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 Overview
The Inspirandum PRINCE2 Practitioner course is a highly effective and intensive event teaching you the detail of the method but also how to apply it intelligently and effectively on projects. It is delivered at a full practitioner level of detail, but is also suitable for those wanting to take the Foundation Exam only. Everyone leaves with a full understanding of the method, even if they choose not to go on to the Practitioner Exam and even if they are not interested in taking exams at all.
The course is intensive (but with some fun too!). It is designed as a non-residential event, but personal evening study is required to consolidate each day's material - most people need some 1½ to 2 hours each evening. It can be run in the same format residentially with personal evening study.
Pre-Course Work
There is some pre-course study, but this is deliberately limited in quantity and is low key. It is presented on a CD ROM with a 15 minute overview of the method, then a 'point and click' exploration section that takes about an hour. We recommend going through the point and click a couple of times in the week before the course. It is emphasised that you only need to read this material, not learn it. We want it to be enjoyable and simply provide a framework of understanding. We reject the common approach of requiring up to 24 hours study of the manual before the course for 2 reasons. First, it is very dry and if you could really learn it that effectively from the manual you wouldn’t need a course! The second reason is that study of the manual alone tends to lead to misunderstandings (particularly around the area of how to apply the method) which just waste time on the course in unlearning and relearning.
Who should attend this course?
All those who need to know PRINCE2 in detail and how to use it. This includes Project Managers, project support staff and even Project Board members where their project is large or they will be serving on the boards of a number of projects and need to fully understand the method. No prior knowledge of PRINCE2 is needed - we start from the 'ground floor'. All that is required is an understanding of working in a project environment.
Duration
The course runs for 4 days and this includes time for the Foundation Examination. The Practitioner Exam is held on an optional 5th day (Friday). The full detail of the method is covered in the 4 days of the event, equipping delegates to be able to use the method on projects as well as to tackle both the Foundation and Practitioner Examinations. Those wanting to take the Foundation Exam only leave the course after Day 4 and do not attend the optional 5th day.
The 5th day is entirely Practitioner Exam focussed, unlike the previous 4 days. It is in the form of a Practitioner exam workshop in the morning with the PRINCE2 Practitioner Exam following in the afternoon. The workshop gives more detailed guidance on tackling exam questions, provides the latest information on the type of questions being asked and revises key topics that come up frequently in the Practitioner exam.
Content
The course covers all aspects of PRINCE2
the 8 processes
- SU - Starting Up a Project (the pre-project preparation)
- IP - Initiating a Project (planning the project in detail)
- PL - Planning (a planning sequence used at different levels of plan)
- DP - Directing a Project (the work of the Project Board)
- SB - Managing Stage Boundaries (the work of the Project Manager preparing for the end of a stage)
- CS - Controlling a Stage (the day-to-day work of the Project Manager during a stage)
- MP - Managing Product Delivery (the work of a Team Manager building the project deliverables)
- CP - Closing a Project (an orderly shut down of the project)
the 8 components
- Business Case (the justification for the project and the benefits)
- Organisation (the roles and responsibilities)
- Plans
- Controls (stages, decision points, problem handling, progress monitoring and reporting)
- Risk Management (analysis and management of risk and use of the Risk Log)
- Quality Management (strategic planning, then tactical planning down to the level of individual project deliverables)
- Configuration Management (versions and the control of deliverables)
- Change Control (mechanisms for controlling change and dealing with project issues)
techniques
- Product planning
- An overview of activity planning so you see how to take the planning process right through
- Quality Review
- Change control procedure
Exams
There are currently two examinations in PRINCE. The PRINCE2 Foundation Exam tests detailed knowledge of the method while the PRINCE2 Practitioner Exam tests whether the candidate can apply PRINCE sensibly to a given project. You need not take either exam in the course, but most people do. Even if you don’t need the qualification, it is good to have something recognised after you have put in all that work.
PRINCE2 Foundation Exam
This is a 1 hour multiple choice paper, leading to the PRINCE2 Foundation Certificate. This exam should not be underestimated because it is 'multiple choice'. The questions are detailed and require a good knowledge of the method. The examination is 'closed book'. There are 75 questions of which 38 or more (50%) need to be answered correctly to pass. It is necessary to pass the Foundation Examination before taking the Practitioner Examination. Foundation Exams are marked by Inspirandum and results are normally available within a few minutes of the exam finishing. Under the exam regulations, it is necessary to pass the Foundation Exam before going on to the Practitioner.
PRINCE2 Practitioner Exam
The PRINCE2 Practitioner exam is a 3 hour multiple choice paper leading to the PRINCE2 Practitioner Certificate. This is an 'open book' exam in that the PRINCE2 manual may be taken into the exam room. The exam tests whether the candidate can apply PRINCE and much of the paper is focused on a project scenario which is part of the question paper. There are 9 areas of questions, all of which must be attempted, and the pass mark is 50% across the whole paper (it is not necessary to pass each question). The Practitioner Certificate is valid for 5 years, and to stay current it must be 'topped up' after 3 to 5 years with a 1 hour exam which again is based on a project scenario. Practitioner Exam scripts are marked centrally and results are normally available in about 3 weeks
The Inspirandum 'Passing PRINCE2 Exam Guide'
We give strategic guidance on how to approach the exams in the course, and also in our PRINCE Exam Guide, supplied to all candidates as part of their course materials. This guide contains considerably more information than the equivalent publication from The Stationery Office and was written by Nick Graham of Inspirandum who has personally achieved one of the highest marks ever recorded at PRINCE2 Practitioner level.
Pass Rates
In the Foundation Exam Inspirandum we rarely 'lose' a candidate, but that is not because the questions are all easy. It reflects delegates' hard work and the effective training approach.
On the Practitioner Exam, our pass rate on public courses is pleasing, helped by many courses where we have achieved a 100% pass rate. But the exact result varies from course to course. Success depends on a number of factors including who is holding the pen (the candidate!), the questions that come up, and how it goes 'on the day' - rather like a driving test. If it does go wrong for a candidate on the day, our advice is nearly always to take the exam again as soon as possible while the course is still fresh in the mind.
Our course gives thorough grounding in the practical use of the method, which is also very advantageous for the Practitioner Exam which focuses on applying the method to projects. In addition, we give strategic guidance on how to approach the exam in our PRINCE Exam Guide, supplied to all delegates as part of their course materials, and in our exam workshop which is run on Friday mornings as part of our Practitioner Exam day.
PRINCE2™ is a Trademark of the Office of Government Commerce. PRINCE2™ training is provided by our partners Inspirandum an Accredited Training Organisation
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