Prince2 Foundation + Practitioner Course

What is PRINCE2? - PRINCE2 Definition
PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a process-based method for effective project management. PRINCE2 is a de facto standard used extensively by the UK Government and is widely recognised and used in the private sector, both in the UK and internationally.
The method PRINCE2 is in the public domain, offering non-proprietorial best practice guidance on project management. PRINCE2 is a registered trademark of OGC.

The key features of PRINCE2 are:

• Its focus on business justification
• A defined organisation structure for the project management team
• Its product-based planning approach
• Its emphasis on dividing the project into manageable and controllable stages
• Its flexibility to be applied at a level appropriate to the project.

PRINCE2 History
PRINCE was established in 1989 by CCTA (the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency), since renamed the OGC (the Office of Government Commerce).
PRINCE was originally based on PROMPT, a project management method created by Simpact Systems Ltd in 1975. PROMPT was adopted by CCTA in 1979 as the standard to be used for all Government information system projects.
When PRINCE was launched in 1989, it effectively superseded PROMPT within Government projects.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 Crown.
PRINCE is a registered trademark of OGC.
PRINCE2 was published in 1996, having been contributed to by a consortium of some 150 European organisations.


More About PRINCE2 There are two PRINCE2 qualification levels: PRINCE2 Foundation and PRINCE2 Practitioner.
PRINCE2 Foundation level is for those with a requirement to learn the basics and terminology of PRINCE2.
PRINCE2 Practitioner is the highest level qualification and is suitable for those with the need to manage projects within a PRINCE2 environment. PRINCE2 certification is an invaluable asset to anyone's career as it increases employment prospects and helps individuals do their jobs more effectively, becoming an advantage to their employers.
Both the courses are offered online

• A PRINCE2 Foundation qualification can be reached with our partner ILX's renowned PRINCE2 Foundation computer based training package
• A PRINCE2 Practitioner qualification can be reached with the ILX combined PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner blended package

COST £800.00 per module OR a discounted £1,400.00 for both modules.

Why Should I Study PRINCE2?

To Gain First Class Project Management Skills
PRINCE2 certification will give you the skills to feel confident in managing projects successfully within the workforce.
Using PRINCE2 in your projects will give you common systems, procedures and language. You will make fewer mistakes, learn from those that you do make, and ultimately save money and effort.
To Improve Employment Prospects
A PRINCE2 qualification is a great asset for your resume.
PRINCE2 is recognised as a world-class international product and is the standard method for project management. Many companies across the world require staff to be PRINCE2 certified

PRINCE2 Benefits
Using PRINCE2 provides you with greater control of resources, and the ability to manage business and project risk more effectively, which provides benefits to:

• individuals seeking leading project management skills and greater employment prospects
• project managers
• directors/executives (senior responsible owners) of projects, and
• organisations

Why Implement PRINCE2 In Your Organisation?

PRINCE2 Is The International Standard Method for Project Management
PRINCE2 is recognised as a world-class international product and is the standard method for project management, not least because it embodies many years of good practice in project management and provides a flexible and adaptable approach to suit all projects. It is a project management method designed to provide a framework covering the wide variety of disciplines and activities required within a project.
PRINCE2's formal recognition of responsibilities within a project, together with its focus on what a project is to deliver (the why, when and for whom) provides your organisation's projects with:

• a common, consistent approach
• a controlled and organised start, middle and end
• regular reviews of progress against plan
• assurance that the project continues to have a business justification
• flexible decision points
• management control of any deviations from the plan
• the involvement of management and stakeholders at the right time and place during the project
• good communication channels between the project, project management, and the rest of the organisation
• a means of capturing and sharing lessons learned
• a route to increasing the project management skills and competences of the organisation's staff at all levels

Why Use a Project Management Methodology?

PRINCE2 provides benefits to the managers and directors of a project and to an organisation, through the controllable use of resources and the ability to manage business and project risk more effectively.
PRINCE2 embodies established and proven best practice in project management. It is widely recognised and understood, providing a common language for all participants in a project.
PRINCE2 encourages formal recognition of responsibilities within a project and focuses on what a project is to deliver, why, when and for whom. PRINCE2 provides projects with:

• A controlled and organised start, middle and end
• Regular reviews of progress against plan and against the Business Case flexible decision points
• Automatic management control of any deviations from the plan
• The involvement of management and stakeholders at the right time and place during the project
• Good communication channels between the project, project management, and the rest of the organisation.

