Overview of PRINCE2

PRINCE2 is a process-based approach for project management providing an easily tailored and scalable method for the management of all types of projects. The method, developed by the Government is the UK de-facto standard for project management in both the public and private sectors and is also practiced worldwide.

The acronym stands for Projects in Controlled Environments - the "2" refers to its re-launch in October 1996.

Although the approach to managing a large, expensive, high-profile, business-critical project will be very different to that of managing a small, low-risk project, the PRINCE2™ method is extremely flexible and can be tailored to suit projects of different size and complexity.

PRINCE2™ adopts good project management principles including:

  • Recognition that a project is a finite process with a defined start and end
  • Projects need to be well directed and managed in order to be successful

Learn more about the principles and methodology

Benefits of PRINCE2

These are some of the benefits that are obtained from using PRINCE2:

  • Standard approach to managing projects
  • Common project language
  • Flexible decision points
  • Regular reviews of progress against the project plan and business case
  • Early visibility of possible problems
  • Good communications between the project team and other stakeholders
  • Mechanism for managing deviations from the project plan
  • Improved levels of customer satisfaction

There are 2 levels of qualification. The PRINCE2™ Foundation Level demonstrates a detailed knowledge and understanding of the method and terminology, the PRINCE2™ Practitioner Level demonstrates ability to practically apply this knowledge to project situations.