PRINCE2

PRINCE2 (an acronym for PRojects IN a Con1. 'Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 trolled Environment, version 2) is a project manage2009 Edition',[4]
ment methodology. The methodology encompasses the
2. 'Managing Successful Programmes 1999, fourth
high level management, control and organisation of a
edition in 2011.
project, but not lower level activities such as scheduling.
PRINCE2 is also used to refer to the training and accreditation of authorised practitioners of the methodology who Both the Foundation and Practitioner Examinations
must undertake accredited qualications to obtain certi- are based on the 2009 revision 'Managing Successful
cation.
Projects manual

History

PRINCE2 derives from an earlier method called

PROMPT II (Project Resource Organisation Management Planning Techniques.) In 1989 the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) adopted
a version of PROMPT II as a UK Government standard for information systems (IT) project management.
They gave it the name 'PRINCE', which originally stood
for 'PR(OMPT II )IN( the )C(CTA )E(nvironment).
PRINCE was renamed in a Civil service competition
as an acronym for PRojects IN Controlled Environments. However, it soon became regularly applied outside the purely IT environment, both in UK government
and in the private sector around the world.[1] PRINCE2
was released in 1996 as a generic project management
method.[2] PRINCE2 has become increasingly popular
and is now a de facto standard for project management in
many UK government departments and across the United 2 Overview of the method
Nations system.[3] In the 2009 revision, the acronym was
changed to mean 'Projects IN a Controlled Environment'. PRINCE2 is a process-driven project management
methodology.[5] PRINCE2 is based on seven principles,
In July 2013, ownership of the rights to PRINCE2 was
seven themes and seven processes.
transferred from HM Cabinet Oce to AXELOS Ltd, a
joint venture between the Cabinet Oce and Capita plc. The seven principles are: Continued business justication, learn from experience, dened roles and responsiSince 2006, the method has been revised. It launched
bilities, manage by stages, manage by exception, focus
as "PRINCE2:2009 Refresh in 2009. The name
on products and tailored to suit the project environment;
PRINCE2 (instead of PRINCE3 or similar) remains
to indicate that the method remains faithful to its prin- The seven themes are: business case, organization, qualciples. Nevertheless, it is a fundamental revision of the ity, plans, risk, change and progress;
method from 1996 to adapt it to the changed business The principles and themes come into play in the seven
environment, to make the method simpler and lighter, to processes:
address current weaknesses or misunderstandings, and to
better integrate it with other AXELOS Global Best Practice methods (ITIL, P3O, P3M3, MSP, M_o_R etc.).
2.1 Starting up a project (SU)
PRINCE2 is part of a set of Best Practice products and is
closely aligned with a sister product for the management In this process the project team is appointed and a project
of programmes
brief is produced.
1

2 OVERVIEW OF THE METHOD

In addition the overall approach to be taken is decided and

the next stage (initiation) of the project is planned. Once
this work is done, the project board is asked to authorize
that stage.

means for capturing and assessing project issues is suggested together with the way in which corrective action
should be taken. It also lays down the method by which
certain project issues should be escalated to the project
Key activities include: Forming the project board; ap- board.
pointing an executive and a project manager; designing Key activities include: authorising work packages; asand appointing a project management team; preparing a sessing progress; capturing and examining project issues;
project brief; dening the project approach; preparing an monitoring and controlling risks; reviewing stage status;
outline business case, consulting the Lessons Logs of pre- reporting highlights; taking corrective action; escalating
vious projects; and planning the next stage (initiation).
project issues; and receiving completed work packages.

2.2

Initiating a project (IP)

This process builds on the work of the start up process,

and the project brief is used to prepare other management
documents that will be needed during the project. For
example, the approach taken to ensure quality throughout
the project is agreed together with the overall approach
to controlling the project itself (project controls). Project
les are also created, as is an overall plan for the project.
The business case is completed. A plan for the next stage
of the project is also created. The resultant information
can be put before the project board for them to authorize
the project itself.

2.5 Managing stage boundaries (SB)

Main article: Managing stage boundaries
Whereas the Controlling a Stage process dictates what
should be done within a stage, Managing Stage Boundaries (SB) dictates what should be done towards the end of
a stage. Most obviously, the next stage should be planned
and the overall project plan, risk register and business
case amended as necessary. The process also covers what
should be done for a stage that has gone outside its tolerance levels. Finally, the process dictates how the end of
the stage should be reported.

