APMP for PRINCE2 Practitioners White Paper

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    White PaperJanuary 2010

    APMP or PRINCE2 Practitioners

    Graham Williams, Principle Consultant, GSW Consulting

    For Portfolio, Programme, Project,Risk and Service Management

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    2 APMP or PRINCE2 Practioners 2009

    IntroductionThe main purpose o this White Paper isto explain why any individual who has

    the PRINCE2 Practitioner qualication, or

    any organization which employs PRINCE2

    Practitioners, should consider the merits

    o the APMP qualication.

    The paper also explains how any

    individual who has already studied

    or the APMP qualication, or any

    organization which has prepared its

    project management sta or the APMP

    qualication, could also benet rom

    using the PRINCE2 method.

    To do this, the paper sets out to answer

    the ollowing key questions:

    What is the APMP? In writing this

    paper I am assuming that the majority

    o readers will be aware o the

    PRINCE2 Practitioner qualication, but

    may never have heard o the APMP

    qualication

    How does the APM Body o

    Knowledge compare to the PRINCE2

    method? This question needs to

    be answered because the APMP

    qualication is based on the APM

    Body o Knowledge and the PRINCE2

    Practitioner Qualication is based on

    the PRINCE2 method

    How does the APMP qualication

    compare to the PRINCE2 Practitioner

    qualication? Having addressed the

    previous question, it is possible to

    compare what is oered by each o

    the qualications

    How to bring together the APMP

    and PRINCE2 qualications? The

    answers to the previous two questions

    identiy a number o similarities and

    dierences between the APM Body

    o Knowledge / APMP qualication

    and PRINCE2. These are important,

    because it is these dierences

    and similarities that make the two

    compatible with each other

    What next? Finally, I consider the steps

    that individuals and organizations can

    take to actually bring together the

    APMP with the PRINCE2 Practitioner.

    What is the

    APMP?Many PRINCE2 Practitioners have never

    even heard o the term APMP. For

    example, a training company that I know,

    recently sent out a mail shot or their

    APMP course to people who had recently

    passed the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam.

    O those that responded, the most

    requently asked question was What is

    the APMP?

    So this is probably the rst and most

    undamental question that needs to

    be addressed.

    The APMP is a qualication oered by

    the Association or Project Management,

    who describe it as ollows:

    APMP is a knowledge based

    qualication. Successul candidates

    are able to participate in projects

    rom individual assignments through

    to large capital projects. APMP is

    a qualication recognized both

    nationally and internationally that

    successul candidates can carry rom

    one job to another or rom one

    industry to another

    And urthermore:

    APMP is aimed at project managers

    and aspiring project managers who

    wish to demonstrate their knowledge

    o project management at a

    oundation level. APMP covers

    37 knowledge areas rom the APM

    Body o Knowledge. Knowledge o

    these areas is considered

    undamental to the proessional

    management o projects.

    How does the

    APM Body oKnowledgecompare withthe PRINCE2Manual?Beore we can compare the APM Body

    o Knowledge with the PRINCE2 Manual,

    we need to understand what each o

    them consists o. First o all I will provide

    a description o the APM Body o

    Knowledge and will then ollow this with

    a description o the PRINCE2 Manual.

    The PRINCE2 manual has recently

    been rereshed and a new edition was

    published in June 2009. My description

    o PRINCE2 is based on this new edition,

    and will accordingly provide anyone more

    amiliar with the previous edition with

    an overview o the changes that wereintroduced in 2009.

    What is the APM Body oKnowledge?Quoting rom the publication, The APM

    Body o Knowledge is a well-established

    collection o project management

    knowledgeit provides introductions

    and common guides to those areas

    considered essential to the discipline

    o managing projects, and it is clearly

    structured with denitions, explanationsand suggested urther reading material.

    This inormation will direct and assist

    those interested in project management

    in their work, studies and learning or

    recognized qualications.

    Extract from the APM Body of Knowledge 5thEdition, reproduced with the permission of the

    Association for Project Management.

