PRINCE2 Foundation course – Videos
Module 1 – Introduction to PRINCE2 and its principles
What is PRINCE2?
• Projects IN Controlled Environments
• Generic and can be tailored to meet the specific needs of the organisation and a particular
project
• Uses a widely recognised vocabulary (that can also be tailored) – achieve a common
language that all parties involved in the project can understand
• All projects are unique – no two projects are the same
• Can be used regardless of scale, location, culture, industry sector or what your organisation
represents
• Focusses on project viability
• Driven by the business case which helps to determine if there is still a business justification
to continue the project (will the project deliver what it intended to?)
• Promotes learning through experience – captures lessons that can be shared, for example
best practices and mistakes
• PRINCE2 does not provide everything:
o Specialist aspects e.g. does not provide explanation of how to use leadership skills
o Some techniques are suggested however it does not provide several different
techniques – these can sometimes take away autonomy needed to drive success
▪ 2 techniques it does mention: product-based planning and quality review
technique
• Four integrated elements:
o Principles
▪ 7 in total
▪ All 7 principles must be applied to make it a true PRINCE2 project
o Themes
▪ 7 in total
▪ Minimal requirements must be met for each theme
o Processes
▪ 7 in total
o Project environment
• To be a true PRINCE2 project, the project must also remain focussed on justification and
follow the recommended techniques to ensure success
• Definition of a project: A temporary organisation, created for the purpose of delivering one
or more products according to an agreed business case
• Project characteristics:
o Change
o Temporary
o Cross-functional – The whole organisation can be affected by the project thus the
project must be represented by all those who could be affected by the project’s
outputs
o Unique
o Uncertainty (leads to risk)
,What is project management?
• Project management is about: Planning, delegating, monitoring, and controlling all aspects of
the project
• There are 6 tolerances to help manage the project (also known as permissible deviations):
o Cost
o Time
o Quality
o Scope (what is included in the project and what is excluded)
o Benefits
o Risk
• Project manager activities done to ensure tolerances are met:
o Plan
o Delegate
o Monitor
o Control
• Customer/supplier environment
o Customer
▪ Specifies the desired results and pays for the project
▪ Defines their quality expectations
o Supplier
▪ Provides all the necessary resources and skills needed to achieve the project
objective (e.g., person or groups responsible for supply of specialist
products)
o Corporate, programme management, or customer
▪ Commissions the project
▪ Provides the mandate
▪ Governs the project
▪ Ensure the benefits of the project are realised
▪ Ensure the project stays within the rules and boundaries that are specified
• Organisational portfolio contains all the programmes and must be managed
, • Programme: A temporary, flexible organisational structure created to coordinate, direct, and
oversee the implementation of a set of related projects and activities, to deliver outcomes
and benefits related to the strategic objectives of the organisation
• Projects can be part of a programme or can be a standalone
What are the project management delivery approaches?
• Waterfall approach
o Cascade (project planning -> requirements -> analysis -> design -> coding -> testing
-> deployment
o Involves ‘big planning’
o Works well with projects that have clearly understood outputs
• AGILE approach
o Rather than big planning, this involves just enough upfront design to determine
whether the project is going into the right direction for what the customer desires
• Things to consider:
o At the beginning of the project, it is important to set the acceptance criteria
o Can cite Key Performance Indicators that can be measured throughout the project
o All projects must have a measurement to determine whether the goal has been
achieved
o Organisational capability in terms of delivering a PRINCE2 project – set up a criteria
model (Levels 1 to 5):
▪ Level 1 – Initial (ad hoc processes). Little control or structure
▪ Level 2 – Repeatable (basic processes established for larger projects e.g.
documents, templates used to help plan and manage future projects)
, ▪ Level 3 – Defined (standard processes for all projects). Embrace governance
which is a crucial form of control
▪ Level 4 – Managed (mandatory processes are fully integrated). Framework
that is easily repeatable across all projects
▪ Level 5 – optimised (continual improvement). Natural way of operating; the
PRINCE2 structure is easily understood by the organisation and appreciated
by the people involved in the projects
What are the PRINCE2 principles?
• Definition of a principle: Guiding obligations and good practises that determine whether the
project is genuinely being managed using PRINCE2
• There are 7 principles, all of which must be applied for the project to be a true PRINCE2
project:
1. Continued business justification – ensure there is still a rationale for the project
continuing
2. Learn from experience – capture lessons so that mistakes can be shared with
colleagues to ensure they are not repeated
3. Defined roles and responsibilities – make people aware of what the expectations
are e.g. clear roles and responsibilities
4. Manage by stages – break the project up into bitesize pieces (stages). Towards the
end of each stage, we consider where we are at, what we have done, and where we
intend to go next, and we review the continued business justification
5. Manage by exception – following the 6 tolerances (cost, time, quality, scope,
benefits, and risk), spend time efficiently and effectively managing our project
6. Focus on products – focus on the individual definitions of each of the major products
that’ll be produced, enabling greater control and understanding of each product
7. Tailor to suit the project – how extensively will these PRINCE2isms be applied to the
projects?
