One of the fastest-growing job sectors is project management-oriented employment (PMOE). Project managers are needed in an increasing number of businesses, and the need is especially strong in countries experiencing economic expansion. The good news is that several training and development possibilities exist for people wishing to enter the sector. However, the rate at which fresh talent enters the field is insufficient to meet the rising demand.

What exactly is a Project Manager?

In its most basic form, the Project Manager function is just someone who is in charge of administering a project on a day-to-day basis. However, project management is a massive and diversified career, which adds to its attraction. It’s what makes it such a thrilling and interesting employment option. No two days are the same, and no two roles are similar. Project managers are needed in almost every area, from manufacturing to technology, construction to finance, medicine to retail, telecoms, and more.

The project manager’s responsibility is to plan, organize, and supervise the project’s path from start to finish. They manage people, teams, and resources while also communicating with stakeholders and top management. Any project manager’s goal is to complete their project on schedule, within budget, and within scope.

Is a degree required to become a Project Manager?

Those just beginning out in the profession may believe that a degree is required to become a project manager. That, however, is not the case! While some occupations need a university degree in a certain discipline, many roles value a candidate’s general skill.

To be considered for a project management role, you must have soft skills such as critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and flexibility, as well as an understanding of the business environment in which you will be working. Employers will, of course, search for technical knowledge and hard skills, albeit this does not always take the shape of a degree. PRINCE2 certificates, for example, are worldwide recognized as best practices for project management. It is a high level of capability and is seen as a necessary qualification for individuals wishing to advance in their project management careers.

It couldn’t be easier to get started with PRINCE2. The PRINCE2 foundation coursePRINCE2 Foundation course improves the candidate’s understanding of best practices from the bottom up. There are no prerequisites for the course, and while experience in the project management field is desirable, it is not required.

The path to becoming a Successful Project Manager

As a project manager, you might work for a small business or a large multinational. You might go on to work as a freelancer or as a project management consultant. In addition to being a flexible route with transferable abilities that allow you to move freely between sectors, the project management job path provides tremendous prospects for advancement.

After completing the foundation-level course, you may choose to take the PRINCE2 Practitioner training course. This certificate will provide you with the basic skills required to be a successful project manager. The practitioner training focuses on being skilled at customizing relevant components of the PRINCE2 framework to whatever project you are managing.

You may become a successful project manager with hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm. Our courses are meant to be as user-friendly as possible. They are accessible in virtual and e-learning forms for people who choose to study from home, as well as in a classroom setting for those who like to learn in a more conventional setting.

Enroll today and begin your road to becoming a PRINCE2 Project Manager.

Agile principles, which were once largely used in the computer industry, are now being adopted by a wide range of businesses. It is a massive worldwide movement. The desire to become more agile has impacted practically every organization, just as digitization has.

A snapshot of the benefits

Agile methodologies enable businesses to respond to change in a flexible and adaptive manner. Agile concepts may help firms prevent and overcome disruption as consumer needs change. You will be able to better serve your clients and satisfy shifting demands faster than your competition if you master continuous change.

Agile also allows you to adjust and react quickly when new rules or regulations affect your organization. The doors are open for an investigation now that improved protocols and operations are in place. When it comes to finding solutions, your employees have the freedom to be creative and surpass expectations.

The risks when transforming

When deciding to convert your company, there are several factors to consider. It’s not simple to reorganize and restructure whole teams and processes. In order to change in a way that works, businesses must estimate the risk of such a big move.

 

Employees

For one thing, companies that change their business processes risk losing otherwise loyal and competent personnel. They may be resistant to change or fear that their position will be eliminated as a result of the new organizational technique. To some degree, these anxieties are valid, as transitioning to agile typically entails letting go of workers who aren’t the perfect match. A changing workforce has its own risks, but it is a risk that must be avoided if a more flexible working environment is to be achieved.

 

Management

Onboarding management is the first step in onboarding your workforce. When going through a shift, it’s more crucial than ever to lead by example. When moving to agile, there’s a chance that managers may suffer as well. If they are used to traditional techniques, they may display opposition. However, leaders must be able to manage efficiently in a fluid working environment.

 

Company

Loss of business is one of the most significant dangers for a firm adopting agile approaches. This usually occurs as a result of losing sight of the company’s vision and the bumpy transition process. A company’s direction and goals should constantly be kept in mind when transitioning to new working habits. Customers and clients will notice if you fail to do so.

 

The answer is simple

These dangers can be avoided with proper preparation and a phased approach. When describing the changes to procedures, be specific. A vision statement can help you stay focused on your goals. Once management has a firm understanding of the strategy, it can be conveyed to teams more effectively without the vision getting diluted.

