PRINCE2 - 2009- Key Learning Points

INTRODUCING PRINCE2 - 2009

PRINCE2 is a widely used project management method, which guides you through all the essentials
for running a successful project. ince its introduction in !"#" as a go$ernment standard for I% project
management, PRINCE2 has &een ta'en on &y &oth the pu&lic and pri$ate sectors and is now
recognised as a de facto standard for project management.
PRINCE2 is a fle(i&le method and although originally designed for the management of I% projects it
is now aimed at all types of project. PRINCE2 ta'es the lessons learned &y thousands of
professionals in the past 2)*or so years to create the current method.
%hese lessons ena&le it to &e applied to any project regardless of project scale, type, organi+ation,
geography or culture.
PRINCE2 achie$es this &y isolating the management aspects of project wor' from the specialist
contri&utions. %he specialist aspects of any type of project are then integrated with the PRINCE2
method.
%he latest $ersion of PRINCE2 ,PRINCE2 - 2))". presents this method in a more easily read and
understood document /0anaging uccessful Projects with PRINCE2 * 2))"1. %his has &een created
as a result of a project that &egan in No$em&er 2))2
%his latest PRINCE2 method addresses project management with four integrated elements. 3ith
the e(ception of %ailoring, there are se$en each of following4
l The Princi!es * %hese are the guiding o&ligations and good practices that determine
whether the project is genuinely &eing managed using PRINCE2. %here are se$en
principles and unless all of them are applied, it is not a PRINCE2 project.
l The The"es * %hese descri&e aspects of project management that must &e
addressed throughout the project. %hey co$er the $arious project management
disciplines including how they should &e performed and why they are necessary.
l The Processes * %hese descri&e the step*&y*step progress through the project
lifecycle from getting started to project closure. Each process includes chec'lists of
recommended acti$ities, products and related responsi&ilities.
l Tai!oring Prince2 To The Pro#ect En$iron"ent - %his addresses the need to tailor
PRINCE2 to the specific conte(t of the project. PRINCE2 is not a 5one si+e fits all6
solution7 it is a designed to &e adapted to the needs of each project.
PRINCIPLE%
%he set of principles on which PRINCE2 is &ased originate from lessons learned from projects &oth
good and &ad. If a project does not adhere to these principles, it is not &eing managed using
PRINCE2, &ecause the principles are the &asis of what defines a PRINCE2 project.
%he se$en PRINCE2 principles are4
l Continued &usiness justification
l 8earn from e(perience
l 9efined roles and responsi&ilities
l 0anage &y stages
l 0anage &y e(ception
l :ocus on products
l %ailor to suit the project en$ironment.
Prince2 Key Learning Points Page 1
Contin&e' (&siness #&sti)ication
; re<uirement for a PRINCE2 project is that4
l %here is a justifia&le reason to start it
l %he justification should remain $alid throughout the life of the project
l %he justification is documented and appro$ed.
In PRINCE2, the justification is documented in a =usiness Case. ;s a project is ine(trica&ly lin'ed to
its &usiness justification, it dri$es the decision*ma'ing processes to ensure that the project remains
aligned to the &usiness o&jecti$es and &enefits &eing sought.
Learn )ro" e*erience
In PRINCE2, learning from e(perience permeates the method4
l +hen starting a ro#ect * Pre$ious or similar projects should &e re$iewed to see if
lessons learned could &e applied. If the project is a 5first6 for the people within the
organi+ation, then the project should consider see'ing e(ternal e(perience
l ,s the ro#ect rogresses * %he project should continue to learn. 8essons should
&e included in all reports and re$iews. %he aim is to see' opportunities to implement
impro$ements during the life of the project
l ,s the ro#ect c!oses * %he project should pass on lessons. >nless lessons pro$o'e
change, they are only lessons identified ,not learned..
It is the responsi&ility of e$eryone in$ol$ed with the project to see' lessons learned rather than waiting
for someone else to pro$ide them.
De)ine' ro!es an' resonsi(i!ities
Projects must in$ol$e resources with the appropriate s'ill set to underta'e the re<uired roles at the
re<uired time..
%o &e successful, projects must ha$e a project management team structure consisting of defined and
agreed roles and responsi&ilities for the people in$ol$ed in the project and a means for
effecti$e communication &etween them.
;ll projects ha$e the following primary sta'eholders4
l -&siness sonsors who endorse the o&jecti$es and ensure that the &usiness
in$estment pro$ides $alue for money
l Users who, after the project is completed, will use the products to ena&le them to
gain the intended &enefits
l %&!iers who pro$ide the resources and e(pertise re<uired &y the project ,these
may &e internal or e(ternal..
%herefore, all three sta'eholder interests need to &e represented effecti$ely in the project organi+ation
- two out of three is not enough. If the project costs outweigh the &enefits, the project will fail. E<ually,
if the outcome of the project does not meet the users6 or operational needs, or cannot feasi&ly &e
deli$ered &y the suppliers, failure is ine$ita&le.
.anage (y stages
0anagement stages pro$ide senior management with control points throughout the project. horter
stages offer more control, while longer stages reduce the &urden on senior management. ;
great deal of effort can &e wasted on attempts to plan &eyond a sensi&le planning hori+on.
PRINCE2 o$ercomes this issue &y4
l 9i$iding the project into a num&er of management stages
l ?a$ing a high*le$el Project Plan and a detailed tage Plan ,for the current stage.
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l Planning, delegating, monitoring and controlling the project on a stage*&y*stage
&asis.
Prince2 Key Learning Points Page 3