Urgent - Requirement for Prince 2 training

[RichardCranium]

the APMG open exams aren't available that soon.

Wot about Friday morning next week?

London Friday, January 14, 2011 10:00:00 AM Foundation 14
Chester Friday, January 28, 2011 10:00:00 AM Foundation 23
Chester Friday, January 28, 2011 12:00:00 PM Foundation 23
York Friday, January 28, 2011 10:00:00 AM Foundation 23
York Friday, January 28, 2011 12:00:00 PM Foundation 23

[Old Greg]

Wot about Friday morning next week?

London Friday, January 14, 2011 10:00:00 AM Foundation 14
Chester Friday, January 28, 2011 10:00:00 AM Foundation 23
Chester Friday, January 28, 2011 12:00:00 PM Foundation 23
York Friday, January 28, 2011 10:00:00 AM Foundation 23
York Friday, January 28, 2011 12:00:00 PM Foundation 23

Cheers - I was looking for something even quicker, but I have enough PM experience that I have decided to see if the client has enough sense not to be put off by a lack of a 50% pass mark attained in a noddy multiple guess exam.

[TykeMerc]

Cheers - I was looking for something even quicker, but I have enough PM experience that I have decided to see if the client has enough sense not to be put off by a lack of a 50% pass mark attained in a noddy multiple guess exam.

I hope you're not belittling the hugely valuable professional qualification I slaved to obtain 5 years ago!!!

And back on planet real, as others have said the Foundation is a doddle, the Practitioner requires knowledge of the handbook and not practical PM skills although Prince2 does have some handy bits to use as a Framework, which is of course what it aims to be. Anyone going on a Prince2 course hoping to learn the basics or advanced skills of project management is going to be sadly disappointed.

My practitioner expires in early March and I'm in a gig until the end of that month so I'll probably let it lapse. I'm in two minds whether I'll bother to sit the Practitioner exam again.

Of course since clients usually have no idea what's involved and see it as a critical tick in the box I'll probably force myself to book a quick hothouse course and get the exam done for another 5 years of box tickery.

[RichardCranium]

My practitioner expires in early March and I'm in a gig until the end of that month so I'll probably let it lapse. I'm in two minds whether I'll bother to sit the Practitioner exam again.

Mine expired in June last year and as I was in mid-contract I let it lapse until I got round to it again in December.

The instructor said I was the first re-registration she has had attend for many, many months. It seems not many people bother.

Amongst the PMs I've worked with, they've all said they'd let it lapse.

Of course since clients usually have no idea what's involved and see it as a critical tick in the box I'll probably force myself to book a quick hothouse course.

Although the re-registration exam is short, it ain't easy. I would have failed if I had just tried re-reading the manual. Primarily, because the buggers changed it in 2009.

I ended up doing a full 5 day Practitioner course rather than a 2 day re-registration course. That was because the date & location & price were all good. I was glad I did the 5 days.

I say "full 5 days" but it's not. There is no training on Weds afternoon when the Foundation exam is sat. There is no training on the Friday because the Practitioner course is in the morning. And 2 hours of Monday morning is the creeping death introductions. So a "full 5 days" is more like 3 days anyway.

The format of the Practitioner exam has changed: it has gone from essay-style (which Bobs were failing) to bastard multiple choice. Bastard because it is NOT "choose A, B, C or D" it is "choose 2 of A, B, C, D and E and get both of them right". Random answering will only get you about 5% of the answers right. There are also other horrid question types.

In the course they introduce you to the types of questions and how to answer them plus get to do some example exam papers. Time is tight in the exam; this practice alone was worth paying for.

Sadly, you don't get to do the Foundation Exam when doing the re-registration. When I did my Practitioner, myself and the other contractor both only got one answer wrong in the multi-choice which upset the permies in a rather delicious way.

Incidentally, on the course I attended there was:
1) A Nigerian lawyer who was retraining herself at her own expense.
2) Someone from the meedja who wanted to learn proper project management so she could work in the real world; she paid herself.
3) A bloke wanting to get out of the NHS and set up his own business and wants to treat that as a project; he paid for himself.
4) A bloke who has been told he will be redundant by March; he paid for himself.
5) Me. And because I'm currently with a brolly, I paid myself too.

The trainer said in her experience it is now normal for people to pay for their own PRINCE2 training.

I'll probably force myself get the exam done for another 5 years of box tickery.

I have had 3 clients check. Two wanted to see the actual certificate and one of those took a photocopy. For a government client, all CVs had to have the P2R number submitted with them. So a live practitioner qualification was a gateway to 3 gigs in 5 years.

[thunderlizard]

3) A bloke wanting to get out of the NHS and set up his own business and wants to treat that as a project

wow, that's thorough. You can take the bloke out of the NHS...

[TykeMerc]

You're absolutely right of course Mr Cranium, I have had to email a scan of my certificate a couple of times and I don't know how many times my P2R registration has been checked. I probably should re-certify.

I'd reached the same conclusion that a full course run to learn the new manual and do guided test practice would be sensible, it's enough hassle taking the exam once so no point running the risk of twice.

The box tick value is worth the company investment, I'll do it once I have a bench gap and maybe do MSP while I'm at it for additional tick boxery.

[RichardCranium]

maybe do MSP while I'm at it for additional tick boxery.

I've been wondering about MSP for a few years. I don't fancy programme manager roles; it looks like a lot of grief and politics to me. But, in theory, as I often work to a programme manager or programme director, I sort of expect myself to be able to communicate in their language. But it never works like that. I don't think I have ever worked for anyone that has done MSP. So it really seems to be 'box tickery' (I like that).

[MarillionFan]

IMHO both Prince II and ITIL qualifications are worth less than the paper they are written on.

Microsoft qualifications can be used to show a practical skillset whereas both Prince and ITIL demonstrate an ability to copy and paste conceptual processes without any practical benefit or intelligence.

[ascender]

In terms of practical, useful, day-to-day PM skills, I think PMI's PMP course trounces the Prince2 in every regard.

Having got the Practitioner qualification, it would be a shame to let it lapse so I guess I'll be doing the re-cert in a few years time, although the thought of going through the course/exam cram again doesn't fill me with joy!

How are Microsoft qualifications regarded these days anyway? I remember doing my MCSE about 15 years ago when it was very highly regarded, but the emergence of braindumps in future years seemed to render it pretty much useless in terms of using it as any kind of benchmark of someone's actual skills.