team assess the suitability of the project environment for agile working.
Tailoring the PRINCE2 themes for agile Now, let’s look at tailoring the PRINCE2 themes for a PRINCE2 Agile project.
Business case Benefits tolerances may be flexed in PRINCE2 Agile, so it is recommended to apply a ‘best case, worst case, expected case’ analysis to the expected benefits. What’s key is to link the amount of product delivered to the expected benefits. PRINCE2 Agile recommends the explicit definition of the minimum viable product. The business case should explain how the MVP contributes to the expected benefits. The MVP enables assumptions to be tested early and is a good way to mitigate risk.
Organization PRINCE2 Agile recommends all the PRINCE2 roles with specific tailoring of their responsibilities. Particular attention should be
focused on how the team manager is integrated into the delivery team. Also, attention must be given to the relationship between the PRINCE2 team manager, project manager and common agile roles such as product owner, scrum master, agile coach, business ambassador. For example, can the team manager role be performed by the scrum master role?
Quality Both scope and quality are flexible in PRINCE2 Agile. Therefore, on PRINCE2 Agile projects, it is necessary that stakeholders understand that a reduction in scope does not mean a reduction in quality too. On a PRINCE2 Agile project, acceptance criteria and quality criteria are prioritised, and quality tolerances are defined. Agile concepts such as definitions of ‘done’ and ‘ready’ help ensure that the team knows when work can be stopped or is ready for deployment.
Plans Planning is an area where there are a lot of agile techniques and approaches. On PRINCE2 Agile projects, low tech approaches, such as a simple backlog list in place of a stage plan can be considered. It might also be useful to use release plans in the form of a backlog within the stage plan. These would typically contain several sprints. The priority in PRINCE2 Agile is always to look at how much value can be delivered in a fixed timeframe.
Risk Agile techniques address many of the familiar project risks by: ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢
avoiding too much detail at the start; daily stand-ups; frequent delivery of product; frequent demos; customer interaction; self-managed teams.
However, agile working comes with its own risks e.g. the challenges of continual customer engagement. A PRINCE2 Agile project must ensure that risk management processes are not bureaucratic. The level of formality should be appropriate to the needs of the project e.g. a few columns on the team board might suffice, rather than using an electronic risk register.
Change PRINCE2 and agile both see change as inevitable. PRINCE2 Agile recommends that significant change affecting the justification of the project is managed through change control. Lower-level change (e.g. product features) must be more responsive and can be dealt with by prioritization techniques by the customer working alongside the team.
Progress This is another area where there are lots of agile approaches and techniques. Agile focuses on tracking what is delivered using metrics such as velocity, lead times or value. PRINCE2 Agile recommends that tolerances are set for scope and quality. Often, burndown and burnup charts can be used to demonstrate any value realized.
Tailoring the PRINCE2 processes for agile Now, let’s look at tailoring the PRINCE2 processes for a PRINCE2 Agile project.
Starting up a project and initiating a project These processes are likely to be combined on PRINCE2 Agile projects. They should be swift enough to put in place the foundations for the rest of the project. They should focus on business justification and defining the minimum viable product. The project initiation documentation (PID) may exist as an information radiator. The project should be planned as several releases. This requires the definition of ‘done’.
Controlling a stage and managing product delivery In PRINCE2 Agile, stages are made up of timeboxes – either releases or sprints. Delivery must be focused on which features to deliver to enable the expected benefits. Teams work collaboratively and are involved in sprint planning and estimating. Each stage may include one or more releases or sprints. Progress, issues and risks can be tracked in stand-ups, information radiators, burn charts, sprint demos. The work package still forms the vital interface between the project manager and the team. It’s the work package which brings PRINCE2 and agile working together and should be collaboratively defined. The work package is the boundary of control between the project manager and the team and it empowers the team to self-organize and enables rich communication.
Managing a stage boundary Stage boundaries enables the team to look both forwards and backwards. Looking backwards, it helps the team understand: ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢
How did we do? How much was delivered? To what quality? What benefit was delivered? Did the process work well? Release reviews and retrospectives?
Looking forwards, it helps the team to: ➢ Plan the next stage, releases and sprints; ➢ Review the product and release backlogs; ➢ Perform release planning. Also, just as in PRINCE2, it enables the project board to review the business case, project plan and decide whether to continue.