    What does the APM Bodyo Knowledge consist o?The knowledge reerred to above, is

    structured into seven sections, with each

    section covering a number o separate

    topics. In total there are 52 topics, as

    listed on the next page:

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    APMP or PRINCE2 Practioners 2009 3

    Project management in context

    Project management*

    Programme management*

    Portolio management *

    Project context*

    Project sponsorship*

    Project oce*

    Planning the strategy

    Project success and benets

    management*

    Stakeholder management*

    Value management

    Project management plan*

    Project risk management*

    Project quality management*

    Health, saety and environmentmanagement*

    Executing the strategy

    Scope management*

    Scheduling*

    Resource management*

    Budgeting and cost management*

    Change control*

    Earned value management*

    Inormation management and

    reporting*

    Issue management*

    Techniques

    Requirements management*

    Development

    Estimating*

    Technology management

    Value engineering

    Modelling and testing

    Conguration management*

    Business and commercial

    Business case*

    Marketing and sales

    Project nancing and unding

    Procurement*

    Legal awareness

    Organization and governance

    Project lie cycles*

    Concept

    Denition

    Implementation

    Handover and closeout*

    Project reviews*

    Organization structure*

    Organizational roles*

    Methods and procedures*

    Governance o project

    management*People and the proession

    Communication*

    Teamwork*

    Leadership*

    Confict management*

    Negotiation*

    Human resource management

    Behavioural characteristics

    Learning and development

    Proessionalism and ethics.

    In addition to the above, the Body o

    Knowledge also includes a Glossary o

    project management terms and a list o

    project management acronyms.

    (*These topics orm part o the APMP

    syllabus more on that to ollow later).

    What is PRINCE2?Again, quoting rom the manual,

    PRINCE2 is a structured project

    management method based on

    experience drawn rom thousands o

    projects and rom the contributions

    o countless project sponsors, project

    managers, project teams, academics,

    trainer and consultants.

    What does PRINCE2consist o?The PRINCE2 method is made up o our

    integrated elements:

    Principles . These are the guiding

    obligations and good practices which

    determine whether the project is

    genuinely being managed using

    PRINCE2. There are seven principles

    and unless all o them are applied, it

    is not a PRINCE2 project. The seven

    principles are:

    Continued business justication

    Learn rom experience

    Dened roles and responsibilities

    Manage by stages

    Manage by exception

    Focus on products

    Tailor to suit the project environment.

    (The 2009 edition was the rst to state

    these principles so overtly, but there

    is nothing in this list that cannot be

    recognized rom the earlier editions o

    PRINCE2).

    Themes . These describe aspects o

    project management that must be

    addressed continually and in parallel

    throughout the project. The seven

    themes explain the specic treatment

    required by PRINCE2 or various

    project management disciplines and

    why they are necessary. The seven

    themes are:

    Business Case

    Organization

    Quality

    Plans

    Risk

    Change

    Progress.

    (These used to be called Components.

    A couple o them have unamiliar

    names and Conguration Management

    is no longer listed. They are no longer

    called components, because a set o

    components make up the whole, but

    these do not make up the whole o

    PRINCE2, and they certainly dont cover

    the whole o project management. Most

    o the name changes have been made

    to make them single word titles (apartrom Business Case that is), and Progress

    replaces the old Controls component.

    Conguration Management is now part

    o the Change theme, because, as the

    previous editions o PRINCE2 made clear,

    there must be a close liaison between

    conguration management and change

    control).

    Processes . These describe the step-

    wise progression through the project

    liecycle, rom getting started to

    project closure. Each process provides

    checklists o recommended activities,

    products and related responsibilities.

    There are seven processes which are:

    Starting up a Project

    Directing a Project

    Initiating a Project

    Controlling a Stage

    Managing Product Delivery

    Managing a Stage Boundary

    Closing a Project.

    (In the previous editions o PRINCE2

    there were eight processes. The old

    Planning process is now covered by the

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    APM Body o Knowledgeand PRINCE2 Compared

    There are many similarities that can beound when comparing the APM Body o

    Knowledge with PRINCE2. For example,

    they both:

    Describe generic approaches to project

    management that can be applied

    regardless o the type o project

    Can be applied across geographical

    and cultural boundaries, even

    though they both originate within

    the United Kingdom

    Recognize that they cannot provide

    a one-size-ts-all ormula to

    project success

    Cover the topics o Business Case,

    Organizational Roles, Quality

    Management, Risk Management,

    Change Control, Issue Management,

    Conguration Management,

    and aspects o Planning and o

    Progress Control.

