How to: Preparing for Prince2 foundation exam

Frequently I receive questions from people who would like to prepare for the prince2 foundation exam by selfstudy. Most of the times the questions are about example questions for the exam or for literature needed for the exam.

In three articles I will try to explain:

1. What is an approach for studying for the foundation exam using the OGC bible: Managing Successful Projects with Prince2?
2. What other books are recommended besides the Prince2 manual?
3. How can I prepare myself on the exam itself, what kind of questions can I expect?

This article is about studying the Prince2 manual. The other two articles will follow soon.

Foundation exam approach using the Prince2 manual

First of all. The Prince2 manual is originally written in English. It was no really suited for Dutch students with poor understanding of the English language. This has changed since the manual has been translated in Dutch in the beginning of 2008. So if you’re dutch and still have the English manual: go to the book store and buy the Dutch version (recommended!).

So now about the approach. You have to read the following chapters to begin with:

• Chapter 1: introduction.
  It gives you information why you should use a project management method and what benefits can bring Prince2. It also describes the structure of the manual and how you should use it.
  In chapter 1.5 you’ll find the guidelines what to read based upon the experience you have. (more…)

  

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Template: Prince2 Product Flow Diagram in .vsd format

Prince2 Product flow diagram in vsd format (Microsoft Visio)
Chapter 22 of the English OGC manual ‘Managing Successful Projects with Prince2′ explains the product-based planning technique. It is used in the sub-process Defining and Analysing Products (PL-2) of the Planning process.

Within the product-based planning technique four products are created:

1. Product description of the final product
2. Product breakdown structure
3. Product descriptions of each product
4. Product flow diagram

I created Microsoft Visio templates for the Product breakdown structure and the Product flow diagram. Feel free to use them, and leave a comment as appreciation.Click here to download Prince2 Product flow diagram in vsd format.

If you think things can be improved or if you have templates you would like to add then send me a message. All templates can be found here: http://prince2.healthcheck-online.com/my-prince2-tools-and-downloads/

Template: Prince2 Product Breakdown Structure in .vsd format

Prince2 Product breakdown structure in vsd format (Microsoft Visio)
Chapter 22 of the English OGC manual ‘Managing Successful Projects with Prince2′ explains the product-based planning technique. It is used in the sub-process Defining and Analysing Products (PL-2) of the Planning process.

Within the product-based planning technique four products are created:
1. Product description of the final product
2. Product breakdown structure
3. Product descriptions of each product
4. Product flow diagram

I created Microsoft Visio templates for the Product breakdown structure and the Product flow diagram. Feel free to use them, and leave a comment as appreciation.

Click here to download Prince2 Product breakdown structure in vsd format.

If you think things can be improved or if you have templates you would like to add then send me a message. All templates can be found here: http://prince2.healthcheck-online.com/my-prince2-tools-and-downloads/

Template: Prince2 HealthCheck in XLS format

Working with Prince2 I developped some templates or tools for myself. Ofcourse I have no problem sharing them with you. If you download one of the templates then please leave a comment as appreciation.

If you think things can be improved or if you have templates you would like to add then send me a message. All templates can be found here: http://prince2.healthcheck-online.com/my-prince2-tools-and-downloads/

Prince2 HealthCheck in xls format (Microsoft Excel spreadsheet).
This is the spreadsheet I use within my projects to check for Prince2 compliancy. Together with the quality plan we decide which HealthCheck should be performed and when.

The questions are answered in an interview most of the times performed by project support. They report to project assurance. Project support is involved since they can check if the project documents are really there …

Answering the questions, the field change color: Green for a Y and red for a N. I expect project managers to explain the No’s an Not Applicable in the rows under the HealthCheck.

Click here to download Prince2 HealthCheck in xls format.

Behind the scenes: Prince2 Risk Health Check explained

A key aspect for the project is management of Risk. Management of Risk aims to identify risks that threaten the project and then manage them. It is not necessarily required to eliminate a risk (or all risks), that could be an disproportionate effort and could prove costly.

The project manager must be aware of the risks from the beginning of the project and not limited to one stage, but looking forward towards the end of the project. When decisions are taken they can have impact on the risks. So a risk assesment is a continous process.

Risk are introduced at any stage in the project, so good management of them is a necesity.

The Prince2 risk management cycle is divided in two steps:

1. Risk analysis
   1. Identify the risks
   2. Evaluate the risks
   3. Identify suitable responses to the risk
   4. Select
2. Risk management
   1. Plan and resource
   2. Monitor and report

 Reference to the manual: “Managing Successful Project” from OGC, the 2005 edition:

• Management of risk - Chapter 17
  • Risk management cycle - Chapter 17.3
    • Risk analysis - Chapter 17.3.1
    • Risk Management - Chapter 17.3.2

Perform a Risk health check now. It contains 17 questions. A quick and easy check, click here!

