1. What is a Project?

A project can define anything from the buying of a box of pencils, to the building and population of a city. Any set of tasks which are to be completed by a person or persons within a certain timeframe constitutes a project.

Assuming that you are interested in projects of a reasonable scale, a project may be:

• A local affair, affecting one section or department
• Implementation of a major investment decision
• Part of the organisation's strategy
• Part of a much larger programme, involving major organisational and/or operational change.

2. What is Project Management?

Project Management is all about keeping things organised so that goals are met, things are delivered on time and to budget. Everyone knows what they are supposed to be doing, how and by when. Without effective project management, projects can quickly lose focus.

Project management takes into account such things as timeframes, resources, and the risks involved in running a particular project. By planning and managing activities effectively, problem areas can be identified and avoided. Running a large project without the use of project management methods means that staff and resources are left in the dark, work is duplicated or not done on time - it quickly falls into disarray. You may have experienced this yourself. Experience has shown that, by using a project management methodology (a previously agreed way of approaching a project), everyone knows what to expect.

Successful projects are typically delivered by competent project teams, led by competent (and preferably experienced) project managers. Although the project manager's training, competence and experience is a necessary ingredient of success, without a competent and experienced team behind him or her, problems may still arise.

3. Why Have Methodologies?

There are many different ways to run a project. Each Project Manager may have his or her own preferred methods of organising resource, documentation and so forth. So what happens in a situation where projects are run between organisations or departments - each with their own team of project managers? Whose method is the best one to use? Is there really time to discuss the best way of running a project, when the project itself needs to be run?

4. What is a PRINCE2®?

PRINCE2® is the answer to the problem of having many differing methods of managing a project. PRINCE (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a structured method for effective project management. Originally developed by the UK Government, it is widely recognised and used in the private sector, both in the UK and internationally. It provides an easily modified and flexible method for the management of all types of projects - each process is defined with its key "inputs" and "outputs", together with the specific objectives and activities to be carried out within that process. Like many project management methods, PRINCE2® divides a project into manageable stages, which enables an efficient control of resources and regular progress monitoring throughout the project.

A PRINCE2® project focuses on the core aims, instead of focusing on the details at too early a stage. By helping project managers to see the bigger picture, with regular reviews in conjunction with the project's progress, the business objectives are ensured. This is important, as business objectives may well change during the life of the project. Through defining the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved in your project, and by standardising the use of necessary documentation and so on, it provides a common language for all participants in a project including:

• A controlled and organised start, middle and end
• Regular reviews of progress against your project plan
• Automatic management control of any deviations from your project plan
• The involvement of management and stakeholders at the right time and place during the project
• Good communication channels between the project team, project management, and the rest of the organisation

PRINCE2® also deals with the management of risk, quality, and how to control change on the project. Risk Management is about working out what could go wrong and planning what to do if it does. Quality Management is about checking the quality of work done on the project, either by testing it or reviewing the work in some way. There is generally potential for a great deal of change throughout the lifecycle of a project. People change their minds, or external or internal scenarios arise which impact upon the planned progress of the project. PRINCE2®'s techniques allow for the control of the ways in which changes affect the project.

The PRINCE2® method is internationally accepted as the leading "best practice" project management approach - PRINCE2® accreditation is now a pre-requisite for 80% of project management positions. Corporate organisations and businesses are rapidly seeing the benefits of running projects within the PRINCE2® framework, and organisations that are embracing PRINCE2® include market leaders from the manufacturing, financial, logistics, food, pharmaceutical, engineering, and construction sectors.

5. Is PRINCE2® In The Public Domain?

It depends. It depends on what you think 'public domain' means. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law © 1996, public domain is:

"The realm or status of property rights that belong to the community at large, are unprotected by copyright or patent, and are subject to appropriation by anyone".

PRINCE2® is protected by copyright. By definition, therefore, PRINCE2® is NOT in the public domain.

It is true that the PRINCE2® books and CDs are available for purchase from TSO (OGC's publisher), APM Group and all good book shops. And it is true that any organisation, in its drive to improve its Project Management processes and practices, can use the approach described in the PRINCE2® publications. It is also true that certain Project Management self-assessments can be accessed and used/reused free of charge within OGC's Successful Delivery Toolkit - www.ogc.gov.uk/sdtoolkit under the specific terms of the Toolkit's embedded shrink-wrap licence.

However, it is NOT true that the contents of these PRINCE2® publications can be appropriated by anyone and everyone for reuse, reproduction or republication without the express permission of OGC. Why? Because OGC owns PRINCE2®, and the PRINCE2® publications are Crown Copyright and are a 'Crown Copyright Value Added product'. The publications are therefore protected by copyright law.