    The key dierences between the APM

    Body o Knowledge and PRINCE2 are

    summarized in Figure 1 below.

    Taking each o these dierences in turn:

    Body o Knowledge versus

    MethodBody o Knowledge is the term used to

    describe the denition o the current best

    practice in a proession. In the case o

    the APM Body o Knowledge, it describes

    some 52 topics, which together make up

    the discipline o project management.

    In contrast, Method is the term used

    to describe a documented approach or

    the management o projects, consisting

    o processes, procedures and dened

    roles and responsibilities. A method

    provides a consistent ramework within

    which project management is perormed.

    Plans theme. PRINCE2 also no longer

    has a separate section on techniques.

    Product-based planning is covered by the

    Plans theme, so everything you need to

    know about plans and planning is in the

    one chapter. Quality Review is covered by

    the Quality theme, so again, all quality-

    related topics are in the same chapter.

    And the Change Control technique can

    now be ound in the Change theme, or

    the same reason).

    Tailoring . Or to give it its ull title

    Tailoring PRINCE2 to the project

    environment. This chapter addresses

    the need to tailor PRINCE2 to thespecic context o the project.

    PRINCE2 is not a one-size-ts-all

    solution; it is a fexible ramework that

    can readily be tailored to any type or

    size o project.

    (This may sound like a brand new

    chapter, and it is. But much o the

    content has been carried over rom

    the Scalability and Hints and Tips

    sections that permeated much o the

    earlier editions o PRINCE2. The real

    improvement is that these are nowpresented in a much more structured and

    accessible ashion).

    In addition, PRINCE2 also has a set

    o Appendices that provide Product

    Description outlines (or what PRINCE2

    calls its management products) and

    detailed Roles and Responsibilities

    (or the various roles described in the

    Organization theme). It also contains

    quite an extensive Glossary (o terms

    used throughout the manual).

    The key point here is that PRINCE2

    provides a structured ramework or

    the successul management o projects,

    however, a PRINCE2 project is more likely

    to be successul i those responsible or

    the management o the project also have

    sound project management knowledge.

    Broad Discipline-based versus

    Narrow Process-basedBroad discipline-based reers to the

    act that the APM Body o Knowledge

    describes 52 project management

    knowledge areas and organizes these

    into sections within which, each topic

    is closely related to the others withinthat section.

    Narrow process-based reers to the act

    that the PRINCE2 method describes

    the application o just seven themes

    according to where the project is

    within its liecycle, and which level o

    management is involved.

    The key point here is that whilst PRINCE2

    provides a step-wise ramework within

    which its themes are applied, it does not

    describe the detailed techniques andleadership capabilities that will need to

    be applied during the project liecycle

    or the project to be successul. Also,

    whereas PRINCE2 explains what needs to

    be done, the APM Body o Knowledge

    provides more guidance to how it is

    done.

    The nature o these similarities and

    dierences means that the APM Body

    o Knowledge and PRINCE2 make ideal

    partners. They have sucient similarities

    to make them compatible, and they have

    sucient dierences or each to benet

    rom the strengths o the other.

    APM Body o Knowledge PRINCE2

    Is a body o project management knowledge Is a structured project management method

    Provides descriptions and explanations o a broad range o

    project management topics

    And

    Takes a discipline-based approach to project management

    Provides detailed descriptions o specic approaches that

    PRINCE2 has or a airly narrow range o project management

    topics

    And

    Takes a process-based approach to project management

    Figure 1 - Key dierences between the APM Body o Knowledge and PRINCE2.

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    APMP or PRINCE2 Practioners 2009 5

    There are also a number o similarities,

    or example:

    The pass mark or both exams is 55%

    Courses leading to both exams are

    provided by accredited organizations

    (PRINCE2 Accredited Training

    Organizations; APMP Accredited

    Providers)

    Open exams are available or those

    who wish to sel-study.

    Bringing together

    the APMPand PRINCE2QualicationsThe simplest way o thinking about

    bringing together APMP with PRINCE2

    is that the APMP knowledge enables

    a PRINCE2 Practitioner to do the

    things that are not covered by the

    PRINCE2 manual.

    There are a number o questions that

    PRINCE2 leaves unanswered,

    or example:

    PRINCE2 tells me that I need to include

    an Investment Appraisal within my

    Business Case, but how do I undertake

    an Investment Appraisal?