Closing a project This process enables the team and the project manager to look both forwards and backwards. It looks at when the benefits will be realized and provides the final operational handover and acceptance.
Directing a project The project board in PRINCE2 Agile must manage by exception to help empower the development teams. Progress reporting must focus on the amount of product delivered and the benefits realized. The project board should attend key demos to gain an insight into the details of the project. Decision-making may be based upon information pulled from radiators.
PRINCE2 Agile focus areas There are several focus areas in PRINCE2 Agile which we will look at now.
Agilometer The Agilometer is a tool which assesses the suitability of the project environment for agile working. It helps the project management team understand the most effective way to tailor PRINCE2 Agile. The tool contains 6 factors represented by sliders. The environment is assessed for each factor on a simple scale of low to high. The 6 factors are: ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢
Flexibility on what is delivered; Level of collaboration; Ease of communication; Ability to work iteratively and deliver incrementally; Advantageous environmental conditions; Acceptance of agile.
It should be used pre-project and then repeated at subsequent stage boundaries. All the sliders are considered individually - they are not ‘added up’ or averaged.
Requirements The PRINCE2 Agile approach to requirements involves ordering them from higher levels to lower levels. Each level can be prioritized using standard agile prioritization techniques such as MoSCoW. Requirements should be placed into 2 or 3 levels such as: ➢ High level – project product description or product groups; ➢ Medium level – product descriptions;
➢ Low level – a requirements list or user stories.
Rich communication Rich communication fosters collaboration. The aim is to have as much face to face communication coupled with the highest level of visualization. Visualization doesn’t have to be high tech. Low tech tools such as whiteboards, flipcharts and sticky notes are often quicker and better than computerized tools.
Workshops Workshops can be useful in several ways on a project. They are often used to elicit requirements from stakeholders. To get the best value from a workshop, preparation is vital. That means setting objectives and agenda, inviting attendees, organising the logistics and enabling pre-reading.
Frequent releases Frequent releases have several benefits including: ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢
Enabling early delivery of benefits to the customer; Allowing for feedback; Likely to reduce risk; Giving confidence through visibility and evidence; Fostering engagement with project stakeholders; Making releasing easier and perhaps second nature.
Benefits of PRINCE2 Agile PRINCE2 Agile offers several benefits including: ➢ It allows practitioners to focus on both project management and product delivery; ➢ It works with any established agile approach; ➢ It enables on-time delivery using time-boxing; ➢ It encourages collaboratively on projects whilst remaining corporate-friendly; ➢ It is easily scalable; ➢ It increases stakeholder confidence; ➢ It provides tools to manage and react to changing requirements.
Conclusion PRINCE2 Agile is an agile project management framework suitable for modern, agile projects. It combines the structure, control and project governance of PRINCE2 with the flexibility and responsiveness of agile. PRINCE2 Agile builds upon the strengths of PRINCE2 as a project management methodology, plus the strengths of agile development approaches to produce a framework which is fully scalable, agile, and focused on realising benefits for the customer. Students wanting to get ahead in their careers should consider getting one of the PRINCE2 Agile certifications by attending one of these PRINCE2 Agile courses.
References [1]AXELOS (2015). PRINCE2 Agile. Norwich: The Stationery Office. 356.
[2]AXELOS (2017). Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2. 2017 ed. Norwich: The Stationery Office. 400.
PRINCE2® Helped This Student Get A Job
Many people ask us if PRINCE2 gets you a job or helps you progress in your career. The simple answer is – yes! This interview with Lisa Gobell, a former Knowledge Train student, proves how valuable PRINCE2 is to your project management career. Read on to find out more!
Overview Gobell took a PRINCE2 Foundation course with Knowledge Train last year. She is now a Business Support Manager for Project One Consulting Limited, a project management firm based near Manchester. This article is an interview we conducted with her, to find out how PRINCE2 helped her career. We hope you find it useful!
Why did you take a PRINCE2 course? Lisa: I was considering a career change into project management. A friend told me that the PRINCE2 qualification helped her become a project manager. She told me it was globally recognized. Being from Australia, I needed something transferrable in case I ever moved back. Even if I decided not to pursue project management as my core role, I wanted more confidence in how to manage a project – no matter how big or small - so that I could lead change in any organization I worked for. Having this qualification on my CV would show my dedication and commitment to personal development. It would also make me more eligible for promotions and salary increases over time.
