How is Programme Management different form Project Management?
Whilst Project Management is about controlling a project, Programme Management is concerned with controlling a group of related projects. (If the projects are not related then this becomes portfolio management)
When a project is to large to manage as a single entity it needs to be split up into smaller more manageable projects, often with multiple project managers.
These smaller projects should all be designed to achieve a single long-term objective or benefit for the organisation. It is the Programme Managers role to make sure all projects run on target and achieve their objectives. Silicon Beach Training offer MSP training (Managing Successful Programmes) and Prince2 training courses.
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Posted by Heather Buckley in MSP Training on January 18th, 2010 | No Comments »
Silicon Beach Training are one of the UK’s leading providers of PRINCE2 Training.
Now you can test your knowledge of PRINCE2 with our interactive PRINCE2 Quiz!
Split in to 11 bite-sized parts, this quiz tests your understanding of PRINCE2 2009 Themes and Processes.
To start or continue the quiz, click one of the links below:
PRINCE2 Quiz Part 1: PRINCE2 Principles
PRINCE2 Quiz Part 2: Business Case Theme
PRINCE2 Quiz Part 3: Organisation Theme
PRINCE2 Quiz Part 4: Quality Theme
PRINCE2 Quiz Part 5: Plans Theme
PRINCE2 Quiz Part 6: Risk Theme
PRINCE2 Quiz Part 7: Change Theme
PRINCE2 Quiz Part 8: Progress Theme
PRINCE2 Quiz Part 9: Starting up and Initiating a Project
PRINCE2 Quiz Part 10: Directing a Project , Controlling a Stage and Managing Product Delivery
PRINCE2 Quiz Part 11: Managing a Stage Boundary and Closing a Project
For comprehensive instructor-led PRINCE2 training, examination and certification, delegates should attend one of our public PRINCE2 Foundation training or PRINCE2 Practitioner training courses.
This PRINCE2 quiz is written by Silicon Beach Training and d0es not represent real PRINCE2 exam content. Official PRINCE2 exams are issued by APMG.
PRINCE2® is a Registered Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce in the United Kingdom and other countries.
The PRINCE2 Cityscape logo™ is a Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce in the United Kingdom and other countries.
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Posted by Colin Welch in PRINCE2® on November 30th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a structured method for effective project management. It is a de facto standard used extensively by the UK Government and is widely recognised and used in the private sector, both in the UK and internationally. PRINCE2, the method, is in the public domain, offering non-proprietorial best-practice guidance on project management. PRINCE2 is a registered trademark of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC).
We provide instructor-led training courses for the PRINCE2 Foundation and PRINCE2 Practitioner qualifications
What makes projects different?
A project is a temporary organisation that is created for the purpose of delivering one or more business products according to an agreed Business Case.
There are a number of characteristics of project work that distinguish it from business as usual:
- Change
- Temporary
- Cross-functional
- Unique
- Uncertainty
There are six variables that project managers wish to control and manage effectively:
- Costs
- Timescales
- Quality
- Scope
- Risk
- Benefits
The key features of PRINCE2 are…
- Its focus on the existence of a justified business case
- A clear defined organisation structure for the project management team
- A product-based planning approach
- Its emphasis on manageable, controllable stages
- Scalability and flexibility to be applied at a level appropriate to the project.
Benefits of using PRINCE2
The benefits of using the PRINCE2 methodology are:
- PRINCE2 embodies established and proven best practice and governance for project management.
- It can be applied to any type of project – and can easily be implemented alongside specialist, industry-specific models (’engineering models’ or ’development lifecycles’).
- PRINCE2 is widely recognized and understood, and therefore provides a common vocabulary for all project participants – promoting effective communication.
- PRINCE2 provides for the explicit recognition of project responsibilities – so that participants understand each other’s roles and needs.
- Its product focus clarifies (for all parties) what a project will deliver, why, when, by whom and for whom.
- PRINCE2 plans are carefully designed to meet the needs of the different levels in the management team, improving communication and control.
- It is based on a ’management by exception’ framework, providing for the efficient and economic use of management time (whether at corporate, programme, Project Board or project management levels).
- PRINCE2 ensures that participants focus on the viability of the project in relation to its Business Case objectives – rather than simply seeing the completion of the project as an end in itself.
- It defines a thorough but economical structure of reports.
- It ensures that stakeholders (including sponsors and resource providers) are properly represented in planning and decision making.
- Adopting PRINCE2 promotes learning and continual improvement in organizations.
- PRINCE2 promotes consistency of project work and the ability to reuse project assets; it also facilitates staff mobility and reduces the impact of personnel changes/handovers.
- PRINCE2 is an invaluable diagnostic tool, facilitating the assurance and assessment of project work, troubleshooting and audits.
- There are scores of accredited training and consultancy organizations (ATOs and ACOs) operating worldwide, who can supply expert support for PRINCE2 projects or for organizations planning to adopt PRINCE2.
For senior management, PRINCE2 uses ‘management by exception’. The Project Board are kept fully informed of the project and stage status without having to attend regular, time-consuming meetings by way of planned controls, regular reports and exception situations which are brought to the Boards attention at appropriate points.
They are also able to delegate some duties to Project Assurance who will act on their behalf to verify and check at predetermined points in the project.
PRINCE2 may be used for any type of project in any type of environment; however it remains flexible enough to be applied to all sizes of projects and can be tailored to suit a project dependent on the circumstances.
PRINCE2 projects are focussed on delivering specified products to an agreed Business Case.
The Business Case is a key document which is reviewed constantly throughout the project and progress is measured against expected and achieved benefits.
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Posted by Alistair Wylie in PRINCE2® on September 18th, 2007 | 2 Comments »
YES! The two methods are complementary.
PRINCE2 covers the process for creating products and ITIL covers the lifespan of a product after it has been created.
See the following PRINCE2 and ITIL training course outlines:
PRINCE2 Practitioner Training
PRINCE2 Foundation Training
ITIL V3 Service Management Foundation training
For further advice about how PRINCE2 and ITIL work together, feel free to call us on 01273 622272 or e-mail info@siliconbeachtraining.co.uk
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Posted by Alistair Wylie in PRINCE2® on December 5th, 2008 | No Comments »
All of our public PRINCE2 Courses are delivered using the new PRINCE2 2009 manual. If you’re moving from using PRINCE2 2005 to PRINCE2 2009, you’ll need to know what’s changed, so we’ve summarised the main differences below:
There are a number of changes from the PRINCE2 2005 edition manual to the new 2009 edition. These are as follows:
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Posted by Alistair Wylie in PRINCE2® on February 12th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