    APMP assesses whether the candidate

    has the requisite project management

    knowledge

    PRINCE2 covers what needs to be

    done (the Themes), when it needs to

    be done during the project liecycle

    (the Processes), and how this may

    vary depending on the nature o the

    project (Tailoring); whereas APMP

    includes a ar greater coverage o how

    the things that need to be done are

    actually done.

    By way o illustration, PRINCE2:

    Explains what plans are required

    Describes a planning process

    Lists the composition o a typical plan

    States when during the processes

    plans are created and updated.

    However, PRINCE2 does not explain:

    How to produce a schedule

    How to allocate resources to

    this schedule

    How to produce a budget and apply

    cost management

    How to estimate the time and cost

    associated with the plan.

    All o these topics are, however, covered

    as part o the APMP qualifcation.

    There are a number o dierences in the

    exams (see Figure 2 below).

    How does

    the APMPqualicationcompare withthe PRINCE2Practitionerqualication?So ar I have concentrated on describing

    the dierences between the APM

    Body o Knowledge and PRINCE2, but

    the main topic o this paper is the

    APMP. So how do these two

    qualications compare?

    In the same way that the PRINCE2

    Practitioner qualication requires a

    candidate to have a good understanding

    o the PRINCE2 Manual, so the

    APMP qualication requires a good

    understanding o 37 topics o the APMBody o Knowledge (marked with an

    asterisk in the list on page 3).

    The most signicant dierences though,

    are that:

    PRINCE2 assesses whether a candidate

    is able to apply the method; whereas

    APMP PRINCE2

    The APMP syllabus addresses 37 o the 52 topics included in

    the AMP Body o Knowledge

    The PRINCE2 syllabus covers all o the Principles, Themes,

    Processes and the Tailoring o PRINCE2Assesses the candidates breadth o knowledge in all areas

    o project management, rom the strategic and commercial

    implications o their role, to the technical, commercial,

    organizational and people management skills required to

    successully participate in a project team

    Assesses whether the candidate could apply PRINCE2 to the

    running and managing o a non-complex project within an

    environment supporting PRINCE2

    Lasts three hours, in which the candidate must answer ten

    questions rom a selection o sixteen

    Lasts two and a hal hours, in which the candidate must

    answer all nine question

    The exam is closed book The exam is open book, i.e. the candidate is allowed access to

    their own copy o the PRINCE2 manual

    The questions require essay-based answers, providing either

    lists, descriptions, explanations or calculations

    Uses objective test questions which require a candidate to

    choose a response to a question rom a set o choices, only

    one o which is correct

    Figure 2 - Key dierences between the exams.

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    6 APMP or PRINCE2 Practioners 2009

    It also describes the PRINCE2 quality

    review technique.

    APMPIn addition to the above, explains

    several additional quality techniques

    and also describes the related topic o

    requirements management and explains

    the importance o this topic.

    PlansPRINCE2Explains the levels o plan required or a

    project (project, stage and team). Then

    describes the PRINCE2 approach to

    producing these plans, rom dening and

    analyzing products (using the product-

    based planning technique), through to

    identiying activities and dependencies,

    preparing estimates, preparing the

    schedule and documenting the plan,

    whilst analyzing risks throughout

    these steps.

    APMPProvides a how-to approach to each step

    o the above approach, explains scope

    management and describes the ProductBreakdown Structure (PBS), the Work

    Breakdown Structure (WBS), the Cost

    Breakdown Structure (CBS), and the

    Organization Breakdown Structure (OBS),

    and explains the reasons or using a

    Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM).

    Explains how a project schedule is

    created and maintained by using

    techniques such as precedence

    diagramming, critical path analysis,

    Gantt charts, the Program Evaluation

    Review Technique (PERT) and milestone

    progress charts. Also explains the

    advantages and disadvantages o using

    sotware tools or scheduling.

    Describes resource management,

    distinguishing between resource

    smoothing and resource levelling,

    and demonstrates the use o dierent

    resource management techniques

    such as resource histograms and

    cumulative S-curves.

    Explains budgeting and cost

    management and the benets o

    this topic.