A hybrid approach is another option. PRINCE2 agile training is for those who are used to traditional management but see the benefits of using agile methodologies. The efficiencies of this customized strategy can assist a wide range of businesses.

The PRINCE2 agile training will help you find a balance that is right for you. It includes agile ideas that may help your company become more productive and responsive to client demands, as well as practical recommendations for implementing PRINCE2 and agile effectively while minimizing conflict.

Being a project manager is a demanding job, but with these 7 tips, you can simplify your day, work smarter rather than harder, and become more productive. Continue reading as we show you how to better organize your time so that you may make the most of your days…

1. Know yourself

Work at your most productive hours. Our first suggestion is simple enough, yet it is frequently neglected. The pandemic has shattered the 9-to-5 office routine and given us the possibility to be more flexible with our working hours. Take a moment to get to know yourself and consider what times of day you work best to make the most of this chance. Then rearrange your daily schedule such that your most intellectually demanding tasks are completed when your focus is at its greatest and less demanding tasks are completed when your brain capacity is at its lowest. Many of us will be most alert in the morning, then experience a dip in the midday before getting a second wind of energy late in the afternoon.

2. Conduct a personal stand up

Daily scrums are a popular Agile project management technique. Every morning, have a one-person stand-up meeting. This personal daily check-in should outline what you accomplished the day before, choose what you’ll work on today, and identify any roadblocks you’ll need to overcome. After all, productive days don’t just happen — they require preparation!

3. Fix your calendar

It’s a broken calendar if it’s completely full! You should never overbook yourself as a project manager. When you overbook your calendar, you’ll be disappointed if you don’t finish everything. Filling your calendar to the full every day increases your chances of working late and burnout.

Fill your calendar only 60-70% of the way and you’ll be OK. This will not only provide you extra time on assignments, but it will also give you room to be creative. Imagine the joy of being able to start tomorrow’s duties ahead of time, take advantage of chances, and say yes to things!

4. Say no to things without worry

On the other hand, don’t be scared to say no! You can’t be everything to everyone as a busy project manager! Say no to meetings you don’t need to attend and extra work you don’t have time for. Saying no more often will allow you to say yes more often!

On a daily basis, using the ‘do not disturb’ option to say no to disruptions might be beneficial. This will allow you to focus on the work at hand, and everything that isn’t essential will be put off until you are available.

5. Make plans for tomorrow

Take five minutes at the conclusion of your workday to write down your goals and objectives for the next day, just as you did at the start of the day. This simple action helps you switch off from work for the remainder of the day by getting tomorrow’s to-do list out of your thoughts and onto paper. However, merely writing down your goals on a regular basis increases your chances of achieving them by 42%! It will take you 10-15 minutes to top and tail your day in this manner, but it will help you better manage the hours of your day.

6. Form healthy habits

Effective planning and healthy habits go hand in hand with good time management. It’s all too easy to get into bad habits, such as staying late at work, but it’s far more difficult to form positive ones. Working as a project manager implies that no two days are ever the same. That isn’t to suggest you can’t establish habits and healthy schedules that you can keep to.

Form rituals like the ones we’ve already described (starting and ending your day) and habits like focusing on specific things in specific surroundings. If you’re doing WFH or hybrid work, this should be simple, but it’s still possible with hot-desking in the office. Consider the sorts of jobs you perform and associate them with a certain time and/or location. As a result of your brain associating these routines with the activity at hand, you will likely be more focused and productive.

7. Prioritise, prioritize, prioritize!

How you prioritize your task is perhaps the most important issue in time management. We are all guilty of being ‘busy’ all day yet not feeling accomplished. Set out the bare minimum you want to do that day at your morning check-in, and make it your top priority. Work on it while in ‘do not disturb mode during your most productive period. Completing your priority assignment will offer you a far larger sense of productivity than checking off a few less essential items on your to-do list, and it will help you manage your time more effectively.

Over the last fifteen years, project management has spread from the construction and technology industries to virtually every other business sector. Projects are useful for achieving goals and results through a systematic and strategic process, allowing stakeholders to set the deadline and budget in line with larger business goals. This shift shows a rising concern about project success rates and an understanding that there are better, more beneficial, and successful project management approaches than those now employed by many businesses.

However, using the project structure is a great approach for organizations to track and manage resources while achieving their goals, however, project failure is common in some industries, particularly IT. Project managers might try to avoid project failure by using a formal project management methodology to structure their approach.

What is Project Management Methodology and Why Does It Matter?

Before diving into the specific approaches, it’s important to understand what a project management methodology is and why it’s so important for project management success.