Module 1 – Introduction to PRINCE2 and its principles
What is PRINCE2?
• Projects IN Controlled Environments
• Generic and can be tailored to meet the specific needs of the organisation and a particular
project
• Uses a widely recognised vocabulary (that can also be tailored) – achieve a common
language that all parties involved in the project can understand
• All projects are unique – no two projects are the same
• Can be used regardless of scale, location, culture, industry sector or what your organisation
represents
• Focusses on project viability
• Driven by the business case which helps to determine if there is still a business justification
to continue the project (will the project deliver what it intended to?)
• Promotes learning through experience – captures lessons that can be shared, for example
best practices and mistakes
• PRINCE2 does not provide everything:
o Specialist aspects e.g. does not provide explanation of how to use leadership skills
o Some techniques are suggested however it does not provide several different
techniques – these can sometimes take away autonomy needed to drive success
▪ 2 techniques it does mention: product-based planning and quality review
technique
• Four integrated elements:
o Principles
▪ 7 in total
▪ All 7 principles must be applied to make it a true PRINCE2 project
o Themes
▪ 7 in total
▪ Minimal requirements must be met for each theme
o Processes
▪ 7 in total
o Project environment
• To be a true PRINCE2 project, the project must also remain focussed on justification and
follow the recommended techniques to ensure success
• Definition of a project: A temporary organisation, created for the purpose of delivering one
or more products according to an agreed business case
• Project characteristics:
o Change
o Temporary
o Cross-functional – The whole organisation can be affected by the project thus the
project must be represented by all those who could be affected by the project’s
outputs
o Unique
o Uncertainty (leads to risk)
,What is project management?
• Project management is about: Planning, delegating, monitoring, and controlling all aspects of
the project
• There are 6 tolerances to help manage the project (also known as permissible deviations):
o Cost
o Time
o Quality
o Scope (what is included in the project and what is excluded)
o Benefits
o Risk
• Project manager activities done to ensure tolerances are met:
o Plan
o Delegate
o Monitor
o Control
• Customer/supplier environment
o Customer
▪ Specifies the desired results and pays for the project
▪ Defines their quality expectations
o Supplier
▪ Provides all the necessary resources and skills needed to achieve the project
objective (e.g., person or groups responsible for supply of specialist
products)
o Corporate, programme management, or customer
▪ Commissions the project
▪ Provides the mandate
▪ Governs the project
▪ Ensure the benefits of the project are realised
▪ Ensure the project stays within the rules and boundaries that are specified
• Organisational portfolio contains all the programmes and must be managed
, • Programme: A temporary, flexible organisational structure created to coordinate, direct, and
oversee the implementation of a set of related projects and activities, to deliver outcomes
and benefits related to the strategic objectives of the organisation
• Projects can be part of a programme or can be a standalone
What are the project management delivery approaches?
• Waterfall approach
o Cascade (project planning -> requirements -> analysis -> design -> coding -> testing
-> deployment
o Involves ‘big planning’
o Works well with projects that have clearly understood outputs
• AGILE approach
o Rather than big planning, this involves just enough upfront design to determine
whether the project is going into the right direction for what the customer desires
• Things to consider:
o At the beginning of the project, it is important to set the acceptance criteria
o Can cite Key Performance Indicators that can be measured throughout the project
o All projects must have a measurement to determine whether the goal has been
achieved
o Organisational capability in terms of delivering a PRINCE2 project – set up a criteria
model (Levels 1 to 5):
▪ Level 1 – Initial (ad hoc processes). Little control or structure
▪ Level 2 – Repeatable (basic processes established for larger projects e.g.
documents, templates used to help plan and manage future projects)
, ▪ Level 3 – Defined (standard processes for all projects). Embrace governance
which is a crucial form of control
▪ Level 4 – Managed (mandatory processes are fully integrated). Framework
that is easily repeatable across all projects
▪ Level 5 – optimised (continual improvement). Natural way of operating; the
PRINCE2 structure is easily understood by the organisation and appreciated
by the people involved in the projects
What are the PRINCE2 principles?
• Definition of a principle: Guiding obligations and good practises that determine whether the
project is genuinely being managed using PRINCE2
• There are 7 principles, all of which must be applied for the project to be a true PRINCE2
project:
1. Continued business justification – ensure there is still a rationale for the project
continuing
2. Learn from experience – capture lessons so that mistakes can be shared with
colleagues to ensure they are not repeated
3. Defined roles and responsibilities – make people aware of what the expectations
are e.g. clear roles and responsibilities
4. Manage by stages – break the project up into bitesize pieces (stages). Towards the
end of each stage, we consider where we are at, what we have done, and where we
intend to go next, and we review the continued business justification
5. Manage by exception – following the 6 tolerances (cost, time, quality, scope,
benefits, and risk), spend time efficiently and effectively managing our project
6. Focus on products – focus on the individual definitions of each of the major products
that’ll be produced, enabling greater control and understanding of each product
7. Tailor to suit the project – how extensively will these PRINCE2isms be applied to the
projects?
