Prince2

[HRH]

How long does it take to get a qualification in this area, is it worth doing?

Thanks/

[EternalOptimist]

How long does it take to get a qualification in this area, is it worth doing?

Thanks/

As a developer , I hate prince and all of its manifestations, but I know a few PM's who have made a very profitable career out of it

[HRH]

As a developer , I hate prince and all of its manifestations, but I know a few PM's who have made a very profitable career out of it

Is it just a project management process? I have been offered a perm role as a junior PM where I would get this qualification/training.

[Cooperinliverp00l]

Is it just a project management process? I have been offered a perm role as a junior PM where I would get this qualification/training.

i'm planning on doing this later this year. Whether it is used or not it's good to have on CV. I intend on doing the course work myself and then just taking the exam when i'm ready.

[EternalOptimist]

Is it just a project management process? I have been offered a perm role as a junior PM where I would get this qualification/training.

It's a project management method, a sort of philosophy that comes with some tools. The idea is to concentrate on the business needs.

To me its a total nightmare because it lets in all the know nothing bull sh itt ers, who can get away with murder because the 'have Prince'.

E.G two contracts ago I was asked to rewrite a legacy system (access => SQL server) , I estimated twelve weeks. They brought a PM over , his response was that a developer had no right to glibly predict 12 weeks, they should use Prince or it would be a disaster. He said in the meeting, 'Look, we used Prince on the Spine, the biggest IT project the world has ever seen'

[51st State]

It's a project management method, a sort of philosophy that comes with some tools. The idea is to concentrate on the business needs.

To me its a total nightmare because it lets in all the know nothing bull sh itt ers, who can get away with murder because the 'have Prince'.

E.G two contracts ago I was asked to rewrite a legacy system (access => SQL server) , I estimated twelve weeks. They brought a PM over , his response was that a developer had no right to glibly predict 12 weeks, they should use Prince or it would be a disaster. He said in the meeting, 'Look, we used Prince on the Spine, the biggest IT project the world has ever seen'

WHS.

I've worked in Prince environments (where it wasn't implemented correclty and was therefore a buracratic nightmare) so can put that onto my CV. The search tools that the agencies use pick it up, and if asked, I say I've got relevant experience rather than qualifications. That seems to work for me.
At my last interview, the Head of IT was laughing at the tulip contract PMs that had walked through his door with a qualification but no real experience.
If you've got no experience, it may help to get you through the door though, so probably worth looking at.

[Bear]

It really is a CV thing, gets you to more interviews. The best PM's tend to be able to pick elements from a methodology and apply the relevant ones to the project without swamping the project with process and paperwork.

The foundation level of Prince II is dead easy, get the book, read it , take the exam - it's multi choice and took me 35 mins to complete.

The practitioner takes a bit more effort and you need to use a project you are/have been working on in your studies.

Depends what roles you are going for as to which to get. But get the foundation anyway - then decide.

[TimberWolf]

It really is a CV thing, gets you to more interviews...

The foundation level of Prince II is dead easy, get the book, read it , take the exam - it's multi choice and took me 35 mins to complete.

Sounds good. What book, and where do you take the exam (on the cheap)?

[oracleslave]

Sounds good. What book, and where do you take the exam (on the cheap)?

PCG members used to get discount at Maven Training

[KathyWoolfe]

Got Prince2 Foundation and it really was quite easy.

The Practitioner course is a 3-day intensive effort and then the exam.

Not sure whether it's useful in RL but the last big project I used it on it made the whole thing easier to manage because it can help with multi-site, multi-system projects.