When to be Flexible in PRINCE2 Project Management

Written by | Published August 16, 2012

flexibility-project-managementProject management techniques such as PRINCE2 are based on careful planning and tight control. There is also the fundamental acceptance that plans will need to be changed as the project progresses – if this sounds confusing then learning PRINCE2 techniques will let you know when and how to adapt the project.

For example, you will usually set flexible decision points for each stage where progress is reviewed against the business case. What I want to discuss today is the scope for flexibility beyond these points.

It’s true that PRINCE2 is a structured methodology, but this should not mean sticking to procedure when a common sense approach may be more appropriate. It can be tempting to measure PM success as how closely you stuck to the framework, but the most important thing is that the job is done well, not that the job is done by applying the PRINCE2 formula to the letter.

The best project managers can apply their training to real-life scenarios – when things never quite go the same as they do on paper! Sometimes you need to make business decisions on a gut feeling. A great PM is not a robot – you are hired for your personality and experience, which make your decisions valid.

Here are our top insights for understanding the role of flexibility in PRINCE2: Read the rest of “When to be Flexible in PRINCE2 Project Management”

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PRINCE2 Methodology & PRINCE2 Structure

Written by | Published May 9, 2012

PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a process-based method for effective project management. PRINCE2 is a registered trademark of the Cabinet Office, used widely in the private and public sectors, with two qualification levels: PRINCE2 Foundation and PRINCE2 Practitioner.

The PRINCE2 Foundation level course is for those with a requirement to learn the terminology and basics of PRINCE2 for general involvement with PRINCE2 projects. PRINCE2 Practitioner training leads you to the highest level qualification and is designed for those with the need to manage projects within a PRINCE2 environment.

PRINCE2-Training-Team-StructurePRINCE2 offers a structured methodology and clearly defined project team management roles:

PRINCE2 – A Structured Project Management Methodology

Before we delve into the specifics of PRINCE2, some general points about the subject of project management are worth noting to help put everything into context…

Structured project management means managing the project in an organised and logical manner, following defined steps. A specific project management method like PRINCE2 is the written description of this organised and logical approach.

Project Management

Whenever we decide we want to go somewhere, do something, build something, achieve something, we need to answer some questions:

  • What are we trying to do?
  • What do we need?
  • Can we do it alone, or do we need help?
  • How long will it take?
  • How much will it cost?
  • When will we start?

These are the basic questions asked at the beginning of any project and the answers are the building blocks of project management – defining what we want to do and calculating the best way to achieve it. Read the rest of “PRINCE2 Methodology & PRINCE2 Structure”

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