Who told you PRINCE2 would help your career? Lisa: A friend of mine changed to a project management career. The first thing she did to prepare for that change was to gain PRINCE2 Foundation qualification. This is because employers wanted to see the qualification on her CV before allowing her through to interview. I also did my own research online and it was clear that PRINCE2 was recognized in various industries and multiple countries.
What job did you have prior to the course? Lisa: Principal Advisor. I was an investment advisor and family office advisor to wealthy individuals and families.
Did you apply for project management jobs? Lisa: Yes, and although it did not result in a project management role, I have become a Business Support/Operations Manager in a project management company. I work within the operational side of the business, so I manage projects which allow the business to grow over time. For example, helping to implement a new IT system for client resourcing or managing the fit-out of our building.
Did the course enable you to get a job? Lisa: Yes. Business Support Manager, as described above. The course gave me the confidence to sell myself in the interview when they described the sorts of projects I would be managing. It also helped me to familiarize myself with the project terms that are used daily amongst my managers and colleagues, of which 95% are project managers themselves.
Has the course helped your career in other ways? Lisa: Yes, it gave me the confidence to excel at my role when managing projects. I feel more comfortable when seeking advice from my colleagues who are project managers, because I am more familiar with the terminology they are using that were very foreign to me before.
How did you find work after the course? Lisa: I Googled project management organizations and applied for junior level jobs online in the hope I would quickly be promoted up the ladder (because I didn’t have any project management experience before, so I couldn’t jump into a higher-level role). I contacted recruiters who specialized in this industry and subscribed to industry reports, so I could stay up to date and learn new names of companies out there that may be hiring.
Was job-hunting easier after the course? Lisa: Yes. It gave me the confidence to send my CV out with descriptions of some small-scale project management work I had done, plus the qualification to back it up which I didn’t have previously.
What job interviews did you get after the course? Lisa: I was very fortunate and got my current job very quickly, within about 2 weeks of looking. This was the only interview I attended.
Did you feel well-prepared for job interviews? Lisa: Yes, this was a factor of my own dedication but the confidence that extra qualification gave me.
Have you taken other courses since? Lisa: No, but I course eventually.
intend
to
do
the PRINCE2
Practitioner
What are your future career plans? Lisa: I intend on staying in my current role for many years and haven’t thought past then. The business continues to grow, and it means more and more projects for me to manage to keep the business up to date with regulation, IT infrastructure, and anything else to keep us efficient.
Would you recommend PRINCE2 to others? Lisa: Yes. It’s about having a qualification on your CV to get you through the door. You may already have some small-scale project management experience, but the qualification then gives you the confidence to use the right terminology in interviews to describe your experience. It will also make you feel more comfortable when talking to colleagues once you have the job.
PRINCE2® myths exposed
Since I started as a PRINCE2 trainer way back in 2006, I’ve come across a number of common misconceptions about PRINCE2. In this article I’ll try to challenge some of the most common of these myths.
1. PRINCE2 is only for IT projects The idea that PRINCE2 is only suitable for IT projects couldn’t be further from the truth. This misconception probably arises from the method’s earliest incarnation as a project management framework developed by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency in the late 1980s. As such, ‘Projects in Controlled Environments’ (PRINCE) was originally devised to support the UK government’s IT projects. In fact, so effective was the method that its potential to serve any kind of project was quickly realised, leading to the introduction of PRINCE2 in the mid-1990s. Its status as a ‘best practice’ project management method richly deserved, PRINCE2 has now helped thousands upon thousands of organisations to better plan and manage their projects. The truth is that as a generic project management method, PRINCE2 can be applied to any project, large or small, in any industry. Its adaptability is one of the many reasons for the method’s success and popularity in over 150 countries.
In the most recent version of the PRINCE2 manual which was released in 2017, lots of additional guidance was introduced about tailoring PRINCE2 to different project environments. This means that PRINCE2 is even more practical and useful today than it’s ever been.
2. PRINCE2 is only for waterfall projects Again, this misconception probably arose because when PRINCE2 started out in 1996, the concept of agile projects hadn’t even been thought of. In the 80s and early 90s almost every project was conducted in a waterfall approach. As agile projects have become more prevalent, best-practice methods such as PRINCE2 have kept up to date by understanding how to adapt the core PRINCE2 method so that agile methods can be incorporated. So today, PRINCE2 can be used on incremental, iterative or waterfall projects.
