INTRODUCTION

PRINCE2™has been developed for the UK Government; it was officially launched on 1 October 1996. The method is used for the planning and management of major UK Government projects and for all IT development work. Private sector companies have also adopted PRINCE2™ - these include Cable & Wireless, ICL, DHL, Getronics, Hewlett Packard and many more. NHS Trusts and local authorities use the method for a wide variety and size of projects. PRINCE2™ is universally accepted as "best practice" project management.

COSTS & ACCREDITATION

Any organisation may use the method without hindrance or financial investment, and without needing to register with a central "owner". The method, which is NOT in the public domain, is in fact owned by OGC (Office of Government Commerce) on behalf of the UK Government. Use of OGC trademarks, such as the PRINCE2™ logo is not permitted without a license from the OGC.

The only costs associated with the method is the purchase of the PRINCE2 Manual (£65) and any training and consultancy support that might be required. There are many providers of PRINCE2™ training and consultancy. APM Group runs an accreditation scheme for training organisations and consultants; this is done under contract from OGC in order to maintain an acceptable standard among support organisations. APM Group are accredited by UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service).

THE COMMERCIAL & SUPPORT ENVIRONMENT

OGC Support Services:

OGC (Office of Government Commerce) have entered into a number of contractual relationships with private sector organisations in order to support and promote the PRINCE2™ Method.

For their own part, OGC intend to continue to develop the method in order to keep its content up to date and make it applicable to an ever increasing range of projects and organisations.

Trade Mark & Logo:

The PRINCE2™ Trademark and official Logo (Cityscape Logo) came into force from 1 January 1997. Use of the words "PRINCE^®" or "PRINCE2™" in connection with commercial ventures is closely monitored by OGC, and action will be taken against any infringements. The PRINCE2™ logo provides visible recognition of the method. PRINCE2™ and the Cityscape logo are trademarks of the OGC. PRINCE^®is a registered trademark of the OGC.

The Stationery Office:

The PRINCE2™ Manuals are published and supplied by The Stationery Office (TSO) who also publish additional publications to support the method.

The Stationery Office has published a booklet written by Ken Bradley to help Candidates approach the APMG Examinations with a little more confidence. The title is "Passing The PRINCE2™ Examinations" and costs £15.

You might find the PRINCE2™ Manual a little heavy going and we highly recommend our own publication "Ken Bradley's Understanding PRINCE2™" which contains 280 pages and over 100 tables and diagrams. The price is a very competitive £30. The electronic Acrobat version is available at £15 + VAT

All the above mentioned publications can be purchased by visiting the publications are of this website.

The APM Group:

OGC have contracted with the APM Group to run an accreditation, examination and certification scheme.

Any organisation wishing to provide "Accredited PRINCE2™" training events or consultancy support must go through formal accreditation procedures run by the APM Group on behalf of OGC and its collaborative partners. This entails approval of material and approval of nominated trainers and/or consultants.

Accredited training organisations may run PRINCE2™ examinations as part of their training programme. Delegates attending an accredited PRINCE2 Practitioner training event (for which there is a published syllabus) will be registered as "PRINCE2™ Registered Practitioners" on a register administered by the APM Group.

Anyone may take an examination to become a "PRINCE2™ Registered Practitioner". It is not necessary to attend a training course (although the likelihood of passing will be greatly enhanced by attendance). The examination is marked by the APM Group.

EXAMINATIONS

The Foundation Examination is a multi-choice answer paper comprising 75 questions; it takes 1 hour. The Practitioner Examination is a three hour, Objective Test paper comprising of 9 sections (syllabus topics) based on a scenario. Each section has a total of 40 marks and candidates must gain a score of 180 (50%) in order to pass the exam.

A 50% pass mark is required in each paper (38 correct answers in the Foundation Exam); there is no oral test. Candidates wishing to take the Practitioner Examination must first pass the Foundation Examination.

The Practitioner Exam will be the natural target for project managers wishing to become "PRINCE2™ Registered Practitioners". Project Support staff and those not directly responsible for managing projects may wish to opt to take only the Foundation Examination, proving they have a basic grounding in the Method.

The "PRINCE2™ Registered Practitioner" qualification has a life of 5 years, after which a 1 hour Re-registration examination must be taken to keep the qualification "current". The Re-registration exam is also scenario based with just one question associated to it. A Re-Registration distance learning pack is available from SPOCE.

TRAINING & SUPPORT

SPOCE Project Management Limited is fully accredited by the APM Group to deliver training events and consultancy support. We have a full range of PRINCE2 courses and some very useful support products, including PRINCE2 Passport Distance Learning and P2 LaunchPadTemplate Manager.

SPOCE - Project Management Limited