How to ensure PRINCE2 Practitioner training goes swimmingly
Heather Buckley is a photographer and the co-founder and director of Silicon Beach Training; this Brighton-based training company offers a range of IT and Business training courses, including PRINCE2 Training in Brighton and Birmingham.
There’s no doubt that the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam is hard work. But with the right preparation and time management, there’s no reason why you should struggle your way through PRINCE2 Training. In fact, the skills you need to make the most of PRINCE2 training are similar to those required of project management in general! Read on for six simple steps to ensure all goes swimmingly.
1. Planning: There are various routes to becoming a PRINCE2 practitioner, and the intensive 5 day week that covers both the foundation and practitioner exams is not for everyone. You need management experience before you can take PRINCE2 practitioner so the weeklong PRINCE2 training is definitely a no-no if you don’t have this! Consider taking the Foundation and Practitioner certificates with a gap between or even study at home instead of attending a PRINCE2 training course.
2. Leadership: There’s a misconception that PRINCE2 Training is suitable for Project Managers only, or even IT Project Managers only. However, PRINCE2 Practitioner is suitable for anyone who wishes to improve their management or leadership skills and these areas are the ones you should have experience in before attending a PRINCE2 training course – this real-life experience will also help you breeze through the exam. Leadership experience can of course be as a project manager but also as any kind of manager, a program manager or someone working on a project team.
3. Purpose: PRINCE2 isn’t easy nor is it cheap. Therefore make the most out of it by ascertaining exactly what you want from it is important. You may decide that PRINCE2 Practitioner isn’t for you and that the basics of PRINCE2 Foundation are enough. On the other hand, having PRINCE2 Practitioner under your belt could further your career plans even you don’t need it under your present employer. If you do opt for PRINCE2 Practitioner, ensure that you will have relevant work soon after, as good PRINCE2 practice only comes from plenty of experience.
4. Practice: The PRINCE2 exam may be multiple choice now, instead of the heavy going 3 hour written exam. However, it’s still important to make time to do some practice papers to get used to the analytical thought and the timing needed. See these PRINCE2 exam tips for more on the exam itself.
5. Organisation: Plan your revision and reading in advance, especially if you take the heavy-going PRINCE2 Practitioner week. You’ll need to read the manual in full so try to do it before you attend the training. Also get a good night’s sleep prior to the exam to make sure you’re alert, and arrive a bit early to keep yourself relaxed.
6. Preparation: As mentioned in #3, keep in mind why you’re doing PRINCE2. PRINCE2 Practitioner is an excellent bullet point for your CV, but an employer will know that it means little without real world experience and that PRINCE2 Certification also fails to differentiate between a 55% and 99% pass. Experience is invaluable as you’ll spend the exam trying to apply PRINCE2 methodology as precisely and loyally as possible – you’ll soon realize that real-life is sadly rarely so simple!
Hope this has been helpful and good luck if you’re taking PRINCE2 Training soon. If you’re a fully-fledged PRINCE2 Practitioner, please do share your own preparation tips.