Key activities include: planning quality; planning a

Key activities include: planning a stage; updating a
project; rening the business case and risks; setting up
project plan; updating a project business case; updating
project controls; setting up project les; and assembling a
the risk register; reporting stage end; and producing an
Project Initiation Documentation.
exception plan.
Best practice includes the project board, including users,
reviewing progress and approving any changes to the
project plan at the boundary. This review does not inThis process dictates how the Project Board (which com- clude team managers or team workers because it wastes
prises such roles as the executive or sponsor) should con- their time; and the project manager should be competent
trol the overall project. As mentioned above, the project enough to present their work directly to the board.
board must authorise the initiation stage and also authorize the project. Directing a Project also dictates how the
project board should authorize a stage plan, including any 2.6 Managing product delivery (MP)
exception plan that replaces an existing stage plan due to
slippage or other unforeseen circumstances. Also cov- The Managing product delivery process has the purpose
ered is the way in which the board can give ad hoc direc- of controlling the link between the Project Manager and
tion to a project and the way in which the project should the Team Manager(s) by placing formal requirements on
accepting, executing and delivering project work.[6] The
be closed down.
Objectives of the Managing Product Delivery process are:
Key activities include: authorising initiation; authorising
a project; authorising a stage or exception plan; giving ad
To ensure that work on products allocated to the
hoc direction; and conrming project closure.
team is authorised and agreed,

2.3

Directing a project (DP)

2.4

Controlling a stage (CS)

PRINCE2 suggests that projects should be broken down

into stages and this process dictates how each individual stage should be controlled. Most fundamentally this
includes the way in which work packages are authorised and received. It also species the way in which
progress should be monitored and how the highlights of
the progress should be reported to the project board. A

Team Manager(s), team members and suppliers are

clear as to what is to be produced and what is the
expected eort, cost, timescales and quality,
The planned products are delivered to expectations
and within tolerance,
Accurate progress information is provided to the
Project Manager at an agreed frequency to ensure
that expectations are managed.

3.4

Issues register

The key activities are: Accept a work package, execute a have met their quality criteria and the agreed processes
work package and deliver a work package.
have been observed.

2.7

Closing a project (CP)

3.4 Issues register

This covers the things that should be done at the end of a

A set of notes about change requests, problems, comproject. The project should be formally de-commissioned
plaints and concerns sent by all project members.
(and resources freed up for allocation to other activities),
follow-on actions should be identied and the project itself be formally evaluated.

3.5 Lessons log

Key activities include: decommissioning a project; identifying follow-on actions; preparing a benets review plan
and project evaluation review. The benets review plan A set of notes of lessons learned (often the hard way)
indicates a time when the benets of the end product may which may be useful to future projects.
be measured, how and what resources will be required.

3.6 Daily log

Management products

A diary about the project written by the project manager,

like a ships log.

PRINCE2 maintains several management products

throughout the projects, which may be formal paper
documents, word processor les, data in specialised
PRINCE2 software, informal notes by managers, or even 4 Core principles
communicated orally. Registers are intended to be
more formal than logs. The following are examples of
Much of the methods above are derived from seven core
the PRINCE2 management products.
principles:

3.1

Project brief
4.1 Continued business justication

A short explanation of the need for the project, the management team, the structure and goals.
The Business Case is the most important document, and
is updated at every Stage of the project to ensure that the
project is still viable. Early termination can occur if this
3.2 Risk register
ceases to be the case. At lower levels, use of time and
resources should be justied, such as the need to have
See also: Risk register
expensive meetings. (e.g. it is good practice to begin each
meeting with a sentence about what its goal isand if
The risk register is a table which contains the risks that such a statement is hard to nd then the meeting may not
may threaten the goal of the project. Risks are catego- be necessary.)
rized, named and assigned a risk number. Then, each risk
gets a probability score and an impact score. The multiplication of these two results in the risk score. The risks 4.2 Manage by exception
are sorted on descending risk score in order to show the
priority of a risk. Each risk is also assigned an owner, a Regular meetings, especially the dreaded weekly team
precaution and a response-action in case the risk occurs. meetings are considered inecient and unnecessary. In-

3.3

Quality register

See also: Quality control

This register contains details of all planned quality activities, dates and personnel involved. It will be updated to
show the current status of all quality checking activities.
It shows whether the delivered products are complete,

stead, work packages are assigned by Team Managers

to Team Members including deliverables with time and
quality tolerances. If work progresses smoothly then the
workers have no need to interfere with the Team Managers time. Only if something deviated from the plan
is communication and management required from them.
Some Team Managers may request short status updates
such as weekly emails or informal chats, to monitor for
any exceptions, but no formal management is required
unless an exception occurs.