The Project Management Institute describes project management methodology as “a system of practices, techniques, processes, and regulations utilized by individuals who work in any field,” but a methodology must also have a purpose or particular criteria that define a specialty of approach.

There are as many various methods to deliver projects as there are different projects, and they are mainly determined by our methodology choices – how different concepts, frameworks, and procedures are applied, and how these applications offer structure to the way we achieve project success.

Within the project management business, there is a lot of theoretical dispute over what a project management methodology is. Some project management techniques, such as Agile, describe only a core set of principles, whilst others, such as Prince2, provide a “full-stack” methodology of defined concepts and processes. Some have a long set of standards, while others, like Scrum, have a shortlist. In reality, most active project managers would characterize a methodology as a best practice framework used to complete a project effectively, on schedule, and within budget.

The Benefits of Using a Formal Project Management Methodology

Formal project management approaches provide a rigid structure within which to execute a project, with the benefit that progress can be easily tracked and reviewed at every stage of the project in accordance with a timeframe, budget, and outcome stated at the start. Project management methodologies, which are especially useful in larger organizations where large teams will be tasked with completing a project, require the implementation of a system of universal procedures, processes, and justifications that regulate against rash decisions and potential overspending.

Money, time, roles, and duties are used and defined as each team member, or project manager sees fit without a project management technique, which can lead to widely different perspectives on a target project outcome.

Consider These Factors When Choosing a Project Management Methodology

Although project management professionals believe that using a recognized methodology benefits the majority of projects, each methodology has its own set of benefits and drawbacks, and various projects will surely benefit from different methods. To guarantee that your project management methodology benefits your project directly, it’s critical that the benefits and applications of each methodology be linked with not just the project management plan’s objectives, but also your project team, business, and industry as a whole. Project management approaches differ in size, scope, and many other criteria, and finding the right fit for your company may greatly enhance your project team’s communication, productivity, and overall success. Consider the following aspects while comparing the approaches listed below to see which one is the best match for you.

• Organizational goals
• Core values
• Project constraints
• Project stakeholders
• Project size
• Cost of the product
• Ability to take risks
• Need for flexibility

The 5 Most Common Project Management Methodologies

The multitude of acronyms and abbreviations associated with project management techniques might make them appear like a foreign language, causing you to spend more time understanding the names than learning the approaches. To add to the complexity, not every project management style will be appropriate for every project. You must be familiar with these common project methodologies and their differences in order to determine which method will work best for your project. We’ve broken down the five most popular and diverse project management methodologies to give you a quick overview of your potential training options, or project approaches.

Waterfall vs Agile Project Management

The Waterfall vs Agile debate dominates most discussions about project management methodologies, and it is, in some ways, a case of the traditional vs. modern approach to project management. The Waterfall methodology is one of the oldest approaches to project management, and it takes the more traditional form of a sequential project structure. Waterfall divides the project into stages, from planning through delivery, and each stage is only started once the previous one is done. It does not generally allow for a step to be returned to or backpedaled after it is completed. Project requirements are often set at the start, with few if any changes made until absolutely essential. It is most typically used in the management of big projects with various stakeholders, or on projects with well-defined and predictable procedures and solutions, due to its nature.

Agile project management has been increasingly common in recent decades, particularly in the software development industry. Unlike Waterfall, the Agile approach employs several project cycles, or “sprints,” and emphasizes adaptability through continuous project input. The agile technique is quickly altered, even mid-project if new information becomes available because little components of the overall aim are planned and implemented in an iterative process. It’s suitable for projects with a high level of uncertainty or frequently changing final output needs.

Overview of PRINCE2 Project Management Methodology

PRojects In Controlled Environments (PRINCE2) is a widely used and well-regarded project management methodology. PRINCE2 is a highly accepted industry standard that is used in over 150 countries and was recognized and produced by the British government in 1996.

The main structure of PRINCE2 is divided into three subsections, each concentrating on one of the seven project planning principles, seven project responsibilities to be assigned, and a seven-phase process to take the project from start to finish. Despite being one of the most complicated and comprehensive projects management techniques, PRINCE2 is extremely scalable and can be modified to a variety of applications and settings, as well as simple or complex project needs.

PRINCE2 is also one of the few project management approaches that require ongoing training, accreditation, and certification. PRINCE2 certifications are available in a variety of hierarchical courses, depending on present project management experience and future management objectives, reflecting the structure it implements, where the management layer is separated from the work layer in order to establish specialized work.

Overview of Critical Path Project Management Methodology

The critical route technique is a step-by-step strategy that works effectively for projects with interconnected activities.