    APMPIn addition to the above, explains how

    dierent types o investment appraisalcan be used to analyze, in quantitative

    terms, the value o the investment to

    be made in the project. In particular, it

    explains the use o payback, Internal Rate

    o Return (IRR) and Net Present Value

    (NPV) as investment appraisal techniques.

    PRINCE2 identies Investment Appraisal

    as one section o the Business Case, lists

    a range o techniques that are available,

    but does not explain how to use any o

    these techniques.

    OrganizationPRINCE2Describes the roles and responsibilities

    within the three levels o the PRINCE2

    project management team that are

    responsible or directing, managing

    and delivering aspects o the project. It

    puts the project management team into

    context with corporate or programme

    management and with the customer/

    supplier environment.

    It also introduces some o the challenges

    aced in working with the project team,

    with the corporate organization and with

    stakeholders. In particular, it describes

    a stakeholder engagement procedure.

    This includes the creation o the

    Communication Management Strategy

    or the project.

    APMPIn addition to the above, distinguishes

    between unctional, matrix and

    project organizations and explains the

    advantages and disadvantages o each.

    It also explains the governance o project

    management and describes the principles

    o governance o project management.

    QualityPRINCE2Describes the PRINCE2 approach to

    quality planning and quality control, and

    explains the role o quality assurance.

    This includes establishing a QualityManagement Strategy and Quality

    Register or the project.

    PRINCE2 describes the structure, roles

    and responsibilities involved in the

    Project Management Team, but how

    do they relate to the organizations

    own structure, roles and responsibilities?

    PRINCE2 insists that the Project Board

    manage by exception and set

    tolerances or the project, but how can

    I orecast whether or not these

    tolerances are going to be exceeded?

    PRINCE2 describes a risk management

    procedure, but what about other areas

    o risk such as health and saety?

    PRINCE2 tells me how to plan and

    control quality, but are there anytechniques that I could use other than

    the Quality Review Technique?

    In the sections that ollow, I describe

    What PRINCE2 provides within each o

    its seven themes, and then identiy the

    added value that the APMP

    qualifcation would provide to a

    PRINCE2 Practitioner

    How the PRINCE2 processes align to

    the APMP view o the project liecycle

    The additional project management

    topics that are only addressed by

    the APMP.

    ThemesBusiness CasePRINCE2Describes the purpose o the Business

    Case, outlines the typical content o a

    PRINCE2 Business Case, explains howthe Business Case is developed, veried,

    maintained and conrmed during the

    project liecycle, and lists the roles

    and responsibilities in respect o the

    Business Case.

    It also explains the dierence between

    a projects output (any o the projects

    specialist products), an outcome (the

    result o change derived rom using the

    output) and a benet (the measurable

    improvement rom an outcome).

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    APMP or PRINCE2 Practioners 2009 7

    and explains the typical barriers to

    communication and how they may

    be overcome.

    ProcurementWhilst PRINCE2 suggests that

    procurement may be one o the

    approaches taken by the project, the

    APMP also:

    Describes procurement, explains the

    typical contents o a procurement

    strategy, explains a supplier selection

    process, and distinguishes between

    dierent methods o supplier

    reimbursement and dierent

    contractual relationships

    Describes a negotiation process

    and explains each stage within

    this process.

    People ManagementWhilst PRINCE2 identies the roles and

    responsibilities o those people involved

    in the direction, management and

    delivery o the project, the APMP also:

    Describes typical leadership qualities,

    explains the principles and importance

    o motivation, and describes a

    situational leadership model

    Explains the importance o team

    development and describes both a

    team development model, and a social

    roles model

    Explains sources o confict in the

    project liecycle and explains a confict

    resolution model.

    What Next?By now, I hope that any PRINCE2Practitioners, who do not already have

    the APMP qualication, will be seriously

    considering extending their studies.

    Health WarningHowever, beore I describe what that

    might involve, it's time or the health

    warning. I did mention earlier that APMP

    and PRINCE2 are suciently compatible

    to be considered ideal partners. But no

    partner is ever totally compatible withthe other, and this is true o APMP and

    PRINCE2.

    ProgressPRINCE2

    Explains the purpose o progress and theconcepts o tolerance and exceptions.

    Then describes the PRINCE2 approach

    to progress, which includes delegating

    authority, the use o management

    stages, event-driven and time-driven

    controls, and raising exceptions.