6 CERTIFICATIONS

4.3

Learn from experience

4.4

Dened roles and responsibilities

can lead to focus on producing deliverables for their own

sake, to tick the boxes rather than do more useful work.
Each project maintains a Lessons Log and projects should If this is occurring, it demonstrates a failure of managecontinually refer to their own and to previous and concur- ment to apply PRINCE2 and tailoring correctly.
rent projects Lessons Logs to avoid reinventing wheels.

Roles are separated from individuals, who may take on

multiple roles or share a role. By naming and dening
roles in the PRINCE2 standard it becomes clear exactly
who has what responsibility and decision making powers, avoiding arguments. Roles in PRINCE2 are structured in four levels (Corporate or programme management, Project Board, Project Manager level and Team
level). The project manager level includes the project
manager but can also include some optional roles like the
quality assurance authority.

4.5

Manage by stages

5 Integration with other techniques

PRINCE2 describes only high-level aspects of project
management and leaves the choice of management tools
and frameworks within its tasks to the task managers. It
specically mentions the following:
Product based planning
Change control
Quality review technique

The project is planned and controlled on a stage by stage and in passing mentions as possible tools,
basis. This includes updating the Business Case, risks,
overall plan, and detailed next-stage plan after each stage
Gantt charts
in the light of new evidence.
PERT charts

4.6

Focus on products

Each work package is dened by one or more deliverable

products, preferably with tolerances to time, cost, scope
and quality quantied in advance. Even management activities such as stage planning are dened by their nal
output, such as a physical report containing the new stage
plan. This allows all parties to clearly specify what is required, and to allocate responsibility for delivering and
controlling it.

critical path analysis

A version of PRINCE2 is being developed to manage projects that use Agile software development
techniques.[7]

5.1 Quality review technique

See also: Quality assurance

4.7

Tailoring

PRINCE2 should not be applied blindly in a dogmatic,

bureaucratic form. (This would lead to wasted time on
paperwork and create false senses of security). Rather it
is dened to be a method in need of tailoring to specic
projects. Typical adjustments include the replacement
of deliverable reports and project documents by informal
(verbal or email) equivalents, alterations to the structures
of the project board and management team to reect the
goals of the project (e.g. replace majority board voting by
sole Executive decisions in cases where the projects goal
is to serve only the Executives interest rather than users
or suppliers); assignment of multiple roles to individuals
on smaller projects; and increased emphasis on stage replanning for research-intensive projects which may need
to change directions as new ndings are delivered. A typical criticism of PRINCE2 is that the deliverable structure

The quality review technique ensures a projects products

are of the required standard (i.e. meet dened quality
criteria). This takes place in a quality review meeting,
which identies errors in the product. The quality review
meeting will not attempt to solve the problems it identies. The meeting brings together people who have an
interest in the projects outputs (or products) and people
on the project team able to address issues identied.
There are dened roles including a Chair, Presenter, Reviewer(s) and Scribe.

6 Certications
PRINCE2 certication requires passing the requisite examinations or assessment.[8]

6.5

6.1

Examinations and training

PRINCE2 Foundation

The lower level Foundation exam is a one-hour, multiple choice exam which tests candidates knowledge of the
method. The exam consists of 75 questions, 5 of which
are trial questions which do not carry a mark. Of the
remaining 70 questions which do carry a mark, the candidate needs to score 50% or more (i.e. 35 or more) to
pass.

6.2

PRINCE2 Practitioner

The higher level Practitioner exam lasts for 2.5 hours, and
is a more complex multiple choice exam which tests candidates ability to apply the method to a simple project
scenario. The paper consists of 8 topics, with 10 questions per topic making a total of 80 marks. The pass mark
is 55%, which is 44 marks or more. Passing the Foundation exam is a pre-requisite for sitting the Practitioner
exam.
Candidates who have passed the PRINCE2 Practitioner
exam may call themselves a Registered PRINCE2 Practitioner for 5 years after which they must pass a Reregistration examination every 5 years to maintain their
Registered Practitioner status. The Re-registration exam
is a one-hour exam with 3 topics each containing 10 questions. The pass mark is 55%, which means candidates
must score 17 marks or more to pass.

