Prince2 Project Management

Project Lifecycle Services can develop and implement your project using PRINCE2.

Our primary objective is to provide exceptional service and value for money.

What is PRINCE2?

Origins and Development

PRINCE2 stands for PRojects IN Controlled Environments. Its purpose is to provide a structured project management methodology which can be applied to any project situation. Its origins lie in the public sector in the UK: the OGC (Office of Government Commerce) still owns the intellectual property in the official manuals. However, the method is free to use by anyone.

The original version has been periodically updated, most recently in June 2009. It has grown in popularity to become the de facto standard in many organisations. Users of PRINCE2 span all sectors of the economy and all parts of the world. The manual is available in English, Chinese, Danish, Polish, Dutch, Spanish and German. PRINCE2 training and exams are undertaken in 57 countries from Argentina to Zambia. There are now more than 300,000 certified project managers who have sat and passed the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam.

What it is – and what it's not:-

PRINCE2 is a structured project management methodology. It starts with the principle that a project always needs to be managed in order to be successful. It demands that all parties must be clear about why the project is needed, what it is intended to achieve, how the outcome is to be achieved - and what their responsibilities are in that achievement.

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
• Management control of any deviations from the plan
• Involvement of management and stakeholders at the right time
• Good communication channels between the project team and the organisation
• Agreement on the required quality in ways that can be monitored

As well as improving project performance, PRINCE2 provides:-

• A method that is teachable
• A method that is repeatable
• A method that is widely understood across, and between, organisations

PRINCE2 has never claimed to turn people instantly into competent project managers. It provides a rigorous project method and a common project management language – which has been of increasing value as projects span organisation boundaries and project managers move between companies.

PRINCE2 is no substitute for development of project manager skills such as planning, management accounting and communication through training and years of experience.

At the heart of PRINCE2 there is a set of 7 "Processes" which embody the project stages from starting up to closing a project. Essential tools and approaches for PRINCE2 projects are embodied in 7 "Themes" - these include the Business Case which defines the justification for a project, and provides a reference point to align project execution with business objectives.

There are also 7 "Principles" which capture the mind set which guides successful PRINCE2 project implementation; these include management "stage by stage", and "tailoring" of the management approach to reflect the complexity and context of a project.