PRINCE Project Management

PRINCE (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a formal project management methodology, first established in 1989 by CCTA (now the Office of Government Commerce - OGC) and based on the combined experience of many project managers who have contributed to the methodology over the years.

Now in its second release (hence PRINCE2), it is a de facto standard used extensively by the UK government and is now widely recognised in the private sector both locally and internationally.

Hopefully you shouldn't need convincing as to why project management is important in e-Business however, you may not be convinced by the merits of PRINCE. The following should go some way towards explaining why PRINCE should be your methodology of choice.

Why use PRINCE?
While it's true that applying almost any formal methodology correctly should increase the chances of completing a project successfully, there are a number of reasons why applying PRINCE has distinct advantages. PRINCE:

• embodies established and proven best practice in project management;
• is not a proprietary method and is therefore widely supported by a range of tools, training and other services;
• emphasises the importance of the business case throughout the project lifecycle;
• provides projects with a controlled and organised start, middle and end using clearly defined processes.

Isn't PRINCE just for very large I.T. projects?
Although originally developed for the needs of large public sector I.T. projects, the PRINCE processes, components, techniques and products are highly scaleable and can be adapted to suit the needs of virtually any size project in any environment.

What's the difference between PRINCE2 and the PMBOK?
While there is a high level of compatibility between PRINCE2 and the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), they differ in their approaches. PRINCE2’s main objective is to provide a structured approach to starting up, running and closing down a project using a number of clearly defined processes supported by a number of techniques and components. The PMBOK on the other hand pays particular attention to the various soft skills required in project management such as time, cost, human resource and procurement management. Ultimately, projects can benefit most by combining the strengths of PRINCE2 and the PMBOK.

For more information on PRINCE project management, visit the resource links listed above right.

PRINCE2 and the PRINCE2 logo are trademarks of the Office of Government Commerce.

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