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Contact UsPRINCE2® 7th Edition Certifications
PRINCE2® was first launched in 1996, and has had six editions, the last update being in 2017. PRINCE2® 7 Edition seeks to respond to a number of changes that have taken place in our
world and in the discipline of project management since then.
Our PRINCE2® training courses are based on the 7th Edition of PRINCE2®:
PRINCE2® Foundation (7th Edition)
PRINCE2® Practitioner (7th Edition)
PRINCE2® Foundation & Practitioner (7th Edition)
What’s New In PRINCE2® 7?
Integration Of People - People are central to successful projects and now they are integrated into the PRINCE2® method.
Project Performance - Sustainability has been added as a seventh aspect of project performance to reflect modern organisational needs.
Digital & Data - To meet the evolving needs of project management professionals the addition of a digital and data management approach.
What’s Improved In PRINCE2® 7?
Improved Flexibility - Rules have been reduced and chapters streamlined while maintaining core elements of PRINCE2®. Showcasing the true value of the method to all projects across all sectors.
PRINCE2 For All - Simplifications in language and content throughout the official book to widen the addressable market.
Fully Tailorable Enabling Agility - Tailoring is addressed throughout the whole method demonstrated using scenarios. Allowing PMs to move quickly and easily in response to change or challenge.
Evolving To Changes In The PM Space - Meeting new needs and requirements for ever changing profession.
Why Make Changes? – Background To The Prince2® 7 Edition
The digital revolution, the speed of change, the rise of Agile ways of working, and the increased volatility and uncertainty of all aspects of life mean that project management must evolve to meet these demands.
When updating guidance there can be a tendency to simply add new material to the existing content, resulting in more rather than better guidance.
Instead, the decision was taken to go back to basics and challenge every aspect of PRINCE2® to ensure that its inclusion was required and contributed to the guidance being fit for purpose now and for some years to come.
Furthermore, it was clear from the research carried out by AXELOS that there was a clear requirement to add new content to the method, and so this had to be done in a way that would protect the integrity and usefulness of the guidance.
The research and consultation undertaken gave a clear message: that the core PRINCE2® method was still valid and relevant.
However, there was clear evidence that the current edition could be improved to better express this core method. So, the task was to transform the way that PRINCE2® is explained, while retaining all that was good and also adding relevant new content.
This is so that it can contribute to the way in which organisations invest in response to their changing circumstances and enable them to successfully manage their investments in projects.
What Has Not Changed? – High Level View
The essence of what a project is remains the same – it is temporary, it is product-focused, and there should always be an ongoing business justification.
The overall structure of PRINCE2® is clearly recognisable, as the new edition has principles, practices (what were previously called themes) and a set of processes that make up the lifecycle of a project in the way that the previous version also did.
However, within and alongside those principles, practices and processes there has been a number of changes, additions and deletions.
Broad Design Principles
The PRINCE2® 7 edition has been designed with these broad principles in mind:
To ensure that PRINCE2® remains adaptable and flexible and can be used in a wide range of organisations and environments. To do this PRINCE2 must provide a ‘common
universal language’ so that there is a common understanding of why a project is being undertaken, what it is trying to achieve, and what it is aiming to deliver.
To provide guidance that retains and strengthens all the aspects of PRINCE2® that remain valid, while adding new complementary content in a way that maintains and builds on the integrity of the integrated framework.
To not ‘replicate’ guidance that is provided in other methods such as Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) and Management of Risk (M_o_R 4), but instead to offer additional value to anyone involved in a project.
To emphasise how PRINCE2® is designed to be applied and tailored appropriately according to the project environment and the project requirements.
To enable project teams to recognise the many ways that outputs can be delivered, including iterative (Agile), linear and hybrid approaches.
How The Main Elements Of Prince2® Are Addressed In The Prince2® 7 Edition
The core concepts of the previous edition still form the overall structure of the guidance, as follows:
Principles – PRINCE2® remains a principle-centred method and the previous seven principles still apply, albeit with some changes to the way they are described and minor changes to the titles.
Themes – The seven themes from the previous edition are still addressed and are renamed Practices. There are some changes to these chapters to improve the consistency of how they are explained, together with improved cross-referencing to other parts of the method.
Processes – PRINCE2® has a tried and tested process model, and this remains. As before, it consists of the seven processes that support the three layers of management in a PRINCE2 project. The description of each process and its cross reference to the rest of the method has also been improved.
Appendices – have been simplified and reduced in number so as not to distract the reader from the main aspects of the PRINCE2® method.
However, the way that these main elements are addressed has changed, and an explanation of how and why this has happened is included below. New material has also been added, in particular:
The introduction of a new chapter to highlight the importance of ‘people’ in successful projects.
The addition of a seventh variable/performance target – sustainability.
Information on the importance of managing project data