Prince2 (Projects IN Controlled Environments 2) is a method for structured project management, that was initially developed by the British Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency in 1989. Today, Prince2 is widely used around the world, especially in Britain, Australia and the United States.
In order to obtain a Prince2 Project Management certification, a practitioner must pass two tests: one multiple choice test and an essay-based exam. The practitioner must then re-pass a test every 5 years in order to remain accredited.
Projectplace and Prince2 Project Management Method
There is, however, a way of following the Prince2 Prince2 Project Management guidelines without passing the certification test. If your organisation wishes to manage your projects in accordance with the method, you can use the Projectplace tool. This way, you will have access to the Prince2 Project Management method.
What is Prince2?
Prince2 is a process-driven method, which identifies 40 different activities divided into seven processes. The processes are the following:
- Start-up of a project
In this phase, an executive manager and a project manager are appointed together with a project management team. A project brief is prepared, and the project approach is defined.
- Initiation
The project brief is upgraded to a business case, and controls are set up to monitor the project.
- Direction
In this process, guidelines are established for how the project board should control the overall project.
- Control over a stage
The project is broken down into stages, which are controlled by assessing their progress, examining their status and reporting highlights.