Reply to: Prince2

[HRH]

Wait a minute!! This isn't Alcoholics Anonymous?

Live in the solution.

[beercohol]

Someone talking sense and who sounds like he has a clue.

Are you sure you have the right forum?

Wait a minute!! This isn't Alcoholics Anonymous?

[HRH]

Someone talking sense and who sounds like he has a clue.

Are you sure you have the right forum?

I know, I only post occasionally now though!

[Lucy]

Definitely. I have been a PM for years, having found myself gravitating towards it from a software development background. As a coder, I think you eventually get pushed into team lead, then PM whether you like it or not.

I had read a book on PMI (the american's preferred PM method) some years back and found it helpful. When I studied Prince2 however, I decided to drop my bad attitude (protectivist aloof incredulity) for a while and try to actually learn something. It made a difference. I have to say that in my opinion, Prince2 is superior to PMI in some ways.

I still take part in Prince2-bashing. Failed projects are usually result from PINE (Prince In Name Only), but I roll my eyes at 2012 just like everyone else.

Someone talking sense and who sounds like he has a clue.

Are you sure you have the right forum?

[beercohol]

Thanks very much thats really helpful. Has getting this qualification made a big difference in your career/rate?

Definitely. I have been a PM for years, having found myself gravitating towards it from a software development background. As a coder, I think you eventually get pushed into team lead, then PM whether you like it or not.

I had read a book on PMI (the american's preferred PM method) some years back and found it helpful. When I studied Prince2 however, I decided to drop my bad attitude (protectivist aloof incredulity) for a while and try to actually learn something. It made a difference. I have to say that in my opinion, Prince2 is superior to PMI in some ways.

I still take part in Prince2-bashing. Failed projects are usually result from PINE (Prince In Name Only), but I roll my eyes at 2012 just like everyone else.

[HRH]

Thanks very much thats really helpful. Has getting this qualification made a big difference in your career/rate?

[beercohol]

Thanks very much for all your help. If I was to not take the role and study Prince2 off my own back, how long would it take me/how much would it cost to do?

Practitioner exam on your own is almost certainly too much to handle. All the Processes, Components and Techniques along with their associated documentation products and stuff. Its spagetti.

While naysayers would question its value, I doubt anyone would question its enormity even on an instructor-led 3 day course. To do this on your own will be really tough unless you are a savant who can draw pictures of whole cities from memory. The three day course alone is really only achievable if you have just spent the previous two doing the foundation course. Even then its hard. You have to really know how to navigate the "Managing Successful Projects with Prince2" book.

Saying that however, you do get to take the book into the exam, where you are met with something like 3 or 4 questions only (can't remember if it was 3 or 4). Then you are on your own. You have to apply the method to rescuing a failing project scenario from a 4 paragraph description, you are building a project team from a list of candidates, creating a Product-based plan and flow diagram from a few paragraphs of customer expectation etc. You could be hit with any of these and its no good doing it your way. To pass the exam you have to use Prince. You'll be marked according to a list of specific Prince2 criteria.

Imagine, you might write something like "I would do all I can to motivate the team to achieve the goal, but if it slides too much I'd refer the matter back to the sponsor". FAIL. You'd have to actually say "I would take corrective action in C7 and upon forecasting that we could break tolerance, create an exception report in C8 to DP3."

Here's another thing. Find a picture of the front cover of the Prince2 book. Its a red-hued photo of people clapping you. After the end of the course, your head is aching and you could swear one of them was Sean Penn, another is Jeremy Paxman, and the one at the back is Quincey Jones.

Then you have to wait a couple of months before you even know if you passed.

[EternalOptimist]

sorry just seen the link. How technically minded do you have to be? My main skills are as a manger at the moment, I have a solid understanding of Connectivity, hosting, network security-i.e I can talk the talk but not necessarily walk the walk if you know what I mean!

we know that

[Dow Jones]

Misguided advice

Alf, unlike a lot of other qualifications, all the names of those that have passed the Prince2 exam at F/P level are held in a database which can be accessed by anyone. So I wouldn't advise anyone to be 'creative' as a client can easily check and boot out any 'imposters'.

[HRH]

sorry just seen the link. How technically minded do you have to be? My main skills are as a manger at the moment, I have a solid understanding of Connectivity, hosting, network security-i.e I can talk the talk but not necessarily walk the walk if you know what I mean!

[HRH]

Thanks very much for all your help. If I was to not take the role and study Prince2 off my own back, how long would it take me/how much would it cost to do?

[Alf W]

Yep, useful CV tool. Some contract requirements state it as mandatory and agents search on it (so, if you haven't got it, put it in your CV anyway using white letters so you'll come up in any CV search).

It's little more than yet another documentation set and project structure guideline but that sort of stuff is blindingly obvious to any PM with experience anyway.

I don't have it yet despite doing this stuff for years (too busy doing it to get the piece of paper that proves I can do it). My wife is a 'Practitioner' and has never managed a project in her life. The girl who does the project admin on one of the projects where I am currently is also a 'Practitioner'.

I'd say if you're on the bench and have a bit of spare time and fancy doing a course, it's probably worth doing. I wouldn't be taking any time off to do it where I could be earning instead though.

[51st State]

Thanks.

http://www.ilxgroup.com/prince2-course-list.asp
does the exams for £99, but dependent on buying and taking of a computer based training course too. All seems a bit too $kerching$ for my liking from searching so far.

If it helps to up your rate from £350 a day to £450+ a day, it's not that expensive is it? You should be thinking how you compete in the longer term if you're serious about running your own business.

[TimberWolf]

This is the book

As for the exam - you need to do a search. I would but I have a meeting to go to.

Thanks.

http://www.ilxgroup.com/prince2-course-list.asp
does the exams for £99, but dependent on buying and taking of a computer based training course too. All seems a bit too $kerching$ for my liking from searching so far.

[Dow Jones]

NEVER heard of Prince2?

Is it just a project management process? I have been offered a perm role as a junior PM where I would get this qualification/training.

I conclude that they must have run out of PMs at your place