PRINCE2 - The Method

Before we go into the specifics of PRINCE2, there are some general points about the subject of project management, which should help put everything into context...

Why project management is important

Whenever we decide we want to do something, go somewhere, build something, achieve something, we need to know the answer to some questions. What are we trying to do? When will we start? What do we need? Can we do it alone, or do we need help? How long will it take? How much will it cost? These are typical questions asked at the start of any project and the answers are the building blocks of project management - defining what we want to do and working out the best way we can do it.

Structured project management means managing the project in a logical, organised way, following defined steps. A structured project management method is the written description of this logical, organised approach. PRINCE2 is a structured project management method.

We have briefly covered what structured project management, and hence PRINCE2, are all about. Now for some more details about the PRINCE2 method.

Coverage of PRINCE2

PRINCE2 says that a project should have:

• An organised and controlled start, ie organise and plan things properly before leaping in.
• An organised and controlled middle, ie when the project has started, make sure it continues to be organised and controlled.
• An organised and controlled end, ie when you've got what you want and the project has finished, tidy up the loose ends.

In order to describe what a project should do when, PRINCE2 has a series of processes which cover all the activities needed on a project from starting up to closing down.

Organising and controlling a project means that we need to have someone responsible for doing the organising and controlling - this person is called the Project Manager. The Project Manager will select people to do the work on the project and will be responsible for making sure the work is done properly and on-time. The Project Manager draws up the Project Plans that describe what the project team will actually be doing and when they expect to finish.

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