COURSE FORMAT

The first 3 days of this course lead to the Foundation exam. Following successful completion of that exam delegates will go on to prepare for the Practitioner exam with intense revision, exam technique advice and mock exam practice with the Practitioner exam taken on the last day.

The Foundation exam is a 1 hour, 75 question multiple choice exam, testing knowledge of the principles and terminology of PRINCE2. The Practitioner exam is a 3 hour, written exam, testing the practical application of the methodology.

PRE- REQUISITES

Any organisation or individual seeing the need for a controlled approach to managing its projects. The course is suitable for project managers, project support and assurance staff, and managers from any discipline. The PRINCE2 method is flexible and adaptable for any type and size of project, and offers an excellent management foundation for any member of staff.

PRE-READING

PLEASE NOTE: THAT THERE IS AT LEAST 20 HOURS OF PRE-READING TO UNDERTAKE BEFORE THIS COURSE STARTS AND ALSO DELEGATES WILL RECEIVE HOMEWORK EACH NIGHT. THIS COURSE ALSO STARTS AT THE EARLIER TIME OF 9AM AND ENDS AT 5.30PM.

COURSE CONTENT

INTRODUCTION

- Defining a project
- Identifying reasons for project failure
- Identifying how PRINCE2 can help avoid project failure

THE PROCESS MODEL

A general overview of all 8 processes and how they interface to provide management of the lifecycle of a project

THE 8 PROCESSES

- Starting Up A Project – pre-project preparation to give decision makers information to decide on viability of project
- Initiating A Project – setting up and planning the project in detail, developing the documentation for the Project Initiation Document
- Directing A Project – decision-making, authorisation and approval from the Project Board
- Controlling A Stage – day-to-day management and control of the project by the Project Manager
- Managing Product Delivery – creation and quality checking of products made by the supplier, work managed by the Team Manager
- Managing Stage Boundaries – preparation of plans for next stage activities and reporting on performance of current stage
- Closing A Project – bringing the project to a controlled close rather than drift into operational use

THE 8 COMPONENTS

- Business Case, developing a viable Business Case
- Organisation, defining the roles and responsibilities for the Project Management Team
- Plans, what levels of plan are used, what element should a plan contain, the importance of replanning
- Controls, describing the controls available in PRINCE2 and how they are used
- Management of risk, the steps involved in Risk Analysis and Risk Management
- Quality in a project environment, describing how the elements of quality management are applied in the PRINCE2 environment
- Configuration Management, the importance of identifying, tracking and protecting products
- Change Control, why its important to handle changes within project issue management

THE THREE TECHNIQUES

- Product-based Planning, describing the 3 steps involved; creating a Product Breakdown Structure, writing Product Descriptions and producing a Product Flow Diagram
- Quality Review, one possible way of quality checking products, especially suited to documentation
- Change Control Approach, steps to follow when managing project issues

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