    APMPIn addition to the above, describes

    Earned Value Management (EVM) as a

    means o progress monitoring, explains

    the advantages and disadvantages oEVM, and explains how to perorm earn

    value calculations and interpret earned

    value data.

    Also explains inormation management

    systems covering the collection, storage,

    dissemination, archiving, and appropriate

    destruction o inormation.

    ProcessesWhereas PRINCE2 describes theproject liecycle using its process

    model, the APM Body o Knowledge

    describes dierent phases o the project

    liecycle. These dierent approaches are

    broadly compatible as is shown in

    Figure 3 overlea.

    Project ManagementTopics only covered bythe APMPPRINCE2 does not address any o the

    ollowing topics:

    Stakeholder Management and

    CommunicationWhilst PRINCE2 mentions the importance

    o engaging with stakeholders, provides

    an example o a stakeholder engagement

    procedure and explains the content o

    a typical Communication Management

    Strategy, the APMP also:

    Describes a stakeholder process in

    more detail, or example by explaining

    tools and techniques that can be used

    in stakeholder analysis

    Explains the importance o eective

    communication in project management

    Describes the practical problems o

    estimating across the project liecycle

    and explains bottom-up, comparative,

    parametric and three-point estimating.

    RiskPRINCE2Explains what a risk is (threat or

    opportunity), and what is at risk?

    Then describes the PRINCE2 approach

    to the management o risk. This includes

    establishing a Risk Management

    Strategy and Risk Register or the

    project, and ollowing a ve step risk

    management procedure which consisto Identiy, Assess, Plan, Implement

    and Communicate.

    APMPIn addition to the above, covers tools

    and techniques or risk identication and

    the use o a probability and impact grid

    (matrix) to assess risks.

    Also explains the importance o health,

    saety and environmental management,

    as these can be considered as specialist

    aspects o risk management. This

    includes topics such as the purpose o

    regulations, the duty o care or and

    responsibilities o a Project Manager.

    ChangePRINCE2Explains the need or a systematic

    and common approach to issue and

    change control that incorporates

    conguration management.

    Then describes the PRINCE2 approachto issue and change control. This

    includes establishing a Conguration

    Management Strategy or the project

    and the necessary records and reports

    required by the PRINCE2 conguration

    management procedure and its issue and

    change control procedure.

    APMPDoes not include anything in addition.

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    8 APMP or PRINCE2 Practioners 2009

    concerns. In the APM Body o

    Knowledge, there are dierent

    approaches taken to each o these

    three topics.

    None o these challenges should,however, cause any real problems.

    Indeed, PRINCE2 itsel suggests that

    the tailoring o PRINCE2, where an

    organization is aligned to any particular

    body o knowledge, should include:

    Agreeing a single set o terms to apply

    Aligning PRINCE2s management

    products with any management

    products recommended by the body

    o knowledge.

    So, back to the main question o thissection what next?

    You should, thereore, be warned o

    some o the challenges that you may

    ace in applying APMP to your PRINCE2

    environment. The most notable amongst

    these is:Language . The APM Body o

    Knowledge and PRINCE2 have been

    developed by people with dierent

    backgrounds, and as a result there are

    dierences in some o the language

    used. For example:

    PRINCE2 reers to its Project

    Initiation Documentation; the

    equivalent in the APM Body o

    Knowledge is the Project

    Management Plan

    PRINCE2 reers to a post-project benefts review, which

    sounds very similar to what the

    APM Body o Knowledge reers to

    as a post-project review. However,

    the post-project benets review is

    held some time ater the project

    has been closed, whereas the

    post-project review is held ater theproject deliverables have been

    handed over but beore the project

    is closed

    Business Case composition , The

    PRINCE2 and APM Body o

    Knowledge Business Cases include

    much o the same inormation, but

    the APM Body o Knowledge also

    includes much o what PRINCE2

    calls the Project Denition part

    o the Project Brie and Project

    Initiation Documentation

    Issue Handling , In PRINCE2 there

    is a common approach to issues,

    requests or change and problems/

    Figure 3 - Descriptions o Liecycle Phases

    APM Liecycle Phase Description Alignment to PRINCE2 processes

    Concept During this phase the need, opportunity

    or problem is conrmed, the overall

    easibility o the project is considered and

    a preerred solution identied

    Starting up a Project

    Output: Business Case Output: Project Brie (which includes an

    outline Business Case)

    Defnition During this phase the preerred solution

    is urther evaluated and optimized. Oten

    an iterative process, denition can eect

    requirements and the projects scope,

    time, cost and quality objectives.

