All About Projects IN Controlled Environments (PRINCE2® 7) Framework

PRINCE2® is the globally recognized project management method, built upon years of experience and industry best practice, from which all organizations can benefit. It has been tried and tested by private, public, and third-sector organizations to successfully deliver new products and services, and to bring about transformational change.

PRINCE2 7, the latest edition of PRINCE2, creates the conditions crucial for project success by fostering a common understanding of why a project is being delivered, defining all roles and responsibilities within the project team, and communicating the benefits to be realized to everyone involved. It also helps organizations control and manage all of these aspects more effectively.

History of PRINCE2

Roots of PRINCE2 can be traced back to PROMPT which was developed by Impact Systems in 1975. In 1996 CCTA released PRINCE which was originally intended to be used on IT projects within UK public sector. Following is a brief timeline of PRINCE2 development since its first release.

• First edition of PRINCE2 was released in 1996 by OGC (formerly CCTA), The Office of Government Commerce (an independent office of the UK Treasury reporting to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury).
• Second edition of PRINCE2 was released in 1998 by OGC.
• Third edition of PRINCE2 was released in 2002 by OGC.
• Fourth edition of PRINCE2 was released in 2005 by OGC.
• Fifth edition of PRINCE2 was released in 2009 by OGC.
• Sixth edition (also known as 2017 edition) of PRINCE2 was released in 2017 by AXELOS.
• Seventh edition of PRINCE2 was released in 2023 by People Cert.

The PRINCE2 7 Handbook

• The PRINCE2 Study Guide
  • Defines full content of PRINCE2
  • Is definitive source for all PRINCE2 exams
  • Supports training and exams
  • Can be used only in Practitioner exam (open book exam)
• Structure of the handbook:
  • 19 Chapters
  • 2 Appendix

Project and Project Management

• PRINCE2 defines a project as:
  • A temporary organization that is created for the purpose of delivering one or more business products according to an agreed business case.
• PRINCE2 identifies project management as:
  • Project management is the application of methods, tools, techniques, and competencies to enable the project to meet its objectives.

7 PRINCE2 Principles for Effective Project Management

The principles are the guiding obligations that determine whether the project is genuinely being managed using PRINCE2. There are seven principles, and unless all of them are applied, it is not a PRINCE2 project.

1. Ensure continued business justification
2. Learn from experience
3. Define roles, responsibilities, and relationships
4. Manage by stages
5. Manage by exception
6. Focus on products
7. Tailor to suit the project

The PRINCE2 Practices (formerly themes)

The practices describe essential aspects of project management that must be applied consistently and throughout the project lifecycle. The seven practices explain the specific treatment required of that aspect of project management for the PRINCE2 processes to be effective and why they are necessary.

1. Business case
2. Organizing
3. Plans
4. Quality
5. Risk
6. Issues
7. Progress

The PRINCE2 Processes

The seven processes describe the entire project lifecycle, from activities before getting started, through the stages of project delivery, and to the final act of project closure. Each process has checklists of recommended activities and related responsibilities.

1. Starting up a project
2. Directing a project
3. Initiating a project
4. Managing a stage boundary
5. Controlling a stage
6. Managing product delivery
7. Closing a project

The PRINCE2 Roles

The PRINCE2 method requires that certain roles (with associated responsibilities) are fulfilled on every project. As long as the responsibilities are fully allocated, the roles can be shared or combined, within certain limits, to align with the skills and capabilities of the project team and the project’s needs.

The key roles defined by PRINCE2 are:

1. Project Excutive
2. Senior User
3. Senior Supplier
4. Project Manager
5. Project Assurance
6. Project Support

Why PRINCE2 7?

1. Features and benefits of PRINCE2:
   1. PRINCE2 is based on established and proven practice and governance for project management
   2. It can be applied to any project, of any scale, and easily implemented alongside specialist, industry-specific models (such as engineering models or development lifecycles)
   3. The framework can be tailored to meet the specific needs of the organizations involved
   4. It ensures that project participants focus on the viability of the project in relation itself, which ensures that stakeholders (including sponsors and resource providers) are properly represented in planning and decision-making
   5. PRINCE2 7 framework promotes learning from project experience and continual improvement in organizations
   6. It is designed to work with other PeopleCert guides on programme management, portfolio management and risk management.
   7. PRINCE2 is widely recognized and provides a common vocabulary for all participants, which encourages consistency and the ability to reuse project assets, facilitate staff mobility, and reduce the impact of personnel changes or handovers.

PRINCE2 Training and Certification

PRINCE2 certification trainings are provided by PeopleCert's Accredited Training Organizations (ATOs) across the globe. Tecknologia is also a PeopleCert Accredited Training Organization (ATO) offering PRINCE2 7 certification trainings across the globe and in various formats.

Click on the links for certification levels to explore the pre-requisites, exams and other details.

In comparison: PMI-PMP® (Project Management Professional)

• PMI-PMP is more aligned with PMBoK 7
• PRINCE2 is focuses on project management best practices.
• PMP is focused on specific knowledge areas (e.g: cost, risk, schedule, scope, etc).
• For PMP, there are strict prerequisites for candidates, including:
• 4 years degree.
• 36 months of experience leading projects within the past eight years.
• 35 hours of project management education/training or CAPM® certification.
• Application will go through audit process.
• Panel approval before candidate is allowed to sit the exam.