Work is split down using a framework that records the timeframe for completing dependencies, milestones, and deliverables under the technique. Because of the major emphasis on-task time, scientists and manufacturers frequently use it to determine the urgency of activities based on how fast, or not, a job can be completed.

Project managers may accomplish activities faster by assessing and prioritizing the most time-consuming tasks first, and they can communicate to stakeholders and project sponsors about the total project length using a clearly defined metric.

Overview of Six Sigma Project Management Methodology

Motorola was the first company to use the Six Sigma project management methodology, which was developed in response to a 10X decrease in product failure rates in just five years. Six Sigma is a very consumer-focused project management technique with the main purpose of reducing waste, improving project processes, and increasing revenues.

Six Sigma’s main principle is to discover and quantify the number of flaws in a process in order to figure out how to eliminate them and obtain as near to zero faults as feasible in a project, or perfection. As a result, it is a highly data-driven and analytical management style with three key components for taking a project from conception to completion.

• The first component is DMAIC: define, measure, analyze, improve, control
• The second is DMADV: define, measure, analyze, design, and verify
• The third is DFSS (design for six sigma), which can include the other processes mentioned.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution; instead, your project management methodology selection should be based on the number of factors that are shared between the methodology’s style and the ideal structure and goals of your project plan. By selecting the right match for your project, you may drastically lower the risk of project failure and increase your chances of finishing on time and on budget.

PRINCE2 is a project management methodology that has been used all around the world. Obtaining a certificate proving your knowledge of this approach might help you advance in your professional career and even get you a job you really want. The vast majority of Project Manager job advertisements include a credential from one of three top institutes that develop project management techniques in the “required” or “additional skills” areas. PRINCE2 is the most widely used technique in Poland.

Unlike the other techniques (IPMA, PMI), the candidate for the certificate does not need to have any prior project management experience.

The PRINCE2 Foundation credential is based on a single-choice test. Each applicant gets 60 minutes to respond to 75 questions, with 5 of them being upgraded. The methodology’s owner can then test additional questions that may be added to the collection of examination questions in the future. To earn the PRINCE2 Foundation certificate, you must score 50% on the exam, which translates to 35 right answers. The test is focused on a candidate’s theoretical understanding. It assesses your knowledge and comprehension of ideas from the official handbook. The Foundation certificate is valid for an indefinite amount of time. Members of project teams, support teams, supervision teams, and service change teams are primarily assigned to this level.

Only PRINCE2 Foundation certificate holders can take the Practitioner test. The PRINCE2 Practitioner credential verifies your competence to apply methodology principles in practice, as well as your capacity to adapt to project circumstances. Project Managers and those in charge of adopting PRINCE2 in their organizations should take the Practitioner level. It is not required to have the prior project management expertise to take the test. It’s important to note that the exam assesses our knowledge of technique and our ability to comprehend it effectively. As a result, you must respond to those questions using freshly obtained information from the manual, rather than your personal expertise from the creation of numerous projects. This certificate is valid for five years and should be renewed every three to five years following the last exam. Recertification is done through an exam that lasts an hour and consists of three blocks of ten questions each.

How should you prepare for the exam?

A candidate must pass the Foundation test before taking the Practitioner exam. It suggests we are familiar with the fundamentals of theory. If we have any concerns or any components of the approach are unclear to us, we should return to the handbook and study a certain chapter again. If you took the Foundation test more than a month ago, Highly recommend going over the full manual again to refresh your grasp of the theoretical fundamentals.

The Practitioner test is an open book exam, which means we may only utilize the official PRINCE2 handbook throughout the exam. It’s important taking the effort to properly “tag” your handbook. Here are a few sites that you may tag:

• Appendix A – It covers descriptions of PRINCE2 management products. It will be the location where you can easily find out what the Business Case assignment is and what it should contain during the test. In practice, we’ll discover a variety of solutions there.
• Appendix C – It includes definitions of all positions described in the approach, as well as duties for each. It’s also a good location to go to learn about things like which reports project managers must provide and which team managers must prepare.
• On page 36, A project management team structure that allows us to easily analyze several organs.
• On page 51, there is a quality diagram that depicts the full quality management strategy of a project.
• On page 84, there is a diagram that depicts the full risk management process.
• On page 89, there’s a diagram depicting different reactions to project risk and opportunity.
• On page 101, there is a diagram depicting a method for controlling concerns and modifications.
• On page 103, there is a table that shows the Steering Committee’s probable reactions to various situations.
• On page 123, there is a process model of the full PRINCE2 methodology.

According to the exam, proper manual preparation is necessary. The prior work with the handbook increases the exam’s use of it, allowing you to access important information and definitions.

