PRINCE2 is a structured project management methodology which was developed in the UK. While it was initially used exclusively within UK government projects, its use soon became widespread across the UK and eventually managed to reach international organisations as well. Many now consider a PRINCE2 certification to be a necessity for a project management role, but some may still question whether becoming qualified in PRINCE2 is worth the investment.
If employability is the only factor to consider, then the answer is absolutely yes; too many companies simply will not hire a PM without them having at least some experience in working with the PRINCE2 methodology. On the other hand, it’s important to manage expectations and consider what it is about a PRINCE2 certification that is worth the cost.
PRINCE2 Can Get Your Foot in The Door
If you look through project management job listings, you will likely see PRINCE2 as a prerequisite quite frequently. For some people, that may be reason enough to bite the bullet and get certified. Just make sure to keep things in perspective and don’t jump the gun. A five day class isn’t going to teach you some of the nitty-gritty details of project management that you only learn from experience. For example, while PRINCE2 will teach you how break down complex tasks and allocate responsibilities, it won’t teach you how to effectively assign these tasks within your team to fully utilise your pool of talent. This is something you can only learn by getting to know your team and examining independently which tasks are relevant to which skillset.
It’s also important to note that many organisations that ask for you to have a PRINCE2 qualification may not fully implement the methodology within their organisation. Because the methodology is comprised of a set of general principles and techniques for project managers, organisations may pick and choose which elements of the methodology they implement according to which are relevant to their method of working. Not all projects are the same and while PRINCE2 is a useful tool, your suitability for a project management role and your success within it depends on your ability to adapt the methodology and think independently, so potential employers will often ask for project management experience in addition to a PRINCE2 certification.
PRINCE2 May Not be Necessary For Project Support Roles
If you don’t want to be a project manager, but are interested in other roles on a project team, it may not be necessary for you to become a PRINCE2 Practitioner. However, there are many features of the course that you can utilize in your own work and if PRINCE2 is implemented in your place of work, then it will help if you familiarize yourself with the methodology, even informally. Risk management, for example, plays an important role in PRINCE2 and by learning the methods of preparing for and managing risks within a project, you may find errors in your work being reduced as well as time spent recovering from mistakes. In which case, you may want to learn the basics of PRINCE2 Foundation rather than completing the course in full and becoming a Practitioner, or you can purchase the PRINCE2 guidance and study some of the information in your own time.
Being a PRINCE2 Practitioner Can Help You Secure A Project Management Role
If your ultimate goal is to work as a project manager, PRINCE2 is a highly beneficial certification to have on your CV: this is true if you already have project experience and can be doubly true if you are coming from a different career background. As a practical matter, investing in PRINCE2 training courses is simply a necessity if you are looking to enter into a project management role without any prior experience. It will teach you enough for you to understand the basic principles and responsibilities of your position and it will also make you a stronger candidate for employment than if you had applied for a project management position with no experience or understanding of what the job would entail.
Just be aware that you may not be enamored with the methodology initially. Many project teams find PRINCE2 too inflexible for their types of projects. However, becoming qualified in PRINCE2 makes available possibilities to expand on your knowledge and make the methodology more relevant to your industry and projects. For example, PRINCE2 Agile is a qualification that is an extension of the PRINCE2 Practitioner course which mixes together elements of PRINCE2 and the highly flexible methodology Agile PM. For some project managers, paying for two or three certifications to learn the relevant methodology may not seem like a worthwhile investment, which is something you would need to think about before you consider enrolling.
PRINCE2 Does Not Make up For Lack of Experience
A good project manager has done more than master a particular project methodology. They have learned to communicate effectively, make time estimates, use resources, manage project scope, resolve conflict, and deal with inevitable catastrophes.
While a project management methodology like PRINCE2 might teach you the importance of these skills and the basic principles, much of what you will use within your team will come from experience. PRINCE2 does not supply you with a rulebook that you can refer to, so you will need to learn these skills through successes and failures and by collecting experience as a project manager.
PRINCE2 Methodologies Can be Applied in Multiple Industries
While there are some methodologies that only work well in particular industries, PRINCE2 can be applied virtually anywhere. In fact, it’s been said that PRINCE2 can even be used to plan parties or other personal life events. What this means to you, as a fledgling project manager, is that the skills you learn in PRINCE2 can be applied to any industry you are interested in working in. For example, your PRINCE2 skills used in an IT company can be fairly easily translated into skills that are useful at a manufacturing plant or marketing firm. This means you have a fairly wide variety of industries in which you can seek employment.
PRINCE2 is Not Widely Used in The United States
If you plan to seek out project management positions solely in the United States or within firms that do business primarily with American firms, the PRINCE2 Practitioner designation may not be quite as lucrative for you as it would be for a UK professional. This is because, in spite of its popularity in many other countries, PRINCE2 simply hasn’t gained traction in the United States.
While the PRINCE2 certification may be useful to professionals working with multinational companies, or for projects executed by US firms overseas, you might consider learning other methodologies that you may find more useful within the United States. Agile, CPM, Scrum, Kanban, and others are some of the more popular project management methodologies used by American companies.
It may be helpful to think of PRINCE2 certification as getting your high school diploma rather than being the one and only methodology you learn. It is one of the oldest project management methodologies still being used today, and so contains many elements from which most other methodologies were derived. While it is useful for many professionals, it may not supply you with the complete knowledge that you will need in order to excel in a project management position and not always will it be relevant to the industry or organisation you enter into.
If you are going to seek work as a PM in countries such as the UK or India where this methodology is highly popular, it will definitely benefit you. However, it cannot replace project management experience and while it can give your career a boost, it cannot be relied upon entirely to ensure your success as a PM. Think carefully about the requirements of your current role or the role you are aiming for when you consider whether a PRINCE2 certification is worth the cost and learn what you can about the methodology and others before you decide which you would benefit from the most.
