What are the 7 processes of prince2

Prince 2 is the project management certification offered by Axelos. PRINCE is the abbreviation for Projects IN Controlled Environment. This is a highly preferred certification for Project Managers who want to manage large and complex projects. Prince2 has 7 stages which are also called processes. It was exclusively developed for project management for the UK government. 

However, in 2017 the rights for the certification were transferred to Axelos. Axelos is the certifying body that organizes the certification examination of Prince2 processes. There is 2 division in Prince2, 1 is a Prince2 foundation exam and another is Prince2 practitioner examination.

The Prince2 foundation consists of the following key benefits

• Acquiring knowledge on the general principles
• Be a team player in the team
• Acquiring knowledge on the key phrases and terms
• Have general competency on the Project management

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The Prince2 Practitioner consists of the following key benefits

• Acquire principles needed for the projects
• Manage the projects by applying the project management principles
• Get practical knowledge on managing the projects
• Lead the project team.

The prince2 processes consist of the following 7 stages and its key areas.

1) Starting up a process 

This is the first step in the Prince2 processes of Project Management. The following are the steps to achieve success in the first process.

• Selection of project and executive manager for the projects
• Make up the project management team
• Prepare and get the previous lessons
• Make the use case and business case for the current project
• Develop the project methodology and capture the project details
• Plan for the initiation of the project

2) Directing the project

In this step prepare for the direction for the project by getting the authority and authorization to proceed further without interruption. The steps in this process are as follows,

• Prepare project board
• Authorize the initiation of the project
• Authorize and prepare direction for the project
• Prepare and authorize the stage or the execution plan
• If needed provide the ad-hoc direction
• Authorize the closure of the project

3) Initiation of the Project

This is the most important step as this is towards the project manager. The plans are made and they directly impact the rest of the projects. Here the maximum work is done. These steps are critical for the success of the project. The following are the steps in the project.

• Tailor the needs of the project
• Prepare and agree on the risk management methodology
• Prepare and agree on the change control methodology
• Prepare and agree on the quality management methodology
• Prepare and agree on the communication management methodology
• Prepare and set the project controls
• Creation of project plan
• Make the profitability management methodology
• Prepare the Project Initiation Documentation (PID)

In this process, we need to outline the project manager's responsibility for the goals of the project. The project manager's responsibilities are outlined in the Project Initiation Document or the PID. The following are the steps the project manager has to do,

• Initiation of the project
• Prepare the project definition
• Prepare the project methodology
• Prepare the use case and the business case for the project
• Define and make the team structure
• Define the roles and its responsibilities
• Prepare the change management methodology
• Prepare the quality management methodology
• Prepare the risk management methodology
• Prepare the communication management methodology
• Make the project plan
• Make the project controls

4) Controlling a stage

In this stage, the steps from authorization to providing direction and the responsibilities of the project manager are outlined. This is a controlling process where any preventive or corrective actions are performed, improvements are suggested, and root cause analysis along with the improvement plans and feedback plans are made.

• Authorization of the statement of work (SOW)
• Review methods and status of SOW are decided
• Get all the requirements of the statement of works
• Review of the management stage status
• Reporting the highlights and importance of the projects
• Evaluating and catching issues and risks
• Escalation of the issues and risks
• Taking corrective action
• Do root cause analysis
• Do the necessary improvements
• Provide feedback to the various stages.

5) Managing product delivery

This is an important step where the work is executed and the delivery of the product is done. The project manager needs to ensure that the project goes as per the plans and directions provided earlier. The project manager has to manage the project in such a way that the project does not fail and take steps to maneuver the project continuously in the right way. The project manager must manage with a lot of care, and ensure risks are mitigated, the issues and problems are solved. There are few steps done by the Project Manager in this process and they are as follows,

• Collecting the work package for the delivery
• Execution of the project
• Mitigate the risks
• Solve any bottlenecks, issues, and problems
• Steer in the right direction
• Manage the team and resources
• Manage the project
• Produce the desired output

6) Managing the state boundaries

In this step, the Project Manager must understand where exactly the project is and what the current stage is and what the future output is. The project current stage is known and succeeding steps are approved. Also, the necessary changes to the Project Initiation Document that is necessary for the future case study as well as to know the corrective action, feedback, the RCA, and the learnings to the project are done. Ensure the failed steps are not repeated in the future and success steps are taken for future use cases. The learnings may be addressing the risks, managing the resources, managing the budget, solutions to the problems, managing the team, etc. The few steps in this process are as follows,

• Evaluating the current stage
• Approving the succeeding stage
• The project plan is updated
• The business case is approved and executed to closure
• Reporting the project details to the management
• Updating the Project Initiation Document that is the PID
• Create the exception protocols and plans

7) Closing a Project

In this step, the project manager has important responsibilities. The project closure is communicated to the top management. Then the customer sign off for the successful project is obtained, if the project is failed then the project is abandoned and the study is completed. The reason for the failure is observed, communicated, and documented. The alternate methods and direction are studied and a new use case is made. The same is communicated to the management and customer. Perhaps, the new Proof of Concept is made and the existing POC is closed with lessons learned. The following steps are done at this stage, they are as follows,

• Prepare for the planned closure
• Prepare for the premature closure
• Prepare for the failed closure
• Hand over the products
• Study the use case and document thoroughly
• Communicate to the management and customer
• For the successful projects obtain the customer sign off
• Recommend the project closure
• Suggest improvement at the POC stage and the project planning stage. 

In this blog, the Prince2 processes are explained in detail and a detailed study has been made to make you understand the 7 Prince2 processes and how each one is important in the Project Management Life Cycle. This article will help you with the Prince2 Foundation and Prince2 practitioner examinations. 

However, we suggest that you enroll for the Prince2 Certification Training at StarAgile for further and thorough enhancement of the knowledge. Keep Learning!!!