The Prince2 Health Check contains the following questions:

1. Is there a Risk Log?
2. Is it kept up-to-date?
3. Are risks to each plan identified, analysed and acted upon?
4. Are business risks identified?
5. Is a formal procedure for the management of risk in use?
6. Is risk assessment part of each End Stage Assessment?
7. Were the major risks entered in the PID?
8. Have risk owners been identified?
9. Are risks monitored on a sufficiently regular basis?
10. Is risk assessment part of each major change request assessment?
11. Were risk likelihood and impact assessed?
12. Have proactive risk actions been taken where necessary?
13. Were any needed contingency plans prepared?
14. Were all obvious risks covered?
15. Were the risks and countermeasures discussed with the Project Board?
16. Were appropriate countermeasures taken?
17. Were risks reassessed when plans were changed?

Behind the scenes: Business Case Health Check explained.

The purpose of a business case is to capture the reasoning for initiating a project or task. It is often presented in a well-structured written document, but may also sometimes come in the form of a short verbal argumentation. The logic of the business case is that any time resources such as money or effort are consumed, they should be in support of the business. An example could be that a software upgrade might improve system performance but the “business case” is that better performance would improve customer satisfaction.

Business cases can range from comprehensive and highly structured, as required by formal project management methodologies, to informal and brief.

Information included in a formal business case could be the background of the project, the expected business benefits, the options considered (with reasons for rejecting or carrying forward each option), the expected costs of the project, a gap analysis and the expected risks.

Consideration should also be given to the option of doing nothing including the costs and risks of inactivity. From this information, the justification for the project is derived.

The Business Case is updated constantly for the justification of the project. Each time a stage of the project is finished, the Business Case will be  updated according to the revised planning and is assessed whether it still makes sense for the project to proceed.

To perform the Prince2 Health Check for the Business Case, click here!

These are the questions to answer:

1. Is there a Business Case?
2. Are the reasons for the project clearly defined and valid?
3. Is there an Investment Appraisal?
4. Are figures based on defined items that can be measured?
5. Is the Business Case passed down from pre-project work?
6. If so, have the figures been checked out?
7. Are costs based on the Project Plan or some other figure?
8. Are benefits stated in terms that can be measured in the Post-Project Review?
9. Have before measurements been taken in order to assist comparisons in the Post-Project Review?
10. Is the Business Case updated and reviewed for each End Stage Assessment?
11. Who measures the impact of changes on the Business Case?
12. Is the impact of changes on the Business Case assessed?
13. If the project is part of a Programme, is the Programme s Business Case fully reflected?

Behind the scenes: Organisation Health Check explained

The organisation of the project is one of the factors that can make a project a succes or a failure. Make sure that you have the right team and the right project board (steering committee).

The project usually consists of a Project Board (steering committee) and a Project Management Team (PMT). The steering committee consists of at least 1 person, although at least two people to recommend. The Steering Committee contains the following distinct roles:

• The Business Executive is the sponsor of the project and the owner of the business case. In general, this is the line manager of the department where the change takes place, but if the project is about for example replacing obsolete hardware it can also be the line manager of the IT department.
• The Senior User represents the users who will have to work with the outcome of the project. He is also responsible for providing users who can be interviewed in order to establish functional specifications, and is also responsible for providing to users to perform, for example, acceptance tests.
• The Senior Supplier is responsible for providing the necessary resources for the project. He is responsible for the allocation of the resources in the project, the availability of a project environment and any necessary hardware and software.

The project leader is not part of the Project Board. The Project Board takes decisions about releasing the budget for the next phase of the project on the basis of the updated Business Case. They also set out what the stage boundaries are in terms of turnaround time and investment for the next phase.

The Project Board will therefore meet at the end of a phase (End Stage Report), but also when an Exception Report is submitted by the project manager: Management By Exception.