PRINCE2 - A Structured Project Management Methodology
Before we go into the specifics of PRINCE2, there are some general points about the subject of project management, which should help put everything into context... Whenever we decide we want to do something, go somewhere, build something, achieve something, we need to know the answer to some questions.

• What are we trying to do?
• When will we start?
• What do we need?
• Can we do it alone, or do we need help?
• How long will it take?
• How much will it cost?

These are the usual questions asked at the start of any project and the answers are the building blocks of project management - defining what we want to do and working out the best way we can do it.
Structured project management means managing the project in a logical, organised way, following defined steps. A structured project management method like PRINCE2 is the written description of this logical, organised approach. We know from experience that projects which aren't organised and controlled properly usually go disastrously wrong. Some of the big ones hit the press.
London Ambulance and Channel Tunnel, for example, both experienced very public problems of systems not working properly and huge overspends. Structured project management methods have been developed to try to prevent such disasters.
The PRINCE2 Methodology Says That a Project Should Have:

• An organised and controlled start, ie. organise and plan things properly before leaping in;
• An organised and controlled middle, ie. when the project has started, make sure it continues to be organised and controlled;
• An organised and controlled end, ie. when you've got what you want and the project has finished, tidy up the loose ends.

In order to describe what a project should do when, PRINCE2 has a series of processes which cover all the activities needed on a project from starting up to closing down.

PRINCE2 Project Management Roles
Project Manager
Organising and controlling a project means that we need to have someone responsible for doing the organising and controlling - this person is called the Project Manager.
The Project Manager will select people to do the work on the project and will be responsible for making sure the work is done properly and on time.
The Project Manager draws up the Project Plans that describe what the project team will actually be doing and when they expect to finish.
Customer, User and Supplier
The person who is paying for the project is called the customer or executive.
The person who is going to use the results or outcome of the project, or who will be impacted by the outcome of a project, is called the user.
On some projects, the customer and user may be the same person. The person who provides the expertise to do the actual work on the project (i.e. will be designing and building the outcome) is called the supplier or specialist.
All of these people need to be organised and co-ordinated so that the project delivers the required outcome within budget, on time and to the appropriate quality.
Project Board
Each PRINCE2 project will have a Project Board made up of the customer (or executive), someone who can represent the user side and someone to represent the supplier or specialist input.
In PRINCE2, these people are called Customer, Senior User and Senior Supplier respectively.
The Project Manager reports regularly to the Project Board, keeping them informed of progress and highlighting any problems he/she can foresee.
The Project Board is responsible for providing the Project Manager with the necessary decisions for the project to proceed and to overcome any problems.

PRINCE2 Project Management Techniques
Project Assurance Providing an independent view of how the project is progressing is the job of Project Assurance. In PRINCE2, there are three views of assurance; business, user and specialist.
Each view reflects the interests of the three Project Board members. Assurance is about checking that the project remains viable in terms of costs and benefits (business assurance), checking that the users' requirements are being met (user assurance), and that the project is delivering a suitable solution (specialist or technical assurance). On some projects, the assurance is done by a separate team of people called the Project Assurance Team, but the assurance job can be done by the individual members of the Project Board themselves.

Project Support On most projects there is a lot of administrative work needed, keeping everyone informed, arranging meetings, keeping plans up-to-date, chasing things up, keeping files, etc. Project Managers often do all this work themselves, particularly on smaller projects. But if there are a number of projects going on at the same time, a Project Support Office can be setup to help the Project Managers with this work.

Controlling Change Apart from describing the different people involved on a PRINCE2 project, and what they are each responsible for, the method also explains how to manage risk, how to manage quality, and how to control change on the project. Risk Management is about working out what could go wrong and planning what to do if it does. Quality Management is about checking the quality of work done on the project, either by testing it or reviewing the work in some way.
There are always lots of changes during the life of a project, people change their minds, other things happen which affect what the project is doing. PRINCE2 has a technique of controlling the way changes impact the project in order to prevent the project going off in the wrong direction.

So, PRINCE2 is a method for managing projects. It helps you work out who should be involved and what they will be responsible for. It gives you a set of processes to work through and explains what information you should be gathering along the way. But PRINCE2 doesn't do the work for you, it cannot guarantee that your projects will be successful. Good projects, which deliver quality results, on-time and within budget are dependent on the quality of people involved from Project Board down to individual team members.