6.3

PRINCE2 Professional

In 2012 the APM Group, accreditation body at the

time, introduced a higher level qualication known as the
PRINCE2 Professional qualication which is awarded
following successful completion of a 2.5 day residential
assessment involving group exercises and activities. The
assessment criteria involve more general capabilities such
as team working, which is not a specic PRINCE2 capability. Passing the Practitioner exam is a pre-requisite for
sitting the Professional assessment.

6.4

PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner

Main article: PRINCE2 Agile

This certication is based on a new form of PRINCE2
that is tailored to be used in Agile environments and explained in the ocial PRINCE2 Agile manual. Being
PRINCE2 Practitioner certied is a prerequisite for this
examination.
The exam is 2.5 hours, open book, and with 50 multiple
choice, objective questions. The passing score is 60%.

6.5 Examinations and training

Examinations can be sat by candidates who attend an
accredited training course, take accredited elearning
courses, and those who self-study. The exam vouchers are usually bought from the accredited training organizations, while its also possible to buy them directly
from some of the examination institutes. For those taking
classroom courses, usually a paper-based exam is taken at
the last day of the course. Others can take the exam online, through a proctored system, or schedule it in a test
center.

6.6 Register
The APM Group publishes a successful candidate register which can be searched on the web.[9] The register
records the details of candidates who have sat PRINCE2
examinations.

6.7 Trainers
Trainers must be re-accredited every 3 years and undergo
a surveillance check (either in the form of a visit by an assessor to a training course or a telephone interview which
assesses their professional knowledge and training capability) every 12 months.[10]

6.8 Exemptions
Qualied PRINCE2 Practitioners who go on to study for
the APMP qualication of the Association for Project
Management are exempt from certain topics of the syllabus that are covered in the PRINCE2 Practitioner
qualication.[11]

7 Scalability
Project management is a complex discipline and it would
be wrong to assume that blind application of PRINCE2
will result in a successful project. By the same token, it
would be wrong to assume that every aspect of PRINCE2
will be applicable to every project. For this reason every process has a note on scalability. This provides guidance to the project manager (and others involved in the
project) as to how much of the process to apply. The positive aspect of this is that PRINCE2 can be tailored to
the needs of a particular project. The negative aspect is
that many of the essential elements of PRINCE2 can be
omitted sometimes resulting in a PINO project Prince
in Name Only. In order to counter this, APM Group have
dened the concept of a PRINCE2 Maturity Model.[12]

12

Adoption

PRINCE2, as a method and a certication, is adopted

in many countries worldwide, including the UK, western
European countries, and Australia.[13]
The PMI and its certication, the PMP, is popular in the
UK, USA and the rest of the world.[14] Since the PMIs
PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) is a
collection of recognized good practices[15] and PRINCE2
is a methodology, these two certications are suggested to
complement each other, as pointed out by the PRINCE2
ocial website.[16]

Advantages and pitfalls

EXTERNAL LINKS

PMI (Project Management Institute)

11 References
[1] OGC - PRINCE2 - News
[2] OGC brings its shining quartet back into the limelight
(Press release). Oce of Government Commerce. 200512-14.
[3] Ocial PRINCE2 website
[4] OGC (Oce of Government Commerce) (2009). Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 (2009 ed.). TSO
(The Stationery Oce). ISBN 978-0-11-331059-3.
[5] About PRINCE2

PRINCE2 is a structured approach to project manage- [6] PRINCE2 manual

ment. It provides a method for managing projects within [7] PRINCE2 Agile. www.axelos.com. Axelos. Rea clearly dened framework. PRINCE2 describes protrieved 6 March 2015.
cedures to coordinate people and activities in a project,
how to design and supervise the project, and what to do [8] - PRINCE2 certication
if the project has to be adjusted if it doesnt develop as
[9] - PRINCE2 successful candidate register
planned. In the method each process is specied with its
key inputs and outputs and with specic goals and activ- [10] - PRINCE2 accreditation scheme
ities to be carried out, which gives an automatic control
[11] - APMP for PRINCE2 Practitioners
of any deviations from the plan.
Divided into manageable stages, the method enables an
ecient control of resources. On the basis of close monitoring the project can be carried out in a controlled and
organised way. The various management roles and responsibilities involved in a project are fully described and
are adaptable to suit the complexity of the project and
skills of the organisation.

