PRINCE2 is the UK Governments standard for Project Management. The methodology of PRINCE2 has also been adopted by the Australian Government and several European countries.
PRINCE2 stands for Projects IN Controlled Environments. It’s gone through revisions over the years and the latest largescale revision updated it to PRINCE2.
The methodology can be scaled to meet the demands of any size of project and is applicable to most industries, but it is best suited to large workplaces with complex, competing demands and stakeholders. This approach can provide a common vocabulary across projects.
Perhaps most crucially, being PRINCE2 certified is a pre-requisite for government jobs in Project Management.
What does the certification involve?
The certification process involves:
- PRINCE2 Foundation Exam: this focuses on theoretical training, planning and managing the delivery of projects. The exam is an hour long and involves 60 multiple choice questions
- PRINCE2 Practitioner Level Exam: This focuses on applying the methodology to deferent scenarios. You need to have passed the Foundation Exam to undertake the test for this one. The practitioner exam is two and a half hours long and involves 68 questions.
- PRINCE2 Agile: This is an optional extra which teaches you to integrate Agile practices into the PRINCE2 methodology.
To prepare for the exams you can pay for class room teaching, self-paced online courses or virtual class rooms.
How much does it cost?
Self-paced online course materials for PRINCE2 Foundation start from about £500 for 12 months access with the exam to be taken at the end.
Alternatively, many providers have package offers for Foundation and Practitioner level materials access which cost around £1500.
Virtual class room packages cost about £1300 for Foundation level and about £2500 for Foundation and Practitioner.
How long does it take?
PRINCE2 Foundation takes about two days to complete, with the exam. Whilst PRINCE2 Practitioner takes about three days to complete, according to QA.com.
Who is the accrediting body?
Prince2 certifications are accredited by AXELOS. AXELOS was set up by the UK Government and Capita and is now owned by PeopleCert.
Who provides the course materials and runs the exams?
Some providers that cropped up when researching this article are:
Disclaimer: I have not used any of these providers and cannot vouch for them. They are provided here as a list of resources rather than as a recommendation.