    Initiating a Project

    Output: Project Management Plan Output: Project initiationDocumentation

    Implementation Where the Project Management Plan

    is executed, monitored and controlled.

    During this phase the design is nalized

    and used to build the deliverables.

    Controlling a Stage, Managing Product

    Delivery, and Managing a Stage

    Boundary

    Output: Deliverables Output: Specialist Products

    Handover and Closeout During this phase the nal project

    deliverables are handed over to the

    sponsor and user. Closeout is the process

    o nalizing all project matters, carrying

    out nal project reviews, archiving projectinormation and redeploying the project

    team.

    Closing a Project

    Output: Post-Project Review Output: End Project Report

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    APMP or PRINCE2 Practioners 2009 9

    Trademarks and

    Acknowledgements

    Sourced by TSO and published on

    www.best-management-practice.com

    Our White Paper series should not be

    taken as constituting advice o any sort

    and no liability is accepted or any loss

    resulting rom use o or reliance on its

    content. While every eort is made to

    ensure the accuracy and reliability o

    the inormation, TSO cannot accept

    responsibility or errors, omissions

    or inaccuracies.

    PRINCE2 is a Registered Trade Mark o

    the Oce o Government Commerce in

    the United Kingdom and other countries"

    Content, diagrams, logos and jackets are

    correct at time o going to press but may

    be subject to change without notice.

    Copyright TSO and Graham Williams

    Reproduction in ull or part is prohibited

    without prior consent rom the author.

    OrganizationsAs an organization looking to adopt the

    APMP qualication alongside PRINCE2,all o the above options would be

    available to your sta.

    However, in addition, you would also

    need to make some decisions regarding

    how best to integrate the APM Body o

    Knowledge with your implementation o

    the PRINCE2 method.

    Summary and

    ConclusionsYou should now appreciate the

    dierences between the APMP

    qualication (based on the APM Body

    o Knowledge) and the PRINCE2

    Practitioner qualication (based on

    the PRINCE2 manual). You should also

    recognize the complementary nature o

    these two qualications. And hopeully,

    i you are a PRINCE2 Practitioners, you

    will be seriously considering improving

    your project management knowledgeby studying or the APMP. And i

    you work in an organization that has

    adopted PRINCE2 as its chosen project

    management method, you will be

    thinking about how to incorporate the

    APMP knowledge into your application

    o the PRINCE2 method.

    The answer to this question will depend

    on whether you are looking or an

    answer rom an individual perspective or

    rom an organizational perspective.

    IndividualsAs an individual looking to study or and

    take the APMP examination, you have a

    number o options:

    Enrol or an APMP course run by one

    o the Accredited Providers. There are

    around 30 organizations listed on the

    Association or Project Management

    (APM) web site www.apm.org.uk.

    You may be amiliar with some o

    these, as several o them also deliver

    PRINCE2 Practitioner courses. It is

    usual or delegates to take the APMP

    exam in the same week as the course,

    with everything arranged or you in

    this respect

    Prepare yoursel or the exam by

    undertaking private study. The easiest

    way to do this would be to buy the

    TSO publication APMP or PRINCE2

    Practitioners. The purpose o this

    publication is to provide a study guide

    or PRINCE2 Practitioners to prepareor the APMP examination. It describes

    and explains the APMP topics in the

    context o PRINCE2, and at the end o

    each chapter there are several sample

    questions to help you prepare or the

    APMP examination. I you chose to

    sel-study, you would have to arrange

    to take the exam at one o the open

    examinations, which are run once a

    quarter. Again, more details can be

    ound at www.apm.org.uk

    Alternatively, you could enrol or the

    Open Universitys project

    management short course M865.

    This covers much o the APMP

    syllabus, but enables you to study

    over an extended period o time

    and anywhere in the world. But,

    as with the sel-study option, you

    would need to arrange your own

    APMP examination.

    AuthorGraham Williams

    Principal Consultant

    GSW Consulting