PRINCE2 is being refreshed as part of its lifecycle. Its name is not changing, but there will be enhancements to the method. The refresh is being led by the UK’s Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and involves OGC’s two main partners for its Best Practice portfolio: TSO, the official publisher and the APM Group, the official accreditor.

The OGC began a consultation exercise in November 2006 with six month period of consultations. This involved 170 organizations/individuals across all different sectors and the Public Consultation Report was issued on the 27th of June 2007.

The PRINCE2 Reference Group met on the 11th of July 2007 to agree the OGC Mandate for the 2009 refresh. The main desired outcomes for the refresh were agreed as:

• Reflect evolution in project management since 2002
• To be considered more accessible / less bureaucratic
• An enhanced qualifications scheme

Analysis of the feedback from the consultation exercise showed a general consensus for change, with the following items to be included in the updated version:

• Reduce the size of the manual and improve the style of language (more guidance – less instruction)
• Make it more accessible (for example by embracing new media)
• Integrate with other OGC products
• Show linkage to other methods and bodies of knowledge
• Provide more guidance on tailoring (particularly for smaller projects)
• Include (or reference) the soft aspects of project management (e.g. people management, change management, ‘fuzzy’ initiation)

Since February the PRINCE2 drafts underwent the first round review and received positive feedback. However, as a result of the first round review, the Project Board took the decision to reduce the publications from three to two – Directing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 and Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2.

Alongside the release of the new manual, APMG will be releasing updated “PRINCE2 Foundation” and “PRINCE2 Practitioner” qualifications. To manage this process, the APMG kicked off an internal project to ensure that the exams are aligned and updated with any updates and improvements within the updated PRINCE2 Manual. They appointed a project manager to help ensure that when the updated PRINCE2 manual is launched, not only are the current exams still available for anyone who wishes to take their examination based on the 2005 Manual, but also for those who purchase the updated Manual on or after the launch date.

Datrix Training Courses

We have responded to feedback we have received for the last two years by completely revolutionising the way in which we deliver our PRINCE2 training. The major comments were:

• Too short, or too much to cover in too short a period of time
• Too intensive
• Too much PowerPoint
• Not enough exercises
• Not enough emphasis on how to actually perform the tasks required
• Too much emphasis on passing the examinations

The balancing act we must perform does not lose sight of the fact that a large number of delegates attend the course to try and gain the qualification. To achieve all the desired outcomes, we have moved a significant portion of the theory into pre-course work, used the available time for exercises and improved the delivery method.

This approach will benefit all of us. The delegates will benefit from the practical aspects of the learning transfer, with the vast amount of information becoming easier to assimilate. The client will benefit from having staff more capable of doing the job, rather than being able to regurgitate the theory. The trainer will benefit from getting more involved with the delegates and showing them how to get the job done, as opposed to a stand and deliver approach.

Examinations

The overall intention of the examination refresh is to set a standard for PRINCE2 such that the Practitioner qualification can be justifiably seen as valued and worthwhile. The changes to the examinations have been scheduled to coincide with the changes to the manual in order to minimise the disruption to the project management community.

Foundation
The Foundation examination has had to undergo some significant changes, mainly in the style and format of the questions. The syllabus has been designed to match recognised standards in education.

The examination format will be:

** including 5 trial questions

Whilst the candidates will see very little difference in the examination format, the questions will be worded somewhat differently and there are now standards in place that the examination board must adhere to. In addition, each paper will contain 5 trial questions that will not count towards the candidates’ score. The purpose is to test questions before they are used “in anger” and will allow greater development of the database of questions.

In each paper, there will be 70 live questions and 5 trial questions, so the pass mark of 50% gives a pass mark of 35

Practitioner
The Practitioner examination was switched to the Objective Test format some 18 months ago and this format is to be used for the 2009 examination with effect from the 6th of July. All current examination papers will undergo a quality check to ensure conformance to the new syllabus for 2009.

The marking scheme has been simplified and the number of questions reduced. Standards are now in place for the maximum number of certain styles of questions and the time allowed for the exam has also been reduced accordingly.

There has been a lot of discussion in the user and training communities regarding pass rates and the pass mark. A workshop has been scheduled for the 5th an 6th of May, at which the pass mark will be determined by consensus amongst the attendees. Once set, the same pass mark will be applied to the existing 2005 exams with effect from the same date – the 6th of July.

