HDAV Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 (edited) Thinking of doing a Prince2 course to improve my prospects and wondered if anyone here had done one and could offer some feedback? On both the the course and it's benefits as well as the provider, seen they advertised for £700-£1500 so quite a range and 5 days straight. Project management is a lot of what i currently do but in an informal manner rather than formally and as i need to do some CPD this would seem ideal? Also interested in the alternatives. Edited May 15, 2012 by HDAV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsdad Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 (edited) I am a programme manager and have been for 6 years now in defence and aerospace. In my opinion and in the sector I work in, prince is too process oriented and is not really much use in the real world. It is more aimed for hight volume industries like automotive. Have a look at the APMP qualifications...that is what I did a few years ago (company paid luckily) but it may be more useful to you. I think there are three or four levels of the qualification. Anthony Edited May 15, 2012 by oscarsdad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 I've been a certified P2 Practitioner for more years than I care to remember. My business and contracts operate predominantly in the Public Sector and it has been the preferred/recommended Project Management qualification for some time. Most Governmental and NHS PM jobs ask for it, as do the majority of Private Sector hence why I took it. So after being an IT Project Manager for 15 years, do I use it? No. I use very small aspects of it, and most public sector organisations loosely (and I mean loosely) follow its methods, but I have never come across anyone who runs projects the P2 way, it is simply too long winded and if I'm honest, old fashioned. It also only lasts 5 years (the Practitioner element, not the Foundation) after which you have to retake the Practitioner exam. Fortunately this exam is now multiple choice rather than a 3 hour written essay! If you are looking into a full-on PM role now or in the future then it is absolutely worth doing, for CV fodder if nothing else. My own personal opinion of P2 is that it does not incorporate any of the common sense that you need to be a good PM, it does however teach the importance of good controls and assurances in a project, along with auditable documentation (which lets be honest we all hate). Also consider (depending on what it is that you're actually managing): Agile/Scrum If you have any specific questions then feel free to PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted May 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 (edited) Thanks I'll have a look at APMP. Scrum looks interesting my OH is a P2 practitioner but in a very different field so not sure on the value porting over to my bits. Edited May 15, 2012 by HDAV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuC Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 I've been a P2 practitioner for 2 years. I did it with Sianti management systems. Cost around £900 for the 5 day non-resdiential. It looks good on my cv and I have the manual on my desk for added effect! My current company doesn't use P2 so I cannot practice. It has made me a better PM in general and there are some really useful sections in the course, business case document stucture is something that helped me a lot. It depends what you want to acheive in the future? If you're quick and register at the Open University before the fees go up, you could get a HNC in something for the same cost as P2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFN Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 Interesting thread as I'm thinking of buying the P2 literature myself and then taking the exam for 280 pounds. Is it worth having the foundation on its own or do you need to be a practitioner to get any benefit? Sorry, don't want to hijack the thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted May 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 (edited) Interesting thread as I'm thinking of buying the P2 literature myself and then taking the exam for 280 pounds. Is it worth having the foundation on its own or do you need to be a practitioner to get any benefit? Sorry, don't want to hijack the thread. NO worries the OH is P2P and she says you need the course, the book is in front of me havent managed to get very far yet :blink: HNC might be an idea but i am not great at the distance thing, an intensive course would suit me better and i have HND/BSc already, even used some of it a few months ago. Edited May 15, 2012 by HDAV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badgerpig Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 if you're working in public sector it may be worth it for CV purposes but IMO there are better courses depends on the organisation/company you're working for I did practitioner last year and found it pretty pointless in my day job other than improving my CV as a lot of IT contracting agencies hold sway by it, I couldnt see any additional value add from not just doing the foundation course, found it a bit outdated, they've updated 2011 to interface with ITIL but pretty superficial when you drill deeper ITIL, 6 SIGMA, Agile/Scrum more relevant in the areas I work in but horses for courses I suppose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted May 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 Oddly just applied for a job that requires P2 on the basis of "studying for it" see what they say..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuC Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildfowler12 Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 Have a look at APM instead mate. I've done the 2 day and will be doing the 5 day soon enough, it is certainly the prefered option in the business I work in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted May 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 (edited) What do you work in? It was a bit odd seeing the P2 requirement on the job spec... Who did you do APM with? Good luck Thanks it will be a bit different if I get it! Edited May 21, 2012 by HDAV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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