We will be asked the following kind of questions throughout the exam:

• The classic single question – “From a list of possible answers, select the correct answer from a list of 3 or 4 options.”
• Multiple choice – “Select two correct answers from a list of five possible answers.” This question has the same structure as the previous one, but it requires more than one answer; it is the only type of question that does. To receive a point, both answers must be correct; if we provide more or less than two answers, or only one answer is correct, the point will not be awarded.
• Matching responses – “Assign elements from the first column to elements from the second column.” There is only one right answer for this type of question, although items from the second column can be used many times or not at all.
• Providing the right order – “Place the events in the correct order” is a question that may be used to determine the sequence of activities in a management process.
• Statement/Cause – “Rate two statements (the statement and the cause) to see if one, both, or none of them are true; if both are true, you must also see if the cause appropriately explains why the statement is true, for example, Statement: “Expected benefits from increasing employee flexibility should be included in the Business Case,” Cause: “Information about the expected benefits of the project is a part of the justification for undertaking the project.”
• If you read the term “according to PRINCE2” in the text, keep in mind that it signifies the question is completely theoretical and has nothing to do with the situation.

It is important to practice extensively in order to prepare for the exam. The more tests you do, the more you will understand the questions and the exam’s specificity, as well as your ability to organize and manage your time during the exam. On the Internet, you may find examples of good exams on the following websites:

• APMG-PRINCE2 Practitioner
• Issuu

The PRINCE2 Practitioner course is 90% excellent examinations, which are completed over two days with the help of fellow students and a coach. In contrast to the Foundation course, which is solely focused on acquiring new information. If we want to be confident of the course’s quality, we should enroll in one that is organized by recognized businesses or ATOs. Here you may look for a company’s accreditation:

• AXELOS Accredited Training Provider
• APMG – Accredited Organization & Product search

The range of prices is PLN 2 000 to PLN 4 000.

Time Management

The test will take 150 minutes and will consist of 80 questions. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with a scenario and an answer sheet before taking the exam. After that, you can attempt to solve eight fields in 15 minutes each. This type of preparation includes setting aside 25 minutes extra time to revisit any tough questions and double-check the answer sheet.

Answering Question

Answers should be marked on a specially prepared sheet. It is worth remembering that tests are checked by a computer. Therefore, we have to mark at least 80% of the square next to an appropriate answer. We have to be careful not to go beyond the square, as in this case, the machine can also not include our answer.

What does the exam look like?

The examination is administered as a single-choice test. It is made up of eight fields that each correspond to a scenario. The examinee must score at least 44 out of 80 potential points to receive a good result (55% correct answers). The exam lasts 150 minutes and is available in a hundred different languages, including Polish and English.

We receive three types of materials during the exam: a scenario explaining the case study, a list of questions, and an answer sheet.

They practiced an organization that implements a project, its business case, the project’s main and secondary objectives, and the project’s projected outcomes. Additional material for one or more questions can also be found in a scenario folder. Additional information is only included in questions if it is explicitly stated – in bold – in the question. Questions that don’t explicitly state that the additional information should be used can be constructed in such a manner that using the notes results in a bad response.

A question folder comprises eight questions from various domains of methodology. Each block of questions includes ten additional detailed questions as well as information about a certain subject area. Each question is worth one point if you answer correctly. The maximum number of points you may receive is 80, while the minimum amount required to pass the exam is 55 percent accurate answers or 44 points.

Answer sheet

Only an answer sheet allows you to indicate your responses to each question. Unless the instructions state otherwise, you must mark one answer for each question. The question will not be approved if we mark more than one right answer and the question’s instruction does not specifically say that we should pick additional responses.

When you first start a project, it’s tempting to jump right in. It might be that you’re bursting at the seams with ideas, or that the project is so similar to a prior one that you jump right in. However, slowing down and planning ahead of time might be far more beneficial in the long run. We’ll look at why planning is so important in project management in this article.

A chance to collect thoughts

Planning ahead of time for a project allows you to gather your thoughts, organize your ideas, and write them down. This can come in later because it allows you to explore a variety of options for each project area. By weighing the advantages and disadvantages of your ideas at the planning stage, you will be able to make well-informed judgments in the future.

Furthermore, putting your thoughts on paper can allow you to uncover knowledge gaps and places to investigate further. You may even assign some of this research to a team member who is qualified. Technical components or gaining a deeper understanding of the sector are examples of such areas. Spending some time learning at the planning stage will undoubtedly pay off in the long run.