3. Preparing for a PRINCE2 course takes a long time Using carefully designed pre-course materials, Knowledge Train focuses the time you spend prior to the course. Usually, our delegates spend on average about 7 hours of study prior to attending one of our Foundation courses. Tightly focused and clearly written, our PRINCE2 prep materials introduces the method and its key terminology, while a full-colour process model diagram helps to reinforce major concepts. The prep uses a variety of learning tools - text, videos and diagrams, often in the form of mindmaps. Our trainers understand that it is unhelpful to overburden people in the days or weeks leading up to their course. The majority of Knowledge Train’s PRINCE2 delegates are busy professionals with demanding schedules, so the pre-course preparation is designed with their needs in mind. Available via our convenient and easy to use portal, the preparatory reading is accompanied by several interactive features, including quiz questions to stimulate your learning.
4. PRINCE2 is project management software PRINCE2 is in fact a generic project management method, not computer software. The method is underpinned by key principles, themes, and processes designed to give your project the best chance of success at every stage of its development. Among the
areas targeted by PRINCE2 training are the importance of the business case, strategies for managing quality, risk, stakeholders and configuration items. Highly adaptable, the PRINCE2 framework can be applied to any project, regardless of its size or the nature of the business environment in which it operates. Since its introduction in 1996, PRINCE2 has benefited more than 20,000 organisations and is a leading project management method in both the private and public sector. PRINCE2 courses are a popular choice among individuals seeking effective project management training. Knowledge Train is accredited by AXELOS to deliver PRINCE2 training and offers classroom-based courses in London with the option to study via elearning also available. Naturally, PRINCE2 can be implemented alongside project management and project support software.
5. You need experience to attend a course The truth is that PRINCE2 training is open to all. There are no prerequisites to attending a PRINCE2 course; you are not required either to hold a certain qualification or possess ‘real world’ project management experience in order to train in the method. PRINCE2 can be applied to any kind of project, and this is reflected in the diversity of people who train with us. Some delegates on Knowledge Train’s PRINCE2 courses are working on, supporting, or managing projects and require formal training in this field; some attend because they are retraining to work in project management and wish to enhance their employment prospects with PRINCE2 qualifications; others may simply be interested in the subject matter. The first level of PRINCE2 training, Foundation, is ideal if you are working on or supporting projects using the PRINCE2 framework. Achieving Foundation certification demonstrates that you possess a clear understanding of the PRINCE2 approach to projects. If you aim to manage projects using PRINCE2, you would also benefit from training at Practitioner level. Registered PRINCE2 Practitioner status is often cited by employers as a requirement among candidates for project manager job vacancies.
6. PRINCE2 exams are essay-based Whichever PRINCE2 exam you wish to take – Foundation or Practitioner – you will not be asked to write any essays. All PRINCE2 exams are based on the multiple-choice testing format, whether they are paper-based or taken online. For each question, candidates select what they believe to be the correct answer from a list of four options. Until a few years ago, anyone being examined at Practitioner level was required to complete an essay-based exam. Now, people are often relieved to find that it is no longer necessary to write at length when attempting to obtain or re-register the PRINCE2 Practitioner qualification! Even if you originally passed the essay-based Practitioner exam, for example, you would complete a multiplechoice Practitioner exam when aiming to renew the qualification. Multiple-choice exams can marked faster than essay-based papers, reducing the amount of time it takes to provide candidates with their results. Provisional Foundation or Practitioner exam results are normally sent to our delegates on the same day of the exam. Official results are sent 2-3 business days later, alongside an e-certificate if you have passed.
PMP vs. PRINCE2 certification
This article compares the differences between PRINCE2 vs. PMP as professional project management certifications. Project Management Professional (PMP)® is the most popular qualification from the Project Management Institute (PMI). PRINCE2 qualifications are provided by PeopleCert on behalf of AXELOS. There are several factors to consider when weighing up PMP versus PRINCE2. These will know be explained.
Difficulty The most difficult is PMP certification. That’s because it requires a minimum of 4,500 hours and a 4-year degree. Alternatively, 7,500 hours plus a secondary degree would suffice. PRINCE2 Foundation certification can be obtained just by passing the exam. No experience or degree is required for either the Foundation or Practitioner levels. Several certifications can qualify you to sit the Practitioner exam.
