What is PRINCE2®?

PRINCE2® (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a process-based method for effective project management. It exists in the public domain, offering non-proprietary best practice guidance on how to manage projects.

PRINCE2® describes 7 themes which need to be present for a successful project:

Business Case

The justification for the project.

Organization

Roles and responsibilities of the people involved.

Risk

How the project should approach/manage risk.

Quality

Ensuring the project delivers quality products.

Plans

The project’s products and how, when and by whom the work should be carried out.

Change

How the products are identified/tracked within the project and how to manage scope changes.

Progress

How the project manager and board exercise control over the project in order to evaluate actual progress against what was planned.

Where did PRINCE2® come from?

PRINCE was established in the United Kingdom in 1989 by the Central Computer & Telecommunications Agency (CCTA).

It was originally based on PROMPT, a project management method created in 1975 by Simpact Systems, Ltd. PROMPT was adopted by CCTA in 1979 as the standard to be used for all projects related to government information systems.

When PRINCE was launched in 1989, it effectively superseded PROMPT within government projects. PRINCE remains in the public domain and copyright is retained by the Cabinet Office. PRINCE2® was published in 1996, having been contributed to by a consortium of some 150 European organizations.

The development of PRINCE2® from the earlier PRINCE method was driven by user-based improvements, project management specialists and a review panel of public and private sector organizations. This end result is a generic best practice tool which is flexible enough to be tailored to your organization and used successfully for all types of projects.

In today's projects, there are often different groups of people involved including the customer, suppliers and the user. PRINCE2® is designed to provide a common language across all the interested parties.

Who is PRINCE2® for?

PRINCE2® provides benefits to managers and directors of a project through the controllable use of resources. It also enhances their ability to manage business and project risks more effectively.

PRINCE2® embodies established and proven best practice in project management. It is widely recognized and understood, providing a common language for all participants in a project.

It encourages formal recognition of responsibilities and focuses on what a project will deliver, why, when and to whom. PRINCE2® provides projects with:

  • A controlled/organized start, middle and end.
  • Regular reviews of progress against the plan and business case decision points.
  • Automatic management control of any deviations from the plan.
  • The involvement of management and stakeholders at the right time/place during the project.
  • Good communication channels between project management and the rest of the organization.

What online resources are available for PRINCE2®?

Managing & Directing Successful Projects with PRINCE2™ Online Subscription

This subscription gives you online access to the latest authorative text. Functionality includes:

  • Dynamic content.
  • History.
  • Easy navigation.
  • Cross-linking between chapters.
  • Bookmarking.
  • Pop-up glossary of terms.

Click here for more information.

Best Practice User Group® (BPUG®) Membership

As the official user group for the Cabinet Office's portfolio, program, project and resource management (P3RM) best practice methods, BPUG® provides a platform for individuals, organizations and the community as a whole to share knowledge and exchange ideas.

It has been set up to help users adopt, use, share and shape the application of the Cabinet Office’s P3RM products including PRINCE2®, MSP®, M_o_R® and P3O®. They achieve this through a program of newsletters, regional workshops on a wide variety of topics, an annual members conference, online forum, provision of downloadable resources and by involving users in the process of feedback to the Cabinet Office.

Click here for more information.

What is the PRINCE2® - 6th edition course roadmap?

  • Foundation Level

    Entry-level PRINCE2® certification for individuals or teams.

    There are no prerequisites.

  • Practitioner Level

    Advanced-level PRINCE2® certification for individuals or teams.

    To qualify for this course, Foundation Level certification is a prerequisite.

  • Foundation + Practitioner

    • 4 day
      This certification provides knowledge and understanding of the PRINCE2® method to be able to work effectively with a project management team. It also includes advanced-level certification that provides sufficient understanding of how to tailor and apply PRINCE2® in an organization.
Top