The Roadmap for PRINCE2 – Part 2
So at the highest level, you have a series of processes, each divided into activities. The PRINCE2 method then has recommended actions within each activity.
The recommended actions are bullet points under each activity heading in the PRINCE2 Manual.
Again, remember only some of the actions for all the activities in the method. Still, you need to know what each activity is about, who is doing each, and which management products (such as the business case), the daily log and the project plan are in use.
There are seven processes, and for the foundation exam, you must be able to list them from memory.
The PRINCE2 Practices
So, if the processes give the suggested points at which you do things -the “when”, then the practices sit down advice on “what” you do in project management – or at least to do the parts of project management that the method covers, which of course is not all of it.
The practices cover things like planning, risk management and progress control.
In some parts of the PRINCE2 method, you will use particular things intensively, while in others, you will hardly use those things.
Yet other practices are in almost continuous use throughout. Progress control will always be happening right through the stages. At the same time, the organization practice will be used primarily on startup, with a bit in the Initiation Stage and at the end of each stage to adjust the roles and responsibilities if necessary.
PRINCE2 has seven practices; for the foundation exam, you should remember them.
The PRINCE2 Principles
The principles are, allegedly, what makes a project a PRINCE2 project. The authors of the PRINCE2 state that only a project that follows all Seven principles is a PRINCE2 project.
There are considerably fewer PRINCE2 projects in the real world than everyone thinks. So, PRINCE2 expects the project to be fully justified throughout, which is set down in the first principle, “continued business justification”.
The principles will make more sense as you go into the method, and it is a good idea to check to ensure that you understand each one. For example, the principle “manage by exception” will not make complete sense until you see how the stage works.
For the foundation exam, you will need to know the list of seven principles; for both exams, the foundation and practitioner, you will need to be clear on what each is about.
Tailoring PRINCE2 to the project environment
You may find it strange to include the project environment in the “integrated elements” since it does not have specific PRINCE2 content – unlike the other three elements.
So the project environment is more like a backdrop behind the other three elements, and PRINCE2 states clearly that the method must be tailored to the project’s needs.
Because the project environment and tailoring do not have content you must learn, it is easy to forget that it is one of the four elements, so watch out for that when revising for the foundation exam.
You may find that you can remember the first three elements from memory quickly enough but then need help remembering what the fourth one is!
There are three essential viewpoints in PRINCE2:
- Business
- User
- Supplier
These viewpoints fit into the customer/supplier environment, with the business and user interests on the customer side and the supplier, predictably, on the supplier side. My diagram below clarifies this for you:
Get PRINCE2 Roadmap Part 3 HERE!
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