PRINCE2 methodology is based on seven principles, seven themes and seven processes. The principles are the core element of the methodology: if at least one of them is not implemented, the project is not carried out via PRINCE2.
The 7 Principles
•Continued Business Justification identifies whether the economic benefit of the project remains unchanged throughout the project’s life cycle.
•Learn from Experience implies that project teams should take lessons from previous projects into account.
•Define Roles and Responsibilities implies that project team must have a clear organizational structure and involve the right people to solve the tasks.
•Manage by Stages is required to get projects planned, monitored and controlled at each stage.
•Manage by Exception implies that the permissible deviation boundaries within the project should be clearly defined in order to establish the lines of responsibility.
•Focus on Products requires focusing on determination and achieving the project outcomes.
•Tailor to the Environment implies that project management processes and tools should be tailored to the requirements of the project environment, as well as to the scope of work, its complexity, importance, qualification requirements and risk level.
PRINCE2 ensures that every project has a business case and contributes value creation. Planning begins with a clear definition of the needs requested by the consumer, the real benefits and accurate cost estimates.
The 7 Themes
•Business Case: what value will the project bring to business?
•Organization: how to distribute roles and responsibilities among project team members in order to manage the project effectively?
•Quality: what are the requirements and criteria for quality and how to provide them?
•Plans: the steps required to develop the plan, and the PRINCE2 tools to use.
•Risk: how will the project management solve the problem of uncertain events in the project plan and in the external environment?
•Change: how will the project management evaluate and respond to the impact of unforeseen tasks and changes?
•Progress: feasibility of the project, the implementation of plans and further development of the project.
The 7 Processes
Finally, PRINCE2 involves the following seven project management processes:
• Starting Up a Project (SU)
• Directing a Project (DP)
• Initiating a Project (IP)
• Controlling a Stage (CS)
• Managing Product Delivery (MP)
• Managing Stage Boundaries (SB)
• Closing a Project (CP).
PRINCE2 allows standardizing project management procedures, improving coordination of activities, and helps understand how to plan a project and monitor its implementation, what should be done if a project plan is not executed. However, PRINCE2 methodology is not the best choice for small-scale projects or for projects with a greater of likelihood of changes in the scope of work and requirements for them.
PRINCE2 strengths are:
• Adaptability to the organizational features;
• Having a clear description of roles and responsibilities;
• Focus on project products;
• Certain management levels;
• Focus on economic feasibility;
• The sequence of project work;
• Focus on experience fixing and continuous improvement.
PRINCE2 weaknesses are lack or absence of industry practices and specific work tools.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE (PMI)
General provisions
This methodology represents Process-Based Project Management (PBPM) and is based on the methodology of the traditional, classical approach to project management. The most obvious way to make a project more manageable is to break its execution into consecutive stages. Traditional project management is based on this linear structure. All processes in the PMBooK manual are divided into the following groups (phases):
Initiating
At this stage, meetings and brainstorming sessions are often held to determine what the project product should be. In some ways, the most important part of the project is the beginning. This stage gives clear understanding whether the project is well developed and can be terminated within the deadlines set by the top management and within the budget, or it has no prospects and is doomed to failure from the very beginning. This part of the project is not a place for rash promises to win. It is rather a time for a rational and creative approach to formulate initial project requirements in order to avoid dead ends. One should remember that once the project goal is set, leadership would expect you to achieve it. Initiating consists of processes that facilitate the formal authorization of a new project start.
• Develop Project Charter
• Identity Stakeholders
Planning
Defines and clarifies goals and action plans required to achieve the objectives and content of the project. Planning is the definition of clear and precise tasks, and as a result of assignments that serve to achieve the ultimate goal. The goal may be a solution to a problem or the attainment of a state or condition different from the existing one. At this stage, the team decides how they will achieve the goal set at the previous stage. At this stage, the team clarifies and details the goals and project results, as well as the scope of work needed. This information is used to make a calendar plan and estimate the budget, assess the risks and identify the stakeholders. Project planning may require a significant investment of time, effort and resources, depending on its size. As practice shows that efforts and resources can be wasted if you do not plan properly for a specific project before deciding whether to implement it or not.
Project organization is a primary project management task. A project owner, a person or group authorizes to make decisions, should be defined, a project manager should be appointed and a project team should be formed, project managing and interacting procedure should be determined, and the relevant powers to the project manager and project team should be highlighted. Project management beyond the functional boundaries of the organization is one of the project manager’s tasks. He/she has to communicate, generate ideas, negotiate, solve problems and resolve conflicts outside the functional and sometimes geographical boundaries of the organization. Setting a task, justifying the need for a project and describing its capabilities
