Principles and Methodology

Principles

Unlike many other methodologies, PRINCE2 focuses on the delivery of products rather than carrying out activities. Every project must have a business case and plan that is periodically reviewed.

The PRINCE2 methodology is in the public domain therefore, users are not tied to any single organisation for consultancy, training and support.

Methodology

PRINCE2 is a process-based approach to project management. Each process is defined with its key inputs and outputs together with the specific objectives to be achieved and activities to be carried out. The eight processes are:

• Starting Up a Project (SU)
• Initiating a Project (IP)
• Directing a Project (DP)
• Controlling a Stage (CS)
• Managing Product Delivery (MP)
• Managing Stage Boundaries (SB)
• Closing a Project (CP)
• Planning (PL)

Within each of the processes PRINCE2 produces documents such as the Project Initiation Document (PID) used to define the project, form the basis for its management and the assessment of overall success. The Risk Log is used to identify record and grade risks to the project and the Lessons Learned Report used to pass on any lessons that can be usefully applied to other projects.

PRINCE2 provides a scalable framework that can be tailored to meet the needs of any organisation, providing a controlled environment through which to deliver projects with the resulting benefits.