A New Year - and a new PRINCE2?

Happy New Year!

The end of 2008 was tumultuous and 2009 promises to bring us all new challenges and new ways of working. As you may be aware the next scheduled update for the PRINCE2® manual is this year! The manual gets updated every few years with suggestions based on current best practice as well as any issues raised. Since its launch in 1996 it has already been updated in 1998, 2002 and 2005.

As the principles of PRINCE2® won't be changing, and your need to understand PRINCE2® or use it on existing projects will mean that you should have training or consultancy in real time.

The update does not mean that the principles of PRINCE2® are changing – they remain very much intact. There will be new examinations which will accompany the new manual. APMG, the accreditation body responsible for the PRINCE2® qualification scheme, will pilot the new Foundation and Practitioner exams in February 2009.

The Chief Examiner Emma Jones has advised candidates who want to take PRINCE2® that they should not wait for the new scheme to be released in mid-2009. She said: “Although the new PRINCE2® manual will simplify the presentation of the method, the fundamental content hasn’t changed. If an organisation is using PRINCE2® then it’s far better to gain understanding of that as soon as staff need to. There will be no difference between the current qualifications and the 2009 qualifications. There will be no requirement to retrain or upgrade. All the enhancements will be easy to digest and understand simply by reading the new manual”.

Recommended blog:
PRINCE2:2009 Project
Andy Murray – not the tennis player, but the lead author for the PRINCE2® refresh – shares his thoughts....