Prince2 foundation exam, any experience?

[DaveB]

Agreed, but if you are up for the Practitioner (1 week residential usually) then do the following to (almost) ensure a pass:

1) Do the pre-reading. There isn't a lot, but it does make a difference at the start of the week when you actually commence the course. When I did it (2000) those that hadn't done the pre-reading were behind from the start and were struggling with the acronyms (SU, IP, DP, etc.).

2) Do the homework rather than get pi$$ed every night.

3) Pass the exam.

If you're up for the practitioner the best thing you can do is do the combined Foundation / Practitioner courses. You do the foundation course first and sit the exam, then straight into the practitioner course the next day so you dont foget everything you learned before. Best way to do it by far if you want the practitioner qualification.

[malvolio]

Not if you want to do Govt work. Prince2 is the mandated project management methodology for govt projects and ITIL is fast becoming the service management standard as well.

It already is, actually.

Nevertheless, I have now worked on three major projects (and a couple of smaller ones) where the supposed ITIL expert got all his/her knowledge from the ITIL manuals and the study work they did for the Manager's Certificate. They were incapable of translating that into a gap analysis that would bring the client's existing processes, which were weak to non-existent, up to best practice standards.

More importantly, they couldn't draw a process that aligned to the clients working practices and was easier to follow than not following it (which is vital) and had no idea how to sell their client's staff on the new approach, which at the end of the day is the whole point of the exercise. Any prat can draw a VISIO flowchart, the trick is making it work in the real world.

So give me people that can do, not people who say they can or who want to wave qualifications at me to say they can.

[cojak]

Hear, hear Malvolio.

I despair when people accuse me of not following ITIL 'because it doesn't look like that flowchart in the book'.

and I had a senior bod start his presentation with the old chestnut:

"Exceed the Customer's expectations".

I almost put my head in my hands and cried....

[Mustang]

I totally agree with Malvolio and Cojak. I am a Prince 2 practitioner but only because I was fed up with being told "but you dont have Prince 2" when I applied for jobs despite having 14 years PM experience.....


Its so frustrating when you have to speak to people (agents and clients alike) who are recruiting PM's and all they do is focus on the skill set and not the results.

[SandyDown]

Cojak, I have been designing various processes recently a combination of various methodologies which are tailored to the programme, the processes has been reviewed by all members, not only management and agreed, however there are still people who are resisting following the process (some are actually the people who were shouting that they need these processes) they are trying every excuse to get an exemption from following any process, hence my question hmmm how do you manage these people so that you can make the process work?

Perhaps this is nothing to do with the topic here, but I'd like to hear from BB people especially managers how to manage people who are extremely resistance to any change??

[sappatz]

prince 2

the only person i have heard of being acquointed with a Prince (version 2 or whatever) in UK is camilla parker bowles

[malvolio]

Sandy

Tha is exactly the problem. The average Joe is not interested in following processes because they all know how to do it better themselves using the unofficial Old Boys network.

There is a way to do it, but I'm not going to publish it here, because that's how I earn my income, although you can always drop me a private. But you have reinforced my point, that process design is easy, guaranteed process adherence is very hard. It is nothing to do with flowcharting and all to do with people management.

[SandyDown]

Sandy

Tha is exactly the problem. The average Joe is not interested in following processes because they all know how to do it better themselves using the unofficial Old Boys network.

There is a way to do it, but I'm not going to publish it here, because that's how I earn my income, although you can always drop me a private. But you have reinforced my point, that process design is easy, guaranteed process adherence is very hard. It is nothing to do with flowcharting and all to do with people management.

thanks malvolio I sent you a PM.

[malvolio]

So have I. Good, innit!

[Xenophon]

If you're up for the practitioner the best thing you can do is do the combined Foundation / Practitioner courses. You do the foundation course first and sit the exam, then straight into the practitioner course the next day so you dont foget everything you learned before. Best way to do it by far if you want the practitioner qualification.

Yep mine was combined course.