PRINCE2® Foundation & Practitioner

PRINCE2 is an internationally recognised best practice project management methodology. Since its inception in 1989, it has been widely adopted and successfully implemented throughout both the public and private sectors around the world.

PRINCE2 Foundation level introduces delegates to the principles, techniques and processes required for successful project management.

PRINCE2 Practitioner Level follows on from the Foundation element looking at how the principles, techniques and processes learnt previously and required for successful project management are applied in the real world.

• Proven track record and excellent pass rates - 98% at Foundation and 79% at Practitioner level (industry average = 99% at Foundation and 78% at Practitioner Jan 2015 to November 2016)*
• Expert trainers with years of real world project management experience
• Interactive training materials ensure a hands-on approach for all delegates
• Small class sizes

• High quality accredited courseware
• Experienced and accredited trainer
• Both foundation and practitioner exams
• The official PRINCE2 manual
• Pre-course reading to help you prepare for the course and exams
• Refreshments

• Project Managers
• Project Support Staff
• Business Managers and Project Sponsors – to gain an understanding of how their project manager should be running a project
• Project Assurance
• Any team member who wishes to gain a recognised project management qualification
• Organisations and individuals who require a formal approach to project management
• Project managers and other team members requiring an in-depth knowledge of how to successfully manage a project, and an understanding of all the key stages of a project and materials that should be created at each stage to aid successful project management

Five days (the Foundation exam is normally taken during the afternoon of the third day and the Practitioner exam during the morning of the fifth day). Delegates must pass PRINCE2 Foundation level to continue on to the Practitioner element of the course.

Courses typically start at 9:30am on day 1, 9:00am on remaining days and finish at 5pm (except Friday where a 1pm finish is typical), however full joining instructions with confirmation of timings will be sent to each delegate prior to the course.

You will be given homework during the course in the form of Sample Papers to complete and you may also wish to do additional reading in the evenings as preperation for the next day. Approximately 90 minutes of study per evening is required.

• Recognised qualification
• Confidence to take on all projects
• Learn how to delegate work to teams

• Gives staff tools to successfully deliver projects on time and within budget
• Minimised risk of project failure
• Reduced waste and increased productivity
• Higher levels of customer satisfaction
• The framework is flexible, scalable, systematic and can be used for a huge variety of different projects.

There are no pre-requisites for this course although delegates are expected to spend time before the course reading through the pre-course materials and some experience in project management is useful. Delegates must pass PRINCE2 Foundation level to continue on to the Practitioner element of the course.

Both the Foundation and Practitioner elements of the course are conducted through interactive group study using practical examples and activities. Group review of sample exam papers helps delegates to prepare for both the Foundation and Practitioner exams. Delegates are expected to spend time reading and reviewing course materials each evening throughout the course. 

Over the first two and a half days of the course, the following Foundation topics are covered:

Introduction to PRINCE2 – introduction to PRINCE2, its seven principles and processes

PRINCE2 Processes and Activities

• Directing a Project
• Starting Up a Project
• Initiating a Project
• Controlling a Stage
• Managing Product Delivery
• Managing a Stage Boundary
• Closing a Project

PRINCE2 Themes

• Organisational structure - its relation to the project, the programme and the corporate organisation. Organisational roles.
• Business Case - what is a business case, continued justification, examples of business cases, development path, contents and three levels of options
• Quality - Key terms, example documentation, quality planning, control and assurance, records and responsibilities
• Risk - what is risk, risk management policy, example documentation, risk management procedure, identify opportunities and threats
• Plans - example plans, planning procedure, plan types, exceptions, product based planning, and risks.
• Change - what is configuration management, configuration management procedure, issue and change control procedure
• Progress - example documents, tolerances (covering timescales, costs, scope, risk, quality, benefit), stage length and duration, lessons, dealing with project exceptions

PRINCE2 Techniques

• Product based planning
• Quality review
• Change control

On passing the Foundation exam, delegates move on to Practitioner level. The emphasis is now on the application of PRINCE2 principles and practices in the real world. The topics covered at Foundation Level are reviewed and using two case studies supplied by the examination board, delegates are given an understanding of how PRINCE2 is applied and how it can be tailored to the project environment.

A one hour Foundation exam is taken in the afternoon of day three of the course. It is necessary to pass this exam in order to proceed to the PRINCE2 Practitioner level. The exam consists of 75 multiple choice questions and the pass mark is 50%. This is a closed book exam i.e. entrants may not refer to any course materials or their own notes.

A two and a half hour Practitioner exam is taken in the morning of day five of the course. This exam evaluates delegates' knowledge of the application of PRINCE2. It consists of eight questions worth 10 points each and the pass mark is 55%. This is an open book exam meaning that entrants may refer to the PRINCE2 manual during the exam.