Having read this brief introduction to project management and PRINCE2, the next thing to do is go on a training course and find out more!

PRINCE2 Scope

In today's projects, there are often different groups of people involved, including the customer, one or more suppliers, and of course the user. PRINCE2 is designed to provide a common language across all the interested parties. Bringing customers and suppliers together generally involves contracts and contract management. Although these aspects are outside of PRINCE2, the method recognises the need to provide projects with the necessary controls and breakpoints to work successfully within a contractual framework.


PRINCE2 Processes - The PRINCE2 Process Model PRINCE2 is a process-based approach for project management providing an easily tailored, and scaleable method for the management of all types of projects.
Each process is defined with its key inputs and outputs together with the specific objectives to be achieved and activities to be carried out.
Below you will find a diagram and subsequent explanation of the PRINCE2 processes to help guide you when managing projects with PRINCE2.
Our partner, Leading Accredited Training Organistion ILX Group also provide a free comprehensive PRINCE2 process model poster available for you to download and use as a quick reference on your desk or wall!
If you require PRINCE2 training there are two PRINCE2 qualification levels you can get accredited for:
PRINCE2 Foundation and PRINCE2 Practitioner.
PRINCE2 Foundation level is for those with a requirement to learn the basics and terminology of PRINCE2.
A PRINCE2 Foundation qualification can be reached with ILX's renowned
PRINCE2 Foundation computer based training package or a 3-day PRINCE2 Foundation tutor-led classroom course. PRINCE2 Practitioner is the highest level qualification and is suitable for those with the need to manage projects within a PRINCE2 environment.


Directing a Project (DP)

Directing a Project runs from the start-up of the project until its closure. This process is aimed at the Project Board. The Project Board manages and monitors via reports and controls through a number of decision points.
The key processes for the Project Board break into four main areas:

• Initiation (starting the project off on the right foot)
• Stage boundaries (commitment of more resources after checking results so far)
• Ad hoc direction (monitoring progress, providing advice and guidance, reacting to exception situations)
• Project closure (confirming the project outcome and controlled close).
• This process does not cover the day-to-day activities of the Project Manager.

Starting up a Project (SU) This is the first process in PRINCE2. It is a pre-project process, designed to ensure that the pre-requisites for initiating the project are in place.
The process expects the existence of a Project Mandate which defines in high level terms the reason for the project and what outcome is sought. Starting up a Project should be very short.

The work of the process is built around the production of three elements:

• Ensuring that the information required for the project team is available
• Designing and appointing the Project Management Team
• Creating the Initiation Stage Plan.

Initiating a Project (IP) The objectives of Initiating a Project are to:

• Agree whether or not there is sufficient justification to proceed with the project
• Establish a stable management basis on which to proceed
• Document and confirm that an acceptable Business Case exists for the project
• Ensure a firm and accepted Foundation to the project prior to commencement of the work
• Agree to the commitment of resources for the first stage of the project
• Enable and encourage the Project Board to take ownership of the project
• Provide the baseline for the decision-making processes required during the project's life
• Ensure that the investment of time and effort required by the project is made wisely, taking account of the risks to the project.

Managing Stage Boundaries (MSB) This process provides the Project Board with key decision points on whether to continue with the project or not.
The objectives of the process are to:

• Assure the Project Board that all deliverables planned in the current Stage Plan have been completed as defined
• Provide the information needed for the Project Board to assess the continuing viability of the project
• Provide the Project Board with information needed to approve the current stage's completion and authorise the start of the next stage, together with its delegated tolerance level
• Record any measurements or lessons which can help later stages of this project and/or other projects.

Controlling a Stage (CS)
This process describes the monitoring and control activities of the Project Manager involved in ensuring that a stage stays on course and reacts to unexpected events. The process forms the core of the Project Manager's effort on the project, being the process which handles day-to-day management of the project. Throughout a stage there will be a cycle consisting of:

• Authorising work to be done
• Gathering progress information about that work
• Watching for changes
• Reviewing the situation
• Reporting
• Taking any necessary corrective action.

This process covers these activities, together with the on-going work of risk management and change control.