Degree
Hours of Previous project qualifications experience
PMP
Minimum of Minimum secondary 4,500 degree
PRINCE2 Foundation
None
PRINCE2 Practitioner
None
of
None
0
None
0
Any of: PRINCE2 Foundation, or PMI CAPM®, or PMI PMP®, or IPMA Level A® to D®.
Exam format The PMP exam is the longest and has the most questions. The pass mark is not published.
PMP
PRINCE2 Foundation
PRINCE2 Practitioner
Duration (minutes)
Questions
Pass mark
Style
Exam format
240
200 multiplechoice
Unknown
Closedbook
Exam centre
60
60 multiple55% choice
Closedbook
Exam centre or online using remote proctor
150
68 multiple55% choice
Openbook
Exam centre or online using remote proctor
Syllabus The PMP exam is based primarily upon the content of the PMBOK® Guide (sixth edition), but not exclusively. Both PRINCE2 exams are based upon the official manual Managing Successful Projects Using PRINCE2® (2017 Edition). You can read how PRINCE2 compares with the PMBOK® Guide in another article.
What is examined?
Pages of guidance
PMP
PMBOK Guide Process groups
756 (for PMBOK Guide, but other reading is recommended)
PRINCE2 Foundation
PRINCE2 methodology and terminology
400
PRINCE2 Practitioner
Application of the methodology to a scenario
400
Cost PMP exams can be purchased directly from the Project Management Institute. The cost is cheaper if you are a PMI member. The price of PRINCE2 exams is usually included in either a classroom or online course. Exams can also be purchased without training.
Exam price* (correct on 17/03/2019) PMP
PMI member: US$405 Non-member: US$555
PRINCE2 Foundation
GBP299 (exam centre) GBP320 (online)
PRINCE2 Practitioner
GBP349 (exam centre) GBP370 (online)
Popularity Like all PMI certifications, PMP is popular in the USA, Canada, South America, Africa and Asia. PRINCE2 is popular in the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. When did it Countries/regions start? popular PMP
1984
PRINCE2 1996
where Number of exams taken
USA, Americas, Africa, Asia
750,000*
1,000,000* UK, Europe, Australia, New (Foundation) Zealand 500,000* (Practitioner)
*Neither PMI nor AXELOS publish the number of exams undertaken but reasonable estimates can be given based upon information in the public domain.
Trainer accreditation The quality of PMP training and trainers is variable. This is because there is no accreditation for either PMP courses or trainers. All PRINCE2 courses and PRINCE2 trainers however must be accredited by PeopleCert. This means that there is a minimum level of quality if you take an accredited PRINCE2 course. Of course, there is a lot of ‘grey market’ training provided by people or companies with no accreditation in PRINCE2. The quality of such training is likely to be poor. Accreditation body
Accreditation of trainers
Accreditation of courses
PMP
PMI
No
Yes
PRINCE2
PeopleCert of on behalf Yes of AXELOS
Yes
Maintaining certification PMI requires a candidate to maintain professional development units (PDUs). These can be obtained in a variety of ways including attending classroom, online or virtual training, reading relevant materials or attending relevant events. Similarly, AXELOS has Continuous Professional Development (CPD) points. These can be obtained in similar ways to those of PMI’s PDUs. PRINCE2 Foundation certificate never expires, so there is no requirement for renewal. Ways to renew PMP
60 PDUs every 3 years
PRINCE2 Foundation
N/A
PRINCE2 Practitioner
20 CPDs per year for 3 years; OR, pass Practitioner exam within 3 years.
Which is better – PMP or PRINCE2?
When deciding whether PMP or PRINCE2 is best consider these factors.
1. Do you have project management experience? If not, take PRINCE2.
2. Do you have at least a secondary degree? If not, take PRINCE2.
3. Where do you intend to seek work? If it’s Europe or Australasia, choose PRINCE2, otherwise PMP.
4. Do you want to get certified quickly? If so, choose PRINCE2 – it’s faster and easier.
5. Do you want to learn detailed project management techniques? If so, choose PMP, although this will be a harder choice.
CAPM®, PMBOK®, Project Management Body of Knowledge®, PMP®, Project Management Professional (PMP)® are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc. IPMA Level A® and IPMA Level D® are Registered Trade Marks of IPMA in Switzerland and other countries.
