- 294 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About This Book
Thinking about using PRINCE2 to manage your projects or preparing for PRINCE2 training? Need a rounded introduction to help you get to grips with the basics?
PRINCE2 For Beginners: from introduction to passing your Foundation exam is the perfect start. This readable end-to-end explanation is simple enough to introduce you to the basics, yet includes everything you need to know to get through the foundation exam. This new concise edition starts from a more accessible level than other detailed manuals or brief refreshers and will help ease you into the topic and put the method into a real-world context.
This new concise edition now includes more support for the Foundation exam, including a student guide to the exam itself, sample answers and explanations. Whether you are looking for a reliable introduction or a quick reference to prepare you for PRINCE2 training and study, PRINCE2 For Beginners will give you the grounding to take your knowledge and application to the next level.
Frequently asked questions
Chapter 1
Introduction
1.1 Typical Project Problems
- 1. The end product was not what we originally asked for.
- 2. The system and the project changed direction without our realizing it.
- 3. The costs escalated without our realizing it, but by then it was too late to stop.
- 4. We were told the system would be delivered late, but by this time, it was too late for us or the computer department to supply extra effort.
- 5. We were not kept informed during most of the development, and even now we do not really understand how to make the system work.
- 6. The programs are not reliable, hence maintenance costs are more than we expected.
- Unclear direction.
- Over-or under-worked staff.
- People and equipment not available when needed.
- Examples of rework or wasted effort.
- The final tasks were rushed.
- Poor quality work.
- Projects late and overspent.
- Small problems had a big impact.
- Lack of customer involvement.
- Lack of coordination.
- Lack of communication.
- Inadequate planning.
- Lack of progress control.
- Lack of quality control.
- Insufficient measurables.
- take more time than expected;
- cost more than expected;
- deliver a product that is not exactly what the customer wants;
- deliver a product of inadequate quality;
- not reveal their exact status until they finish (if they ever do!).
1.2 Benefits of a Project Management Method
- The method is repeatable and therefore teachable.
- It builds on experience.
- Everyone knows what to expect.
- If a project is handed over in the middle, it is useful to know what documents to look for and where to find them.
- There is early warning of problems.
- It is proactive, not reactive (but has to be prepared to be reactive to unexpected events ā illness, pregnancy, accident, external event).
Chapter 2
An Overview of PRINCE2
2.1 Introduction
- 1. Carry on with everyday ābusiness as usualā operations.
- 2. Change and upgrade those ābusiness as usualā operations to match the direction and strategies needed for the future.
- 1. controlled management of change by the business in terms of its investment and return on investment;
- 2. active involvement of the users of the final product throughout its development to ensure the business product will meet the functional, environmental, service and management requirements of the users;
- 3. more efficient control of development resources.
2.2 Project Characteristics
- 1. Change: We use projects to introduce change to a business.
- 2. Uncertainty: A project changes one or more things or develops something new. These are steps into the unknown, and introduce uncertainty in what will be ahead of us in the project.
- 3. Temporary: A project team comes together, does a job and is then disbanded.
- 4. Unique: In some major or minor ways each project is unique. It may be completely unlike anything we have done before, or we may have repeated the same job several times, but at a different location or with different people.
- 5. Cross-functional: A project needs different people with different skills; some to define what is required, others to develop the required products. These people may work for several different line managers, maybe even different companies. So managing these resources is a potential problem for the Project Manager.
2.3 Project Performance Variables
- 1. Cost.
- 2. Time.
- 3. Quality.
- 4. Scope.
- 5. Benefits.
- 6. Risk.
2.4 Key Principles
- 1. Continued business justification.
- 2. Learn from experience.
- 3. Defined roles and responsibilities.
- 4. Manage by stages.
- 5. Manage by exception.
- 6. Focus on products.
- 7. Tailor to suit the project environment.
2.4.1 Continued Business Justification
- Do not start a project unless there is a sound Business Case for it.
- Check that the project is still viable at regular intervals in the project.
- Stop the project if the justification has disappeared.
- The Business Case should be:
- ā¦documented and approved;
- ā¦the basis for all decision-making.
- Ensure the project remains aligned to its business objectives and the expected benefits.
2.4.2 Learn from Experience
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- 1. Introduction
- 2. An Overview of PRINCE2
- 3. Starting up a Project (SU)
- 4. Initiating a Project (IP)
- 5. Directing a Project (DP)
- 6. Controlling a Stage (CS)
- 7. Managing Product Delivery (MP)
- 8. Managing a Stage Boundary (SB)
- 9. Closing a Project (CP)
- 10. Business Case
- 11. Organization
- 12. Plans
- 13. Progress
- 14. Quality
- 15. Risk
- 16. Change
- 17. Tailoring PRINCE2 to the Project Environment
- Appendix A Product Descriptions
- Appendix B Project Management Team Roles
- Appendix C Product-based Planning
- Appendix D Quality Review
- Passing the PRINCE2 Foundation Exam
- How to Approach the Foundation Exam Paper
- Sample Foundation Exam Paper
- Sample Foundation Exam Paper Answer Sheet
- Sample Foundation Exam Paper Rationale
- Index