Using Standards and Processes for PRINCE2 7 Success
Project management standards summarize the key concepts and activities that need to be undertaken to increase the likelihood of project success.
Confusion can easily occur when considering the respective uses of standards and methods as well as how they should be applied within an organization.
So, let me first clarify what defines such standards and methods
The definition of a Standard
A standard, such as BS 6079, defines what needs to be done and by whom, but not how activities are done
The definition of a Method
A method, such as PRINCE2, provides not only a set of activities to be carried out together with roles, but also techniques for undertaking these activities.
Standards can improve the effectiveness of project management by focusing on the key principles and activities required. After such standards have been established, they can promote continual improvement by being periodically reviewed and updated.
This ensures that the latest consensus on what constitutes best practice is included, and that any omissions or clarifications are speedily dealt with.
In this way, all use of standards benefit from the collective experience of all the other users.
In particular:
- The roles used map exactly, except that PRINCE2 7 calls PS 607 nines project sponsor, the executive and is more prescriptive about the use and Constituency of a project board
- In terms of project life-cycle, PRINCE2 and BS 6079 follow the same concept of phases and stages, within a project having at least two phases or stages
- BS 6079 describes gates which are decision points to start the next phase or stage of the project and are independent of when a stage ends. By contrast, PRINCE2 describes stage boundaries
- BS 6079 has an activity for managing a project as a whole called managing a project, whereas PRINCE2 manages at the stage level via the process controlling a stage
- Being a method, PRINCE2 has details of techniques and approaches that are not in BS 6079. For example, product-based planning
Therefore, if an organization is using PRINCE2, it could be set to comply with BS 6079 Part 1, provided that those aspects which are explicitly beyond the scope of PRINCE2 7 are covered either by its enterprise method or by other corporate processes and methods
So how does PRINCE2 7 meet ISO 21500?
As PRINCE2 7 and ISO 21500 (International Organization for Standardization, 2012), have different structures and scopes, it is not always possible to make direct comparisons clause by clause.
ISO 21500 does not cover in its processes, the roles of what PRINCE2 refers to as executive or the team manager. However, PRINCE2 and ISO 21500 do share a core of common practice relating to the role and activities of the project manager
ISO 21500 does not define the roles of team manager or team member in any detail because like the project sponsor, are outside the standard scope
In terms of project life-cycle, PRINCE2 7 and ISO 21500 have the same concept of phases or stages, with decision points where each phase or stage of the project starts. ISO 21500 provides no detail on best practices relating to such decisions, which are deemed out of scope
The actual structure of ISO 21500 in is logical form, is very different from that of PRINCE2.
In PRINCE2 7, the stages of a project are explicit and defined within the processes, such that the initiating and closing of the project is done in a different way from the initiating and closing of a phase or stage.
ISO 21500 treats a project and a phase or stage within a project identically and has no explicit procedure for starting new stages within a project.
How this is done is left of the user of the standard to determine. PRINCE2 provides detail on this in its managing a stage boundary and directing a project processes.
Being a method, PRINCE2 has details of techniques and approaches which are not in ISO 21500, for example product based planning.
Therefore, if an organization is using PRINCE2, it could be said to comply with ISO 21500 provided that those aspects which are explicitly beyond the scope of PRINCE2, are covered either by its enterprise method or by other corporate processes and methods.
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