PRINCE2 Study Guide

David Hinde has prepared thousands of candidates for PRINCE2 certification, and has managed large-scale PRINCE2 projects for organizations including the BBC, Deloitte and Touche and the UK Government. As a PRINCE2 trainer and practitioner, he writes regularly about management topics and speaks at events for the Project Management Institute and the Best Practice User Group.

Contents Introduction xxv Assessment Test l Chapter 1: Overview of PRINCE2 1 Project Work 3 What Is a Project? 3 What Is Business as Usual? 5 What Is Project Management? 5 Measuring the Performance of a Project 7 Introducing PRINCE2 9 The Structure of PRINCE2 9 Other Parts of PRINCE2 12 What PRINCE2 Does Not Cover 16 Benefits of Using PRINCE2 16 PRINCE2 Principles 17 Continued Business Justification 17 Learn from Experience 18 Defined Roles and Responsibilities 18 Manage by Stages 19 Manage by Exception 19 Focus on Products 21 Tailor to Suit the Project 21 Tailoring PRINCE2 to Different Project Types and Environments 22 What Is Tailoring? 22 What Cannot Be Tailored? 22 Why Tailor PRINCE2? 23 What Can Be Tailored? 24 Simple Projects 25 Programme Environments 25 Commercial Customer and Supplier Environments 26 Agile Environments 26 An End-to-End Walk-Through of PRINCE2 28 Pre-Project Activities 30 Activities at the Beginning of the Project 33 Activities in the Middle of the Project 35 Activities at the End of the Project 38 Summary 40 Foundation Exam Essentials 41 Practitioner Exam Essentials 42 Review Questions 43 Foundation Exam Questions 43 Practitioner Exam Questions 45 Chapter 2 Starting a Project Successfully with PRINCE2 47 Beginning a PRINCE2 Project 49 The Starting Up a Project Process 50 Starting Up a Project Process Activities 52 Key Facts for Starting Up a Project 58 Tailoring the Starting Up a Project Process 59 The Directing a Project Process - Part I 60 Authorize Initiation 61 The Initiating a Project Process 62 Initiating a Project Activities 63 Key Facts for Initiating a Project 70 Tailoring the Initiating a Project Process 72 The Directing a Project Process - Part II 73 Authorize the Project 74 Authorize a Stage 74 Themes to Start a Project Successfully 74 Business Case Theme 75 Organization Theme 75 Quality Theme 76 Plans Theme 76 Risk Theme 77 Change Theme 77 Progress Theme 77 Using the PRINCE2 Principles to Start a Project Successfully 78 Summary 78 Foundation Exam Essentials 79 Practitioner Exam Essentials 80 Review Questions 84 Foundation Exam Questions 84 Practitioner Exam Questions 86 Chapter 3 Organization Theme 89 Common Project Organizational Challenges 91 The Three Project Interests 92 The Business Interest 93 The User Interest 93 The Supplier Interest 94 Achieving Consensus Between the Project Interests 94 The Four Levels of Management 94 Corporate, Programme Management, or the Customer 95 Directing 96 Managing 97 Delivering 98 The Project Management Team 98 The Project Board 98 Change Authority 103 The Project Manager 104 Project Support 104 Team Manager 105 Other Stakeholders 106 Communication Management Approach 107 Contents 107 The Life of the Communication Management Approach 110 Other Management Products Used by the Organization Theme 110 The Project Brief's Use in the Organization Theme 110 The Project Initiation Documentation's Use in the Organization Theme 110 Organization Theme Responsibilities 111 Tailoring the Organization Theme 111 Minimum Requirements 111 Scaling the Organization Theme 112 Commercial Customer/Supplier Environment 113 Projects Within Programmes 115 Projects Within an Organizational Environment 118 Agile Environments 118 Linking the Organization Theme with the PRINCE2 Principles 121 Summary 121 Foundation Exam Essentials 122 Practitioner Exam Objectives 124 Review Questions 125 Foundation Exam Questions 125 Practitioner Exam Questions 127 Chapter 4 Business Case Theme 131 What Is the Business Case Theme? 132 Outputs, Outcomes, and Benefits 133 Business Cases Where Money Isn't the Motivation 135 Using the Business Case Theme 135 Developing the Business Case 136 Maintaining the Business Case 137 Verifying the Business Case 137 Confir