[12] PRINCE2 Maturity Model

[13] PRINCE2 - PRojects IN Controlled Environments Consulting Organisations List
[14] PMI Annual Report | Project Management Institute
[15] PMBOK Guide and Standards. Project Management
Institute. Retrieved 13 April 2015.

PRINCE2 is sometimes considered inappropriate for

[16] PRINCE2 - PRojects IN Controlled Environments small projects or where requirements are expected to
PRINCE2 in Comparison - PRINCE2 Advantages
change, due to the work required in creating and maintaining documents, logs and lists. However, AXELOS [17] OGC Best Management Practice - PRINCE2
claims that the methodology is scalable and can be tailored to suit the specic requirements and constraints of
the project and the environment.[17]
12 External links

10

See also

Comparison of project-management software

Gantt chart
List of project management topics
Agile software development
Other qualication-awarding bodies in project management:
APM (Association for Project Management)
IPMA (International Project Management Association)

Ocial website
Guidelines for Managing Projects (fully consistent
with PRINCE2) from the UK Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR)
PRINCE2 wiki
PRINCE2 Agile wiki

13
13.1

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

Text

PRINCE2 Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRINCE2?oldid=681163925 Contributors: The Anome, Deb, Kku, Angela, Harry Wood,
Mkoval, Poor Yorick, Guaka, Boson, Dysprosia, Kaare, Topbanana, ChrisG, Michael Snow, Leonig Mig, Inter, Zigger, Binarygal,
Database~enwiki, Pinnecco, Marqoz, Rellis1067, Arnauldvm, Mike Rosoft, Rich Farmbrough, Vlipper~enwiki, Polymorp, ZeroOne, Sietse Snel, Vortexrealm, Notreadbyhumans, Haham hanuka, Mdd, Jumbuck, ProductBox, H2g2bob, Gene Nygaard, Drbreznjev, Bobrayner,
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MTr~enwiki, Wizard191, Akbradford, Rkoster~enwiki, Wftbuts, Yaris678, Snarpel, Ccrichte, Dowm, Throxana, Ntitsuit, Sharkli, Dibbler5, Mattisse, Thijs!bot, Alynex, Faigl.ladislav, Colonel.jrd, Nick Number, Widefox, Ghettolave, Rajan52s, Lbk3918, MrKris, Andrew Swallow, Bethmanj, MaxPont, Magioladitis, Meredyth, Vernon39, Davidjcmorris, Speck-Made, Ash, Bonadea, VolkovBot, SueHay,
Mark Bush 29, Steve wiki ppc, Fionaspence, Jamelan, PorthosTyke, KimMarello, IILMarketing, PRINCE2Andy, Todo14, Malcolmxl5,
Alanpc1, Pmtoolbox, Sbrumpton, Ride the Hurricane, Pm master, Athirumurthi, Millstream3, Heesoyuy, Shruti14, Lonegroover, MarnixR,
Mnorse, Mike0001, Excirial, Eeekster, Technobadger, Iness it, Carriearchdale, Sean.sandys, IanNeville, Dwj7738, Nick in syd, XLinkBot,
Prof Wrong, Tthheeppaarrttyy, Addbot, Blethering Scot, MagnusA.Bot, Chilin, Thruxton, Itgov, Download, LaaknorBot, Erikko, Vasi,
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MastiBot, Serols, Jandalhandler, Barinder hothi, Tony knowledge, Pothoc, WTF-tech, Thebluemanager, Bernd.Brincken, Sunilprabhale,
EmausBot, Fvanrenterghem, Tommy2010, F, Stephenog, JmRay, DanielV UK, Jimbo 1985, 28bot, Petrb, ClueBot NG, Invincible1984,
PRINCE2Coach, Helpful Pixie Bot, Parsley1972, Ultapultanikhil, BG19bot, MusikAnimal, BattyBot, Khorramirad, Calu2000, Khazar2,
Mariaannburton, Tonytowner, Mogism, SLP101, S.boilerhouse, Epicgenius, VernonD12, Lesser Cartographies, Ginsuloft, Lisapr1, Dexterous1802, Skr15081997, Davejones2004, Carlos.serra, Pboudr, Ranjanonline, Colin Bentley and Anonymous: 347

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