In addition to your own ideas, seeking feedback from others at the start of a project may be beneficial. Stakeholders, team members, and clients may all make suggestions. This can be advantageous since they may have perspectives you hadn’t considered. There’s always the possibility that their points of view may clash, but ultimately, the decision is yours to make. It is frequently preferable to collect ideas early on rather than having them become obstacles later on in the project.

Planning is a chance to reflect

By reflecting on prior initiatives’ faults, failures, and risks, you may learn from them. It is your obligation as the project manager to anticipate project failure risks. The earlier you identify risks, the more time you have to minimize or eliminate them.

If there was a lack of stakeholder involvement the last time, offset this by holding regular meetings to reaffirm the project’s relevance. If you’ve had communication challenges in the past with your team, make sure to include a communications strategy this time. This will reduce the chances of it being a stumbling block in the future. Maybe you’ve experienced problems with scope creep before? Take measures to guarantee that this time around there is strong openness and that everyone is on the same page. A scope declaration is an excellent way to ensure this.

Drafting for success

The goal of a project manager is to gather as much background information as possible in order to develop detailed plans for the project’s future. By anticipating and controlling risk, setbacks can be avoided further down the road. According to a 2012 post on the PMI website, there is a link between planning and project success.

However, the study’s limitations were recognized, and it’s worth contemplating how much planning is too much planning. Overplanning, according to some of the research, has drawbacks such as restricting creativity.

So, what’s the other option? Agile project management, which emphasizes less detailed planning and a more evolutionary process, has recently gained popularity. It employs project management approaches such as Kanban. Agile is claimed to be more efficient since it is more flexible and less prescriptive.

That isn’t to say that planning isn’t necessary when using an agile strategy. A strategy should still be thoroughly evaluated, with particular attention paid to the timeframe, budget, quality, resource use, and so on. It must still specify how objectives will be met, but this should be done in the form of a flexible draft rather than a strict process. Also, initial project planning should be modified as the project progresses.

It is important to have a strategy that provides flexibility. To guide your processes, take the time to reflect on previous experiences. Also, gathering ideas early on in the planning process may be really valuable. Therefore, excellent planning at the start of a project is critical for attaining the greatest results.

The PRINCE2 Practitioner certification is the last step in the PRINCE2 certification process, and it teaches you how to put the theory learned in the Foundation certification into practice.
Maintaining your Registered Practitioner status shows that you’re up to date on the latest best-practice advances, that you’re committed to continuous improvement, and that it will benefit you in the job market.

There was a re-registration test available for project managers who wished to keep their Practitioner status in the previous edition of PRINCE2 (the 2009 version), however, this is no longer the case with the 2017 version. So, how do you keep your certification? This site has all you need to know!

When will my PRINCE2 certification be up for renewal?

The PRINCE2 Foundation certificate is valid for life, whereas the PRINCE2 Practitioner certificate is only valid for three years.

What can I do to keep my Practitioner status?

To keep your PRINCE2 Practitioner certification, you must do one of the following:

• Before the expiration date, retake the PRINCE2 2017 Practitioner test.
  or
• Take on an MY PRINCE2 membership with AXELOS (the certification’s owner) and get 20 CPD points each year.

What are the advantages of an MY PRINCE2 subscription?

You’ll have access to the most up-to-date project management books and reports, as well as exam preparation tools, toolkits to help you implement what you’ve learned at work, and a digital badge to prove your certification.

Is there another re-registration exam I might take?

Maintaining Practitioner status used to require a separate course and test, however, it was removed in the PRINCE2 2017 upgrade. The re-registration exam was 90 minutes shorter than the Practitioner exam, however, you may now stay registered without taking any exams if you accumulate CPD points instead. If you don’t want to go the CPD path, you can repeat the complete Practitioner test.

How can I find out when something is about to expire?

The Practitioner certificate has an expiration date. Candidates appear on AXELOS’s successful candidate registration since PRINCE2 is owned by them. You (and future employers) can validate your registered status and expiration date if you haven’t opted out of appearing on the register.

What happens after the expiration date?

If your status slips after more than three years, you can retake the Practitioner test and recover your position. You are not permitted to market yourself as a Registered Practitioner in the meanwhile. You will avoid needing to rework your CV and reprint business cards if you take the Practitioner test before it expires.

Alternatively, PRINCE2 membership provides applicants with the opportunity to keep their Practitioner status provided they meet the following requirements during the three years before it expires:

• After passing the basic Practitioner test, join within three months.
• Renew your membership every year for the next three years.
• Maintain the PRINCE2 digital badge, which is awarded to members after three years of membership.
• To renew the badge, you must earn 20 CPD points per year.

Is the format of the Practitioner exam the same?