Managing Product Delivery (MP) The objective of this process is to ensure that planned products are created and delivered by:

• Making certain that work on products allocated to the team is effectively authorised and agreed accepting and checking Work Packages
• Ensuring that work conforms to the requirements of interfaces identified in the Work Package
• Ensuring that the work is done
• Assessing work progress and forecasts regularly
• Ensuring that completed products meet quality criteria
• Obtaining approval for the completed products.

Closing a Project (CP)
The purpose of this process is to execute a controlled close to the project.
The process covers the Project Manager's work to wrap up the project either at its end or at premature close.
Most of the work is to prepare input to the Project Board to obtain its confirmation that the project may close.
The objectives of Closing a Project are therefore to:

• Check the extent to which the objectives or aims set out in the Project Initiation Document (PID) have been met
• Confirm the extent of the fulfilment of the Project Initiation Document (PID) and the Customer's satisfaction with the deliverables
• Obtain formal acceptance of the deliverables
• Ensure to what extent all expected products have been handed over and accepted by the Customer
• Confirm that maintenance and operation arrangements are in place (where appropriate)
• Make any recommendations for follow-on actions
• Capture lessons resulting from the project and complete the Lessons Learned Report
• Prepare an End Project Report
• Notify the host organisation of the intention to disband the project organisation and resources.

Planning (PL)
Planning is a repeatable process, and plays an important role in other processes, main ones being:

• Planning an Initiation Stage (SU 6)
• Planning a Project (IP2)
• Planning a Stage (SB1)
• Producing an Exception Plan (SB6).

PRINCE2 provides a product-based start to the planning activity. It also provides a planning framework which can be applied to any type of project.
This involves:

• Establishing what products are needed
• Determining the sequence in which each product should be produced
• Defining the form and content of each product
• Resolving what activities are necessary for their creation and delivery.

PRINCE2 Foundation Qualification
The PRINCE2 Foundation qualification is the first of two PRINCE2 qualifications required to become a PRINCE2 Practitioner.
PRINCE2 Foundation Syllabus
The PRINCE2 Foundation examination is aiming to measure whether a candidate would be able to act as an informed member of a project management team using the PRINCE2 methodology within a project environment supporting PRINCE2.
To this end they need to show they understand the principles and terminology of the method, specifically, candidates must be able to:

• Describe the purpose and major content of all roles, the eight components, the eight processes and the sub-processes, and the techniques.
• State which management products are input to, and output from the eight processes.
• State the main purpose, and key contents, of the major management products.
• State the relationships between processes, deliverables, roles and the management dimensions of a project.

The PRINCE2 Foundation course suits:

• New and experienced project staff
• People who may go on to Practitioner training
• Consultants/contract staff operating in a PRINCE2 environment
• Project Managers considering a career in a PRINCE2 environment

The PRINCE2 Foundation exam

• Multiple-choice
• One hour duration
• 75 questions
• 38 correct answers are required to pass
• Closed-book

PRINCE2 Foundation Exam Questions and Past Exams
Practicing with past PRINCE2 Foundation exam questions and past exams is the best way to prepare for your PRINCE2 Foundation exam. ILX offer an exam simulator as part of their course and you can download a trial version of this to give you a flavour of what will be expected in the actual PRINCE2 Foundation exam.


PRINCE2 Practitioner Examination
PRINCE2 Practitioner Exam Syllabus
This level is aiming to measure whether a candidate could apply PRINCE2 to the running and managing of a non-complex project within an environment supporting PRINCE2. To this end they need to exhibit the competence required for the Foundation qualification, and show that they can apply and tailor PRINCE2 to address the needs and problems of a given project scenario.
Specifically:

• Know or comment on detailed explanations of all processes, themes and techniques, and worked examples of all PRINCE2 management products as they might be applied to address the particular circumstances of a given project scenario
• Demonstrate that they understand the relationships between processes, themes, techniques and PRINCE2 management products and can apply this understanding
• Demonstrate that they understand the reasons behind the processes, themes and techniques of PRINCE2
• Demonstrate their ability to the tailor PRINCE2 to different project environments.

The PRINCE2 Practitioner exam is in the "Objective Testing" format, a style of complex multiple-choice examination.
PRINCE2 Practitioner Examination Format

• 9 questions per paper with 12 marks available per question - all question items will be worth 1 mark, making the total number of marks available per paper 108
• 2.5 hours allowed (no reading time has been added)
• Open-book examination (only the PRINCE2 Manual is allowed).
• Pass mark is 55%.