WHAT IS PRINCE2™ ?
Introduction
PRINCE2™, or Projects in Controlled Environments, is a project management method. It covers the management, control and organisation of a project and can work with any type or size of project within any organisation. PRINCE2™ was released in 1996 as a generic project management method. PRINCE2™ has become increasingly popular and is now the de facto standard for project management in the UK. Its use has spread beyond the UK to more than 50 other countries.
The most current revision was released in 2005.
PRINCE2™ Overview
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 PRINCE2™ process is defined with its key inputs and outputs, together with the specific objectives to be achieved and activities to be carried out.
- A PRINCE2™ project is divided into manageable stages, enabling efficient control of resources and regular progress monitoring throughout the project.
- PRINCE2™ describes various roles and responsibilities for managing a project. These are adaptable to suit the size and complexity of the project, and the skills of the organisation.
- Project planning using PRINCE2™ is based on deliverables and is known as Product Based Planning. This means the project plans are focused on delivering results. They are not simply about planning when the various activities on the project will be done.
- Management of risk and quality is an integral part of a PRINCE2™ project.
- A PRINCE2™ project is driven by the project’s business case (which may or may not be financial). The business cases describes the justification for the project and its deliverables. The business case is regularly reviewed during the project to ensure the business objectives, which often change during the lifecycle of the project, are still being met.
- Projects often involve contracts and contract management. This is outside the scope of PRINCE2™, but it does provide the necessary controls and breakpoints to work successfully within a contractual framework.
PRINCE2™ is a structured method providing organisations with a standard approach to the management of projects. The PRINCE2™ project management methodology embodies proven and established best-practice in project management. It is widely recognised and understood, and so provides a common language for all participants in the project.
Benefits
PRINCE2™ provides benefits to the organisation through the controllable use of resources and the ability to manage risk more effectively.
Compared to some other project management methodologies, PRINCE2™ is also relatively easy to learn and understand. PRINCE2™ enables projects to have:
- 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 members and the rest of the organisation.
Rational Management PRINCE2™ Courses Features of our courses:
- All our trainers are experienced project managers from a variety of fields.
- Our case studies use real and live projects brought to the class by the participants.
- We have publicly available courses - see our course schedule and prices.
- We can also arrange In-house courses (either in our training rooms or at your preferred location) where the schedule or content has been specifically tailored to your particular organisation.
For a full list of courses, please see our range of PRINCE2™ and other project management courses.
PRINCE2™ is a Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce. The PRINCE2™ Cityscape logo TM is a Trade Mark of the office of Government Commerce, and is Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
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