The format is the same for retaking the Practitioner exam:

• Objective testing
• 68 questions
• 33 out of 68 marks required to pass – 55%
• 2.5 hours (150 minutes) duration
• Open book (official PRINCE2 manual only)

 

What if we told you that learning about the typical salaries of a PRINCE2 certified professional wasn’t the most interesting thing you’d learn in this article?! That’s not to imply the pay isn’t good; it just means the best is yet to come…

The average salary of a PRINCE2 Project Professional in the UK

To begin with, the average PRINCE2 pay in the UK is £54,634 at the time of writing! This is 57.0% more than the national average! By all accounts, this is a great salary, demonstrating the worth of PRINCE2 certification for project managers.

Now for the cherry on top…

PRINCE2 experts are in high demand!

If you are a certified professional or are studying to become one, hearing that PRINCE2 qualified candidates are in high demand will be music to your ears!

PMI’s talent gap assessment for 2021 (PMI) (2021). Project managers and project professionals will be in more demand over the next decade, according to the report Talent Gap: Ten-Year Employment Trends, Costs, and Global Implications). Job postings for PRINCE2 have increased by 80.9% year over year, and salary for PRINCE2 employment has also increased – currently 8.7% higher year over year! Salaries are increasing, and new possibilities are springing up all the time.

One of the fastest-growing job sectors is project management-oriented employment (PMOE). There are now 2,135 PMOE jobs available on Indeed.com and 1,137 PMOE jobs listed on Reed.co.uk with PRINCE2 as a desirable skill.

You might wonder why this is the case. The simple answer is that PRINCE2 is a process-based methodology that gives project managers a solid understanding of how to manage a project efficiently and effectively. In essence, PRINCE2 training offers the basis for project success, and PRINCE2 certification verifies that the applicant possesses these abilities.

Closing the Project Management Talent Gap

PMI highlights three explanations for the skill gap in the project area in their aforementioned analysis. (This means there is a greater demand for experts than there is available talent.) For beginners, they saw an increase in the number of positions needing project management abilities. Due to economic expansion, there is a greater demand for project experts in emerging and developing nations. Finally, the rate at which people retire from employment is a concern.

People leave the field inevitably, and fresh talent enters; but, the rate at which candidates enter the profession is insufficient to satisfy the rising demand, which is a problem. According to the PMI talent gap research, by 2030, the global economy would require 25 million new project professionals. And, merely to keep up with demand, 2.3 million people will need to enter PMOE every year to close the skill gap!

It is obvious that action is required to bridge the talent gap. Companies are already searching for methods to stay competitive, as seen by the growth in PRINCE2 compensation (8.7% higher than last year). Businesses must strategize in order to meet the urgent need for personnel with project management abilities. They must encourage learning and development efforts to develop the abilities to exist, workers, in addition to acquiring new talent. Employees should be given the essential project management abilities that are in line with the company’s goal.

“Make sure your learning is aligned with business skills. Rather than looking at hours of learning and course completion rates, instead, focus on identifying what skills are lacking in your organization. With that alignment and clarity, L&D can create a skill-building program that’s in lockstep with your business strategy.”

– Lori Niles-Hofmann, Senior EdTech Transformation Strategist, NilesNolen

Getting started as a PRINCE2 Professional

PRINCE2 jobs start at £35,000 per year, with most experienced professionals earning around £60,000 per year. As a result, it’s clear that PRINCE2 training may help you realize your objectives and advance in a promising profession, in addition to helping you manage projects more successfully.

Our PRINCE2 training courses start at the Foundation level, where you will gain a solid understanding of the PRINCE2 techniques and procedures. This course has no qualifications, and you don’t even have to be working in the sector to take it.

After earning your certification, you can advance to the PRINCE2 Practitioner level. You will become a Registered PRINCE2 Practitioner after completing this course. The test determines if a candidate has demonstrated adequate competence to apply and customize PRINCE2 to project management and execution. With the right guidance, a successful Practitioner candidate should be able to apply the technique to a real project.

Agile working is on the increase, and selecting and applying the proper technique is critical to project success. In fact, according to PMI’s Pulse of the Profession survey, 71% of companies say they use agile methodologies “occasionally” or “more frequently than in the past.”

But what exactly is agile? What distinguishes it from PRINCE2 methodologies? We’ll give you the scoop, explain both ways of working, and look at PRINCE2 Agile – a hybrid approach – in this article.

What is Agile Methodology?

As the name implies, the agile project management strategy is based on working with agility – being able to adapt to change, respond quickly, and pivot as needed, all while ensuring the project runs smoothly. Instead of focusing on the final goal, this flexible approach to project management emphasizes short-term, incremental goals and objectives.

