Prince2 Foundation & Practitioner
PRINCE2 stands for Projects In Controlled Environment. It is a structured project management method based on experience drawn from thousands of projects and from contributions of countless projects sponsors, project managers, project teams, academicians, trainers and consultants.
PRINCE2 is a de facto standard developed and used extensively by the UK government and is widely recognised and used in the private sector, both in the UK and internationally. It embodies established and proven best practice in project management.
Since 2000 the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), former owner of PRINCE2® has been the custodian of the portfolio on behalf of UKG. In June 2010 as a result of UKG reorganisation the Minister for the Cabinet Office announced that the PRINCE2 functions have moved into Cabinet Office.
PeopleCert has been granted delegated authority by the Cabinet Office to issue licences for the re-use of the Cabinet Office's trademarks and the Crown copyright in the publications relating to them. This means that they issue licences to Accredited Organisations for them to use the Cabinet Office's IP within their training materials and related marketing activities.
How does PRINCE2 Work
The PRINCE2 method is documented in The Cabinet Office publication “Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2", readily available from the official publisher, TSO. This is aimed at those working in the project environment and the project managers in particular. "Directing Successful Projects with PRINCE2" covers the duties and responsibilities expected of the Project Board. These core books are supported by a number of complementary publications.
PRINCE2 acts as a common language among business, users and suppliers, allowing for their representation on the Project Board. Although PRINCE2 doesn't include contract management as such, it provides the necessary controls and boundaries needed for everybody to work together within the limits of any relevant contracts.
Most important of all, PRINCE2 allows your business to focus on doing the right projects, at the right time, for the right reasons, by making the start of the project and its continuance dependent on the continued existence of a viable Business Case.Benefits of PRINCE2
- Promotes consistency of project work and the ability to reuse project assets; it also facilitates staff mobility and reduces the impact of personnel changes/handovers.
- Is an invaluable diagnostic tool, facilitating the assurance and assessment of project work, troubleshooting and audits.
- Plans are carefully designed to meet the needs of the different levels in the management team, improving communication and control.
- Ensures that participants focus on the viability of the project in relation to its Business Case objectives - rather than simply seeing the completion of the project as an end in itself.
- Defines a thorough but economical structure of reports.
- Ensures that stakeholders (including sponsors and resource providers) are properly represented in planning and decision making.
