Do I have to do all of PRINCE2®?

PRINCE2 can be overwhelming to a new Project Manager in particular. This is even more so if you start by believing you need to create a large wad of documents to be able to run a good project.

You can cut through this fear by realising that some parts of PRINCE2 will offer the new project manager more value than others. Your dilemma is that you need to work out which bits.

Whilst it will vary from person to person and project to project, in my experience, a few parts of the method are the critical enablers that will get the rest of PRINCE2 working for you. Looking to meet these challenges first can smooth the way for later:

  • Establish ownership and connections with the user and supplier environments – even an imperfect Project Board that can connect you with your users and the people who will supply the solution
  • Do product based planning – this will support you later with scope management, cost management, assignment of work, risk identification and later with any proposed changes
  • Structure work assignment and management – this sounds fairly obvious but seems to be one essential that many people forget
  • Establish change authorities– having authorities and limits of authority established up front will save you lots of time later by avoiding those awful arguments about who can approve a change.

Most commonly when an inexperienced project manager hits a problem they will throw their hands in the air and forget PRINCE2; when actually PRINCE2 would give them a way of solving those problems. Rather than making that mistake, an experienced PRINCE2 exponent will think about “what part of the PRINCE2 method could help me here?”

If you start with the basics I’ve given you above and then every time you hit a problem look to the method to help solve your problem you will soon gain a lot of proficiency at using PRINCE2. You will certainly be better placed than someone who tries to implement PRINCE2 by writing every document suggested by the manual!