By delivering advantages throughout the project, the agile methodology favors user happiness. Agile encourages continuous progress by requiring constant reflection. It promotes collaborative work in which team members are motivated and empowered to complete tasks. Being responsive and flexible to change throughout the project lifecycle is key to the agile methodology.

What is PRINCE2?

PRINCE2 is a worldwide recognized project management approach, similar to agile. It is utilized and recognized all around the world, with over a million qualified experts. Best of all, it can be customized to fit any project, big or little, in any business.

PRINCE2 is a framework that focuses on the topics and concepts of a project – change and risk management, quality assurance, lifecycle, and project planning – rather than how teams should function. PRINCE2 assists professionals in ensuring that projects are sustainable and lucrative and that the business case is sound, as well as that teams, are held accountable. Giving projects structure and direction is at the heart of the PRINCE2 methodology.

PRINCE2 Agile: A combined approach

PRINCE2 Agile was first released in 2015, and it has been a huge success year after year since then. The training serves as a link between PRINCE2’s “classic” governance approach and agile’s flexible, adaptive character, allowing you to reap the benefits of both worlds.

PRINCE2 Agile may be easily deployed to any project environment due to the nature of this integrated strategy. While PRINCE2 provides a structure for your project, an agile approach will foster a working environment that prioritizes quality and benefits delivery throughout the project’s lifetime.

PRINCE2 Agile is a project management methodology that focuses on both the project and the outcome. PRINCE2 Agile training teaches you how to effectively implement both PRINCE2 and agile while minimizing conflict, allowing you to benefit from both methodologies.

Choosing between PRINCE2 and PRINCE2 Agile

While many see agile techniques as the way of the future, just 57% of projects adopt the agile project management strategy, implying that 43% of projects still use traditional methods. It is divided, which is why PRINCE2 Agile training is so popular.

PRINCE2 agile is the perfect approach to teach agile principles to individuals who are currently using PRINCE2 in their organizations without having to change their whole way of working. It’s a terrific way to get started with agile while minimizing downtime.

Similarly, if you’re unfamiliar with both approaches, our PRINCE2 Agile Foundation course starts from the bottom up, teaching you to the main ideas of each framework before demonstrating how they may coexist.

 

Agile approaches have been increasingly popular in the industry over the previous year. In reality, for many businesses, the capacity to be nimble and adjust quickly has been the difference between sinking and swimming. The chaos of COVID-19 has demonstrated that flexibility is more vital than ever for enterprises. What lessons can we learn from the benefits of agility going forward? And how can we make agile work even harder for us?

Make time for creativity

The capacity to innovate is crucial to agility. During the epidemic, firms that go outside the box have stood out. It has been important for life. Many people have had to change their company models as a result of this. For instance, the hotel industry has shifted to offering takeaways, stores have implemented click-and-collect services, and airlines have shifted from commercial to cargo flights. While preparing for the reopening of our Covid-safe classroom, we have poured resources towards online and virtual classroom learning at PRINCE2.com.

Others have gone back to the drawing board and redesigned their traditional business structures. Take, for example, gyms. Many started providing online lessons, and some even rented out equipment for at-home training. Businesses have survived when the world seemed to turn upside down overnight thanks to creative ideas. Due to their ability to earn revenue when closed, such enterprises will be able to survive and reopen in the future.

These few instances demonstrate how much can be accomplished when people work together to develop. It does not, however, necessitate a high-pressure setting to accomplish such outcomes. In reality, without the terror and hurry imposed by lockdowns and the epidemic, you should have more leisure in the future. To become more agile, including time for innovation in your monthly, weekly, or even daily routines. Have the confidence to adjust your company model in response to changing client requirements or the environment.

Unite teams with data and training

Access to data is a hidden issue in many firms. We live in the data age, which recognizes the importance of data in making educated decisions. Despite this, firms frequently categorize their data by department (think sales/marketing/development teams) or by seniority, limiting access to management or decision-makers. This is not only bad for customer service since different data may lead to service disparities, but it also hurts your company’s agility.

Bringing your data together and making it accessible to everybody will bring departments together and bring teams on the same page. Data is a tremendous resource, and by consolidating and enhancing its accessibility, you can foster a culture of better-informed decision-making. Data analysis and decision-making are critical to becoming more flexible, altering course when necessary, and responding quickly.

Allowing every employee access to data, on the other hand, is pointless if they lack the skills to successfully understand it. Companies that do not train all of their employees risk missing out on new ideas and solutions. You may create an atmosphere where everyone has the skills to manage data, question, and establish practices by providing professional development training to all workers. Using your complete team’s abilities allows you to be more agile, which will help you advance as a company.