PRINCE2 FAQs
What does PRINCE2 stand for? PRINCE2 stands for PRojects IN Controlled Environments. It’s the world’s leading project management methodology.
What is PRINCE2? PRINCE2 is the world’s leading project management methodology. PRINCE2 is based on modern best practices in project management. You can use PRINCE2 in any industry and on any type or scale of project. PRINCE2 helps organisations achieve many important things, including: • • •
Taking sensible investment decisions about projects Keeping control over things such as time, cost, quality, risk and scope Delivering outputs which will help achieve its goals.
PRINCE2 gives guidance to people taking decisions on projects. It answers questions about:
• • • •
What decisions to take? Who takes decisions? When to take decisions? What documents or reports are required to support those decisions?
What's the history of PRINCE2? 1975 - Simpact Systems Ltd (UK) created a project management method called PROMPT. 1979 - Adopted as the standard for all UK Government IT projects. 1989 - PRINCE was created by CCTA (the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency) by revising PROMPT. 1996 - PRINCE2 was created as a generic project management method. 2017 - Most recent updates to PRINCE2 manual.
Who is PRINCE2 for? PRINCE2 certification is for people who either: ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢
Work on projects or teams Support projects Lead teams Manage projects Direct projects Sponsor projects Manage operations.
What is the PRINCE2 methodology? PRINCE2 is the world’s leading structured project management methodology. PRINCE2 provides guidance about the best ways to manage projects. It helps organizations get better control over projects. In turn this enables a better return on investment. The PRINCE2 method is structured into 7 well-defined processes to address typical project management needs.
PRINCE2 consists of 4 integrated elements: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Principles Themes Processes Tailoring to the project environment.
More details: PRINCE2 Methodology Explained >
What is PRINCE2 project management? PRINCE2 project management refers to the application of the PRINCE2 methodology to a project. When applying PRINCE2, you must do the following: 1. Apply the 7 principles of PRINCE2 2. Adapt the 7 PRINCE2 themes to meet your project’s needs 3. Adapt the 7 PRINCE2 processes to meet your project’s
needs 4. Adapt the 26 management products of PRINCE2 5. Assign the roles and responsibilities defined by PRINCE2 to a specific individual. To learn how to apply PRINCE2 on different projects, people normally study the PRINCE2 Practitioner level qualification. Read more: What is PRINCE2? >
Is PRINCE2 right for me? If you’re concerned whether you can understand and pass the PRINCE2 exams, consider these facts. • • •
You don't need experience to attend a course Over 1.2million people have passed PRINCE2 exams since 1996 In the UK, the average pass rates for exams for all training companies are: o o
97% PRINCE2 Foundation exam 73% PRINCE2 Practitioner exam
If you apply yourself to studying, then you’ve got a great chance of becoming PRINCE2 certified.
Do I need experience to take PRINCE2? No. Many people attend courses having no previous project management experience. Others come with some experience. The course assumes students have no experience. We will teach you a core understanding of project management using PRINCE2. Before taking a Practitioner course, you need to have the PRINCE2 Foundation qualification.
Foundation difference?
and
Practitioner
-
what’s
the
Here are the main differences between PRINCE2 Foundation and PRINCE2 Practitioner. PRINCE2 Foundation
PRINCE2 Practitioner
Entry-level qualification
Higher-level qualification
No experience or qualifications PRINCE2 Foundation required required Learn a basic understanding of Learn to apply PRINCE2 to simple projects PRINCE2 For people working supporting projects
on
or For people managing or directing projects, and operational managers
2-day course
2.5-day course
1-hour exam, 60 questions, 2.5-hour exam, 68 questions, 55% pass 55% pass mark mark
How do I renew my PRINCE2? To renew your PRINCE2 Practitioner, you need to pass the Practitioner exam. We recommend you attend a course to learn the latest 2017 version of PRINCE2. There are classroom and online course options to choose from.
Is PRINCE2 software? No. PRINCE2 is a method to help you manage projects. It’s not a software tool.
What’s the latest version of PRINCE2? The latest version of PRINCE2 is the 2017 version.
What is the PRINCE2 manual? The official PRINCE2 manual contains guidance about the methodology. Title: ‘Managing Successful Projects Using PRINCE2® 2017 Edition’. Pages: 400 ISBN: 9780113315338 Published: 18 May 2017