A data gathering exercise will begin with the launch of the new examination format until the end of the year and will report to the APMG and its stakeholders. Any fine tuning of the pass mark and the subsequent effect on pass rates will take place after this report.

The intention is to set a standard, the minimum requirements to be granted the qualification at each level. This is the guide to the standards expected:

High Level Performance Definition of a Successful Foundation and Practitioner Candidate

Foundation
This level is aiming to measure whether a candidate could act as an informed member of a project management team on a project using the PRINCE2 method, within an environment supporting PRINCE2.To this end they need to show they understand the principles and terminology of the method. Specifically:-

• Understand the purpose and responsibilities of all roles
• Understand the seven principles, the seven themes, the seven processes, and the Product-based Planning and Quality Review techniques.
• Understand which management products are input to, output from, and updated in the seven processes.
• Understand the purpose of all management products and the composition of the Business Case, Product Descriptions, Issue Report and the Issue, Risk and Quality Registers.
• Understand the relationship between principles, processes, themes, deliverables and roles within a PRINCE2 project.

Practitioner
This level is aiming to measure whether a candidate could apply PRINCE2 to the running and managing of a non-complex project within an environment supporting PRINCE2. To this end they need to exhibit the competence required for the Foundation qualification, and show that they can apply and tailor PRINCE2 to address the needs and problems of a given project scenario.
Specifically:-

• Know or comment on detailed explanations of all processes, themes and techniques, and worked examples of all PRINCE2 management products as they might be applied to address the particular circumstances of a given project scenario.
• Demonstrate that they understand the relationships between processes, themes, techniques and PRINCE2 management products and can apply this understanding.
• Demonstrate that they understand the reasons behind the processes, themes and techniques of PRINCE2.
• Demonstrate their ability to the tailor PRINCE2 to different project environments.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the new version going to be launched?

The official launch of the manual is the 16th of June and courses will be scheduled from the 6th of July

Are Datrix planning to change their training courses?

We are currently working on our new courseware and plan to go live with effect from the 6th of July.

Is this just a re-hash of the old courseware?

Absolutely not! We have followed the example of the OGC and looked at all of the comments we have received from delegates and clients over the last 2 years and have completely re-designed the way in which PRINCE2 training will be delivered. Contact your Account Manager for further details.

Will I need an upgrade course?

No. The APMG have no plans to introduce an upgrade course, as they did with ITIL v2 to v3, because there are not enough significant changes to the method to warrant this.

What are Datrix going to do for candidates who have taken the courses recently?

Roadshows are being planned to advise clients and delegates alike of the major changes and the impact these will have. In addition, it is planned to offer a short training event for Practitioners to go into the detail of the changes and allow opportunity for attendees to discuss the impact with one of our accredited PRINCE2 consultants.

What if I take the 2005 exam before the 6th of July and fail?

We can book exam-only for the 2005 exam until the end of the year, and we are happy to facilitate both exams at the same time. You will have to start your exam half-an-hour before the 2009 candidates.

What if I book/ have booked a 2005 Foundation with the intention of attending a Conversion later?

You must attend the Conversion before the 6th of July, or delay the Foundation until this date. We cannot mix the two versions during the same course.

What if the rest of my organisation uses the 2005 version and we need to train more people?

All public courses will be the 2009 version after the 6th of July. However, we can organise closed courses for the 2005 version at least until the end of the year, and possibly beyond if you speak to your Account Manager

Eddie Borup is the project manager for the APMG and has answered the following Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Will my existing qualifications still count?

A: EB says – yes! Just as in previous updates – PRINCE2 is still PRINCE2. Those who take the exam the week before the release will have the same qualification as those that take it the week after it is published.

Q: Should I wait for the updated release of the manual before I take my exam?

A: EB says – Absolutely not! The principles of PRINCE2 won’t be changing, and your need to understand PRINCE2 or use it on existing projects will mean that you should have training or consultancy in real time. It is proposed to provide a simple document for people and organisations that will outline the key changes/updates and for most people this will be enough to brief them on the updates.

Q: What about other languages?

A: EB says – we will ensure that whatever languages the exams are available in now, will also be available when the updated version of the PRINCE2 Manual publishes.