If you have a desire to reuse, reproduce or republish any part of any PRINCE2® publication, you can apply for a Value Added Licence to Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO), Licensing Division, St Clements House, 2-16 Colegate, Norwich, NR3 1BQ, UK, or complete the application form on the Office of Public Sector Information website - www.opsi.gov.uk, in consultation with OGC, will prepare a licence based on standard terms tailored to your particular requirements including payment terms.

PRINCE® is a registered trade mark of OGC.

6. How Does ITIL® Interface with PRINCE2® Standards?

Both PRINCE2® and ITIL® have been developed by the OGC, they are compatible and are used successfully by numerous organisations, however some organisations discover a gap between their service and project management. By seamlessly integrating your PRINCE2® and ITIL® functions you can effectively manage the notoriously difficult task of bringing new IT services into the 'live' environment, improve operational efficiency and deliver tangible benefits that can be measured against your bottom line.

To learn more see our white paper: Implementing ITIL® in a PRINCE2® framework

7. Should I take PRINCE2® (2005) now or should wait for PRINCE2® (2009) to be released?

There are no major differences between the 2005 and 2009 versions of PRINCE2® – the methodology has been refreshed and not re-written so we would recommend that you do not delay your training or exams until the 2009 version has been released.

8. When will PRINCE2®: 2009 examinations be available from?

There is no confirmed date for when the examinations will be available from.

9. Will PRINCE2® be renamed PRINCE3?

PRINCE2® will not be renamed as PRINCE3, as per previous updates it will remain as PRINCE2® and will just be based on the 2009 version and not the 2005.

10. Should I take my Re-Registration exam now or wait for the 2009 version?

You will need to take the re-registration exam within 5 years of your certification date as shown on your certificate. There is no reason to delay taking this exam until PRINCE2®:2009 is released and we suggest that you do not plan when you want to sit the exam around the release of 2009, however it should be noted that when the 2009 exams are released the re-registration exams will be based on this version and not previous versions.

11. Will I have to take the Re-Registration exam again once PRINCE2: 2009 is released?

No - all certificates are valid for the registration period shown on them and exams do not have to be retaken outside of the normal re-registration cycle due to the launch of 2009.

12. Will my Foundation / Practitioner qualification still be valid upon PRINCE2:2009 being released?

Yes - all certificates are valid for the registration period shown on them.

13. Will I still be able to take PRINCE2®(2005) exams after the PRINCE2®:2009 exams start?

There will be a cut over period for exams - for a minimum of 3 months after the launch of PRINCE2: 2009 where exams will be issued on either the 2005 or 2009 version of the manual.

After this exams will be based on 2009 manual only - dates during which either examination version can be taken will be confirmed when the launch date is finalized, as will the date for the withdrawal of PRINCE2:2005 examinations.

14. Will I be able to update my existing qualifications to PRINCE2®:2009?

It is expected that ATOs will run bridging courses to explain the differences between 2005 and 2009 though this is not an obligation for them. If a candidate wanted to re-take the exams on the 2009 version then they can if they wish to but they will have to re-sit the exam based on the new manual.

15. When will PRINCE2® (2005) exams be retired?

There will be a cut over period for exams – for a minimum of 3 months after the launch of 2009 where exams will be issued on either the 2005 or 2009 version of the manual. After this exams will be based on 2009 manual only – the date of the withdrawal of 2005 exams will be confirmed when the launch date is finalized.

16. What are the titles of the forthcoming exams?

The titles will remain the same: Foundation, Practitioner and Re-registration based on the managing manual.

17. When will the PRINCE2®:2009 syllabus be released?

There is no confirmed date for when the syllabus will be released.

18. What is the difference between PRINCE2® (2005) and PRINCE2®:2009?

19. Will my investment in PRINCE2® (2005) publications and training be lost?

APMG do not expect that any investment in training on previous PRINCE2® versions will be lost as it is still a valid and productive methodology for the management of projects. The refresh of the manual is exactly that, a refresh to update and make minor improvements to the methodology and not to re-write it so there is no danger of PRINCE2®:2005 being considered outdated or invalid.

Users of the 2005 version are under no obligation to update to the 2009 version, though of course may do so if they wish to, and so if the system is working well for an individual or organization at the moment they are under no pressure to change this. The only time a candidate will be required to learn about P2:2009 is if they wish to take the Re-Registration exam after the launch of the new manual.