Project Management

Project Management

Purpose

PRINCE2 Project management training is offered by a huge number of training bodies. The training is divided into two qualification levels and one can acquire it in a really short time. First, the beginner is taken through the first level which is PRINCE2 Foundation. The foundation course explains the basics and rationale behind PRINCE2 and also teaches the learner the terminology which is unique to PRINCE2. Many trainers offer PRINCE2 Foundation as a three-day training course. The foundation training course is also available online.

Background

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 (George 2006 63-78). 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When PRINCE was launched in 1989, it effectively superseded PROMPT within Government projects.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. One of the world's leading project management strategies is PRINCE2. Developed in the UK in the late 1990s, PRINCE2 has developed a global following and is widely used by both governments and private enterprises globally. Obtaining a PRINCE2 qualification therefore greatly enhances the employment opportunities of the job seeker.

Project 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 (Solomon 2005 63-78). The method PRINCE2 is in the public domain, offering non-proprietarily 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

The next level in PRINCE2 Project Management Training is PRINCE2 Practitioner. Practitioner is actually the highest level in PRINCE2 Project Management training and provides the learner with the tools that will be needed to manage projects in practical PRINCE2 environments. Like the foundation training, PRINCE2 Practitioner training can also be taken online.

Outline Business Case

Combining the Foundation and Practitioner training

It is also possible to take both PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner training at the same time. There are many training bodies which offer both training programs as one package. The trainee is taken through a five-day course during which the Foundation training is offered in the first three days. At the end of the three days, the trainee takes the foundation examination which is marked immediately and the trainee is ready to proceed to the Practitioner training (Grover Lederer and Sabherwal 2002 145-156). For the next two days, the trainee is taken through the Practitioner training and by the fifth day is ready ...