To P2:09 or Not (or Which Exam do I take?)
With PRINCE2 being extensively used in over 150 countries around the world and over 20,000 organisations already benefiting from its pioneering and trusted approach, the method has proven itself as an internationally recognised ‘best-practice'. However, the recent launch of revised version of PRINCE2 2009 has left many people in a quandary over whether to undertake the training on the old (2005) or new version of the material, or what their status as a PRINCE2 Practitioner currently is.
Gavin Fittler, Lead Trainer Aravena Global Solutions, states that: "APMG has advised that all certifications previously obtained remain valid - ie. PRINCE2 practitioners who qualified prior to the introduction of the updated version still retain their accreditation."
He goes on to note "that although examinations on the revised method have been available from 6 July 2009 and they follow the same approaches to the existing exams (multi-choice and objective test), courses can be still delivered up until December 2009 using the ‘old' manual. Therefore, individuals will have to weigh up their options and make a personal choice, because like all ‘upgrades' there are advantages and disadvantages in being an early adopter.
Some of the disadvantages include:
- although APMG has developed some exams, is still yet to get sufficient feedback from a wide audience to validate the exam questions;
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the manual, although extensively quality reviewed, has a number of points that can be ‘interesting' in their interpretation and therefore many ATOs who may have rushed putting their training material together may not have captured these points;
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industry feedback from exams taken to date indicate that delegates have difficulty completing the exams in the allotted time (2 & half hours); and
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APMG has been under intense pressure to make the Practitioner exams harder to pass (thus reduce the pass rate), and the release of PRINCE2:09 enables this to be achieved."
It is this last point and noting that the ‘old' version of the manual (P2:05) has a high pass rate (over 90% worldwide) for those attempting the Practitioner exam that it may be worth attempting exams based on the ‘older' manual. However, as Gavin says "in the end it is all a matter of personal choice and weighing up your individual needs."
PRINCE2 Updated
On the 16th June 2009, a revised version of the ‘best practice' project management method PRINCE2 was release worldwide by Best Management Practice, comprising Office of Government Commerce (OGC), The Stationery Office, and APMG (The APM Group).
This revision reflects man-years of effort (commenced in Nov 06) by many authors and quality reviewers drawing upon real-life experiences in both public and private sector organisations to ensure that PRINCE2 reflects the evolution in project management since 2002. As far as the content is concerned, virtually nothing has changed; however, it is less bureaucratic in its approach (such as the removal of the focus on sub-processes) and the principles of the method have been brought to the fore - which makes it evident to all that PRINCE2 is about decisions and content, not about creation of documentation for its own sake or reciting inane headings to pass an exam.
PRINCE2 continues to remain a key contributor to the successful delivery of projects as it is a vital tool for any organisation wishing to secure efficient and effective operational outcomes. This updated guidance will help those running projects of any size and in any environment to effectively deliver what is required by appropriately managing the costs, timescales, quality, scope, risks, and benefits.
To coincide with the launch of the new manual, Aravena has been preparing itself to be ready to deliver courses against the new version of the method and will soon be positioned to do so. Gavin Fittler, Lead Trainer, states: "Aravena is known for is high quality courseware and success in educating practitioners in PRINCE2. We will be providing certified PRINCE2 2009 Foundation and Practitioner courses soon that continue our successful approach to training, combining all the facets of adult education in order to ensure delegates can implement it (PRINCE2) within their environment not just pass an exam."
2008 a Perfect Record
At the recent Australian 2009 Away Day for all Australian Accredited Training Organisations (ATO), Aravena Global Solutions was informed by APMG Australasia that it was only 1 of 5 ATOs in the region that achieved a 100% record for all delegates passing the PRINCE2® examinations.
Gavin Fittler, Lead Trainer for Aravena, was delighted with the result and indicated that this achievement comes from a combination of factors: "we believe these results reflect not only the enthusaisim of our instructors in imparting the PRINCE2 concepts, but also the focus of the course in which we aim to ensure that delegates understand the method rather than just focusing on passing the exams. For in understanding, the delegates can return back to their organisation and immediately be effective in managing (or involved) in their projects". He also further commented that Aravena has spent a lot of time and energy in putting together the student notes to support the lectures that many students found to be extremely comprehensive.
Aravena provides Microsoft Project Training to DFAT
Working in tandem with DFAT, Passports Operations Section, Aravena was asked to provide training for a number of staff on Microsoft Project. This training is seen as a logical extension to the Programme and Project Management focus of the company's PRINCE2 and MSP training and therefore we were able to provide focused training using Paul Harris (Eastwood Harris Pty Ltd) an acknowledged expert in project controls and author of a number of books on the topic.
Although a number of our clients express concern over using scheduling tools, Aravena spends considerable effort to de-mystify the complexities of scheduling. A project is essentially a set of unique operations or tasks to be completed in logical order to achieve a defined outcome by a definitive end time. A schedule is an attempt to model these tasks, their durations and their relationships to other tasks. These tasks take time to accomplish and may employ resources such as people, materials, equipment and money that may have a limited availability.
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