The questions to be answered in the organisation health check are:

1. Is there a Project Board?
2. Are any limits to the authority of the Project Board documented?
3. Is it clear to whom the Project Board reports?
4. Which member of the Project Board reports to senior management?
5. Does the Senior User adequately represent all user areas?
6. Are PB members contributing fully to all Mid Stage Assessments and End Stage Assessments?
7. Are PB members carrying out their other project duties?
8. Is there a Project Manager (PM)?
9. Have assurance roles been agreed?
10. Has any role for Project Support been clarified?
11. Does each person have a job description?
12. Has each person agreed/signed their job description?
13. Was the organisation agreed by the end of SU?
14. Is the documented version of the organisation correct?
15. Is the role of the Supplier(s) clearly defined?
16. Have any changes to the management team been recorded?
17. Has the Project Board received training for its roles?
18. Is the team manager role used effectively?
19. Are job descriptions agreed with any late appointments?

Interested in performing the organisation healt check? Click here!

Successful Candidate Register Prince2

An open source I use to check whether or not a project manager has passed his foundation or practitioner exam is the Successful Candidate Register of the APM group.

According to the website:

“This database lists all candidates who have succeeded in passing the PRINCE2 Foundation or Practitioner Examination (or both). These examinations are based on detailed syllabuses.
For detailed information on what knowledge and competence the Foundation and Practitioner examinations require of candidates, please see the relevant page in the Qualifications area of the website.

Candidates who have passed the Practitioner examination are entitled to put PRINCE2™ Practitioner on their business cards.

Searching by Name
Please enter your name or candidate number in the boxes and click “Submit”. You can search using just a first name or surname. Select a sort option for multiple matches. You can also search using a “wildcard” which for the purpose of this query is a percentage sign - %.”

An usefull resource and database to check candidates for new jobs or new projects.

Prince2 voorbeeldxamen bij PUGNL

In een eerder artikel had ik al aangegeven dat er veel vraag is naar voorbeeldexamens. Ik heb toe onder meer gemeld:

” Op de website van projectacademie.nl ben ik een Prince2 voorbeeld examen tegengekomen. Op een frisse en educatieve manier krijg je 10 Prince2 vragen voorgeschoteld. Indien je een fout antwoord geeft krijg je extra uitleg waarom het fout is. De link naar het voorbeeldexamen is: http://www.projectmanagementacademie.nl/voorbeeldprince2.html.”

Toen ik van de week weer een keek op de website van de nederlandse Prince2 User Group zag ik daar ook een prince2 voorbeeld examen staan. Dit is de link naar het voorbeeldexamen Prince2.

De website van Pugnl geeft de volgende opmerkingen bij de toets:

“Test uw PRINCE2 kennis!
Toelichting (deze toets is geen PRINCE2 Foundation examen):
U kunt zoveel vragen als u wilt maken (maximaal 20 per toets);

Indien u nog een anderewebsite weet met prince2 voorbeeld examens, zet deze dan in het commentaar op dit bericht. Bij voorbaat dank!

Behind the scenes: Initiation Health Check explained

The second process: Initiating a Project. Sometimes or most of the times this proces is combined with the proces Starting Up a project. This process is mandatory in any PRINCE2 project and aims to build a good foundation for the project (at first thought).

In the initiation stage, the intended results, plans, tasks and responsibilities are laid down, and combined they are the solid base for the project. The main product of this phase is the Project Initiation Document (PID).

This process builds on the work of the Start Up (SU) activity and the project brief is augmented to form a Business Case. The approach taken to ensure quality on the project is agreed together with the overall approach to controlling the project itself (project controls). Project files are also created as is an overall plan for the project. A plan for the next stage of the project is also created. The resultant information can be put before the project board for them to authorize the project itself.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRINCE2 an http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/prince2 (translated)

Project Initiation Questions

1. Was the Initiation Stage formally authorised?
2. Were the ‘Authorising Initiation’ agenda items covered?
3. Is there a Project Initiation Document (PID)?
4. Is the PID produced to PRINCE 2 standards?
5. Are the Project objectives stated?
6. Have project constraints been identified?
7. Is project tolerance defined?
8. Are any project interdependencies stated?
9. Is the Project scope stated?
10. Are reporting procedures, contents and frequency defined?
11. Is there a Communication Plan covering both inward and outward communication needs?
12. Does the PID contain the Project Plan?
13. Is there a Business Case in PID?
14. Are the reasons for the project given?
15. Is there an Investment Appraisal or Cost/Benefit Analysis?
16. Was the PID Quality Reviewed?
17. Did the Project Board formally approve the PID?
18. Was the Project Board committed to the process?
19. Was Initiation done before work on specialist products began?
20. Was there an Initiation End Stage Assessment (DP2 Authorising a Project)?
21. Was the next Stage Plan presented at the Initiation End Stage Assessment?
22. Were issues affecting the PID managed effectively?
23. Was formal approval to proceed to next stage given?

Interested in doing the initiation health check? Click Here!