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Introduction

This chapter covers:

•the applicability of PRINCE2 to any project

•the structure of PRINCE2: principles, themes, processes and the project environment

•what PRINCE2 is and what it is not

•what defines a PRINCE2 project

•the purpose of the manual

1Introduction

PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is one of the most widely used methods for managing projects in the world. It is a structured project management method based on experience drawn from thousands of projects and from the contributions of countless project sponsors, project managers, project teams, academics, trainers and consultants.

PRINCE2 has been designed to be generic so that it can be applied to any project regardless of project scale, type, organization, geography or culture. It achieves this by:

•separating the management of project work from the specialist contributions, such as design or construction. The specialist aspects of any type of project are easily integrated with the PRINCE2 method and, used alongside PRINCE2, provide a secure overall framework for the project work

•focusing on describing what needs to be done, rather than prescribing how everything is done.

PRINCE2:

•is based on established and proven best practice and governance for project management

•can be tailored to meet the specific needs of the organization and scaled to the size and complexity of different projects

•can be applied to any type of project and can easily be implemented alongside specialist, industry-specific models (e.g. ‘engineering models’ or ‘development lifecycles’)

•is widely recognized and understood and provides a common vocabulary for all project participants. In doing so it promotes consistency of project work and the ability to reuse project assets. It also facilitates staff mobility and reduces the impact of personnel changes or handovers

•ensures that participants focus on the viability of the project in relation to its business case objectives, rather than simply seeing the completion of the project as an end in itself. It ensures that stakeholders (including sponsors and resource providers) are properly represented in planning and decision-making

•promotes learning from project experience and continual improvement in organizations

•is supported by a worldwide network of examination institutes, accredited training and consultancy organizations, and AXELOS consulting partners, who can supply expert support for PRINCE2 projects or for organizations planning to adopt PRINCE2.

Because PRINCE2 is generic and based on proven principles, organizations adopting the method as a standard can substantially improve their organizational capability and maturity across multiple areas of business activity, such as business change, construction, IT, mergers and acquisitions, research and product development.

1.1 The structure of PRINCE2

The PRINCE2 method addresses project management with four integrated elements of principles, themes, processes and the project environment (Figure 1.1):

•PRINCE2 principles The principles are the guiding obligations and good practices which determine whether the project is genuinely being managed using PRINCE2. There are seven principles and unless all of them are applied, it is not a PRINCE2 project.

The PRINCE2 principles are explained in Chapter 3.

PRINCE2 is a flexible method and one of the principles is that it should be tailored to suit the type and size of project. Chapter 4 describes how to tailor PRINCE2 to make it appropriate to the project.

•PRINCE2 themes The themes describe aspects of project management that must be addressed continually and in parallel throughout the project. The seven themes explain the specific treatment required by PRINCE2 for various project management disciplines and why they are necessary.

The PRINCE2 themes are provided in Chapters 5 to 12.

•PRINCE2 processes The seven processes describe a progression from the pre-project activity of getting started, through the stages of the project lifecycle, to the final act of project closure. Each process has checklists of recommended activities, products and related responsibilities.

The PRINCE2 processes are provided in Chapters 13 to 20.

•The project environment Organizations often want a consistent approach to managing projects and tailor PRINCE2 to create their own project management method. This method is then embedded into the organization’s way of working.

Chapter 21 provides advice and examples on how to tailor and adopt PRINCE2 in an organization.

1.2 What PRINCE2 does not provide

It is not intended (or possible) for PRINCE2 to cover every aspect of project management. There are three broad topic categories which are deliberately considered to be outside the scope of PRINCE2:

•Specialist aspects PRINCE2’s strength is in its wide applicability. It is entirely generic and excludes industry-specific or type-specific activity. Engineering models, project lifecycles, agile methods or specific techniques (such as organizational change management or procurement) can readily be used alongside PRINCE2. PRINCE2 categorizes all these aspects of project work as ‘specialist’ in contrast to ‘management products’ which relate to those required to manage the project. This means that the specialist products concerned need to be identified and included within project scope and plans.

•Detailed techniques There are many proven planning and control techniques that can be used in support of the PRINCE2 themes; for example, critical path analysis (in planning) and earned value analysis (in progress control). Such techniques are well documented elsewhere. Techniques are only described in detail where PRINCE2 specifically recommends that approach is used, or the approach is unique to PRINCE2, such as the quality review technique. Even when PRINCE2 recommends a specific technique, alternative yet equivalent techniques can be substituted as long as they meet the requirements set out in the manual.

•Leadership capability Leadership, motivational skills and other interpersonal skills are immensely important in project management but impossible to codify in a method. Leadership styles vary considerably and a style that works in one situation may be entirely inappropriate in another. The fact that it is easy to think of successful leaders who have adopted very different styles, from autocratic to consensus-based, bears this out. For this reason, PRINCE2 cannot address this aspect of project management in detail although creation of an effective project team is discussed in section 7.3.8. There are many leadership models and interpersonal skills training programmes that cover leadership capability.

1.3 What makes a project a ‘PRINCE2 project’?

The flexibility about how PRINCE2 can be applied creates the risk that a project that is claimed to be following PRINCE2 may be doing so in name only. PRINCE2 therefore sets out some criteria about what makes a project a ‘PRINCE2 project’.

Beyond these requirements, users of PRINCE2 have freedom to tailor PRINCE2 to their needs as described in Chapter 4 and throughout the rest of the manual.

1.4 The purpose of this manual

This manual is intended for anyone who will work on a PRINCE2 project and is designed:

•for entry-level project management personnel wishing to learn about project management generally and the PRINCE2 method in particular

•for experienced project managers and anyone who wishes to learn about the PRINCE2 method

•as a detailed reference source for PRINCE2 practitioners

•as a source of information on PRINCE2 for managers considering whether to adopt the method.

The manual helps address the questions frequently asked by people involved in project management and support roles. These questions include:

•What is expected of me?

•What does the project manager do?

•What do I do if things do not go to plan?

•What decisions am I expected to make?

•What information do I need or must I supply?

•Who should I look to for support? For direction?

•How can I tailor the use of PRINCE2 for my project?