By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Start Your Business Magazine
  • Topics

    Grow, expand and leverage your business..

    Grow your start up business with our experts and industry insiders…

    Get Started

    Quick Links

    • Finance
    • Marketing
    • Technology
    • Business Books
    • Wellness
    • Interviews
    • Franchise

    Our Newsletters

    Our website stores cookies on your computer. They allow us to remember you and help personalise your experience with our site..

    Read our privacy policy for more information.
  • Trending
    TrendingShow More
    Communicate Better
    Start Your Business Start Your Business
    Majority of UK Employees Looking for a New Job
    Start Your Business Start Your Business
  • How To
    How ToShow More
    5 Traps To Avoid When Starting A Clothing Brand
    Start Your Business Start Your Business
    How To Start A Maintenance Business In 8 Easy Steps
    Start Your Business Start Your Business
    Tips for Running a Restaurant in the Most Efficient Way Possible
    Start Your Business Start Your Business
    Becoming self employed…
    Start Your Business Start Your Business
    Vet Start up
    Start Your Business Start Your Business
  • Agenda
    AgendaShow More
    Unleash Your Entrepreneurial Spirit: Unveiling the Secrets to Creating a Profitable Business
    Start Your Business Start Your Business
    Unlocking Business Potential: 10 Game-Changing Reasons To Embrace Outsourcing
    Start Your Business Start Your Business
    Running A Private Allotment – A Simple Guide
    Start Your Business Start Your Business
    5 Business Tips For Opening A New Office
    Start Your Business Start Your Business
    How Design And Decor Can Boost Your Customer Experience 
    Start Your Business Start Your Business
Reading: Project Management
Connect
Start Your Business MagazineStart Your Business Magazine
Aa
  • Contact
  • Blog
Search
  • Agenda
  • Blog
  • Finance
  • Growing
  • Marketing
  • Opportunity
  • Starting Up
  • Technology
  • Wellbeing
  • Contact
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • RSS
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Licensing
Copyright © 2014-2023 Ruby Theme Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Project Management

Start Your Business
Growing
Share
6 Min Read

An Employer’s Guide to PRINCE2 Certification

How would you hire a project manager? How would you word the job description and what would you look for when filtering CVs? For a business looking to recruit its first project manager, the answers are not obvious. It’s particularly challenging for a small or medium-sized business with little experience of project management techniques.

Contents
An Employer’s Guide to PRINCE2 CertificationWhat is PRINCE2?Principles and themesWhat is the value of a PRINCE certification? What about compliance?What’s involved in certification?

A related question: your business analyst has asked about promotion into a project management role. They would like you to recommend a formal training course and fund it. What course should you suggest? Should you pay for the training (and their time away from work) in order to build their skills? Might you be shooting yourself in the foot by improving their CV?

Both questions require you to think about the types of projects your business undertakes. However, as a start point, it’s worth considering a respected project management methodology such as PRINCE2. It’s an excellent choice when filtering CVs as well as for mentoring an existing employee into a project manager role.

Here we look at what’s involved in PRINCE2 training and certification and why it’s a good choice. Spoiler alert: the answer to that second question should be yes (depending on the person). A trained project manager is an asset to the business, a return on investment.

What is PRINCE2?

PRINCE2 is a project management methodology, a coordinated set of processes and principles used to manage a project. The methodology was initially developed as a means of controlling large and complex projects that frequently overran or exceeded their budget. 

Its success in defence and infrastructure projects led to widespread use across other industries. This required PRINCE2 to be scalable; to bring the benefits of method and structure to smaller projects. The PRINCE2 2017 update focuses on its road-tested principles and themes, but with practical guidance on applying them in real-life projects and tailoring them to the organisation’s needs.

Principles and themes

PRINCE2 defines 7 principles of project management:

  1. Continued business justification: the project must be desirable considering the costs, benefits and risks. It must be viable and it must be achievable. 
  2. Learn from experience: the methodology encourages the project manager and the team to learn lessons during the project, from both successes and mistakes.
  3. Defined roles and responsibilities: every person involved in the project must understand how they fit in.
  4. Manage by stages: the project must be broken down into at least two stages, with a go/no go before commencing the next stage.
  5. Manage by exception: senior managers retain high-level control but only need to become involved if the project breaks a tolerance, for example, time or cost. 
  6. Focus on products: identifying the products to be delivered reduces the risk of scope creep (functionality added during the project without change control) and improves client satisfaction.
  7. Tailor to suit the project: the methodology supports the project manager in applying common sense to the project while retaining the PRINCE2 approach. Projects can be tailored based upon aspects such as their geography, culture and complexity.

What is the value of a PRINCE certification? 

PRINCE2 is a formal methodology based upon structure and control. It was developed in order to achieve goals and create deliverables systematically. Organisations and project managers need confidence in delivering the correct scope and quality, on time and in budget. The sheer number and variation of successful PRINCE2 projects gives them this confidence.

PRINCE2 is an internationally recognised qualification. PRINCE2 practitioner certification identifies a project management professional; someone who is qualified to work on projects worldwide in a variety of industries.

PRINCE2 qualifications can count towards your PMP certification while also having value of their own, making them rare amongst professional certifications.

It’s a safe bet when recruiting for a permanent or contract project manager or project support person. 

What about compliance?

In today’s highly regulated industries it’s not just about delivering a project on time. Very often, the organisation must also adhere to regulatory or compliance standards such as GDPR, ISO and SOX. 

PRINCE2 is strong in processes, roles and responsibilities. It fits neatly alongside an organisation’s quality management system (QMS) and supports both internal and external audits. 

What’s involved in certification?

There are two levels of training and certification: PRINCE2 Foundation and PRINCE2 Practitioner.

PRINCE2 Foundation is an entry-level course. It gives delegates a good grounding in the methodology and frameworks. It is suitable for both a potential project manager as well as project support staff. Passing the certification will allow a delegate to work as part of a project management team.

PRINCE2 Practitioner is an advanced level course, it requires passing the Foundation level. It is suitable for a project manager looking to extend their awareness and understanding of PRINCE2, ready to manage real-world projects. 

For delegates looking to fast-track their training, a combined Foundation and Practitioner course is also available.

Hiring a project manager needs to start with methodology. A CV that highlights PRINCE2 certification is a great start. Even better is a list of projects delivered using the PRINCE2 methodology.

TAGGED: header

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Start Your Business December 23, 2019
Share this Article
Twitter LinkedIn Reddit Email Copy Link
  • RSS
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Licensing

Get the latest from us delivered straight to your inbox

Start Your Business Magazine: The Ultimate Business Start Up Guide provides information advice and guidance for entrepreneurs and new business start ups. Get the latest from us delivered directly to your inbox.

Our website stores cookies on your computer. They allow us to remember you and help personalize your experience with our site..

Read our privacy policy for more information.

Copyright 2023 Gambit Interactive Media Limited – All Rights Reserved.

Manage Cookie Consent
We use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Cookies are used for ads personalisation We do this to improve browsing experience as well as show personalized ads. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Join Us!

Sign up to our free newsletter and never miss a hot topic!

Zero spam, Unsubscribe at any time.
Go to mobile version
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?