If you’re a project manager, there is a fair chance that you’ve heard of PRINCE2. This is a methodology for managing projects which is based on 3 key concepts: principles, themes and processes. The PRINCE2 principles are elements which you must keep in mind as you’re running a PRINCE2 project.
They are so elementary and essential that the official line is that if you don’t adhere to all principles then you’re not running a PRINCE2 project. The PRINCE2 principles should be applied to all projects whatever industry you’re in. Ultimately, they exist to help influence your project management decisions via a standardised framework.
PRINCE is an acronym which stands for PRojects IN Controlled Environments. The “2” simply denotes that it is the second iteration of this methodology. You can find more in our article PRINCE2 outline.
Use P-JESTER to remember the PRINCE2 principles
I don’t want to overbear you with too many acronyms and technical lingo but I will use the official terms. Many people remember the PRINCE2 principles using the acronym “P-JESTER”. Princes and jesters conjure up images of old castles and royal courts, so feel free to use this imagery to help you remember the acronym too.
So, what exactly is the P-JESTER acronym?
1. Product – focus on product
First and foremost, you should concentrate on the “products” which the overall project is working toward. These are the tangible outputs or deliverables which make the project a reality. Included in this focus are “management products” – terminology which covers your project management documents (e.g. plan, risk register etc).
To be honest, when I first learnt about the PRINCE2 principles, I was most confused by the term “products”. However, once I realised that a product was a tangible deliverable it all clicked into place and I realised why this is such an important principle.
Having a focus on products allows your stakeholders to share their requirements for each product. In turn, the project team can produce the products to those requirements.
2. Justification – continued business justification
Continued business justification is essential to make sound business decisions for your project. The traditional way to show your justification is via a business case. Your financial stakeholders will support you if you can show ongoing reasoning for delivering your project. Additionally, your sponsor and governance will back you if you can clearly show good reasons for delivering the project.
Be sure to update your justification regularly, especially if you’re asking for more investment or resources. Make the reasons listed in your business case enticing and fair. In turn, this will maximise your chances of winning that investment or the additional resources.
However, if your justification fades or disappears, you need to change direction or close the project. This will stop you investing more time and money into bad projects.
3. Experience – learn from experience
Everyone makes mistakes, even project managers. As you progress, you need to be learning from these mistakes. In turn, you should avoid making similar mistakes in the future. Document your experience in a learning log. In addition, you also must learn from the experience and learning logs from other projects too. For that reason, this PRINCE2 principle will always help you continually improve your performance.
In time, as you progress your project management career, you’ll acquire a vast wealth of experience. Applying this principle to your career, not only projects, will continually help you to avoid making mistakes in the future.
4. Stages – manage by stages
Managing by stages is a classic project management way of working. Break your projects up into stages and manage them in turn. The PRINCE2 methodology has several defined stages that you should include in your project. As you move from stage to stage, you should be developing the various documents for your project. Also, you should provide updated business justification based on your latest knowledge.
5. Tailor – tailor to suit the project environment
The PRINCE2 methodology should not be applied in a standard format. You should tailor it to best fit the type and size of project.
For example, in faster, smaller projects, you may combine different documents together. Perhaps you replace formal reports with verbal or email updates. Alternatively, for more agile projects (where you don’t know the exact answer or solution), you may want to allow more flexibility in the future stage plans.
Different projects have different environments and scopes, and you need to be able to adjust the methodology that you apply in order to tailor it to a project’s specific environment.
Whilst this principle is focused on giving you flexibility to adjust to the project, you must stay within the overall guidelines. These are reasonably strict for the PRINCE2 methodology, particularly the different project stages and processes that you should follow. Remember to continue to observe the PRINCE2 principles if you technically want to run a PRINCE2 project.
6. Exceptions – manage by exception
Sometimes you need to trigger management focus, and managing by exception is a great way to do this. Start by defining tolerances for the work activities and products in your project. Examples could include time, cost or quality based tolerances. When something starts to exceed these tolerances, you can manage by exception and take action.
For example, if a particular activity is delayed beyond the agreed tolerance, you can trigger remedial action. If a particular product is costing more to produce than your budget and tolerance, you can trigger remedial action.
This PRINCE2 principle allows you to direct and focus your attention as project manager. It allows you to focus on the areas that need it most. In turn, this will help you to deliver the project on time, in budget and to the agreed quality.
7. Roles – defined roles and responsibilities
The roles and responsibilities of both yourself and your project team need to be clearly defined from the get-go. PRINCE2 defines different roles and each person could fulfil multiple roles or could share a role, depending on the scale and structure of your project.
(Combining or dividing these roles would be a good example of tailoring your project – another of the PRINCE2 principles that we’ve covered).
Why should you use PRINCE2 principles? Why are they important?
The whole point of the PRINCE2 principles is that you’re able to make your life easier as a project manager. Sometimes projects can get out of hand, soaring past their original expectation in terms of scope, money, or timeframe.
The PRINCE2 principles are there, primarily to stop projects getting out of hand. Essentially, they are there to maintain control and add structure to make projects more manageable. But, when your projects do then get chaotic, it’s useful to know there’s a system in place to refer back to in times of crisis.
At their core, the PRINCE2 principles are:
Universal
The PRINCE2 principles are universal and standardised. You can theoretically apply them to projects in any industry and to projects of various sizes and scopes. This makes them a brilliant go-to cheat-sheet for project managers who find themselves changing fields and industries.
Self-validating
You can easily check whether or not you are using the PRINCE2 principles by simply referring to them and being honest with yourself regarding your work as a project manager. This self-validation can help you to guide your management more effectively without the need for external help or opinions.
Empowering
Essentially, the PRINCE2 principles are designed to empower you in your position. In turn, they should give you the confidence and strength to make good decisions which will affect your projects. Although you will sometimes need to turn to your senior leaders for advice, the PRINCE2 system can give you more confidence that your own decisions are along the right lines and in keeping with these tried-and-tested principles.
The bottom line – PRINCE2 principles are essential to the methodology
PRINCE2 is a system which has been recommended for project managers since the 1990s and continues to be in use today. The PRINCE2 principles are a critical, essential element of the PRINCE2 methodology. They can be applied in any situation, can be easily checked and should empower you, the project manager.
In summary, the 7 PRINCE2 principles are:
- Focus on products: PRINCE2 projects focus on defining and delivering products to deliver the project.
- Continued business justification: a project must have a reason. This protects the time and money invested into the project. If there is no justification, the project should be closed.
- Learn from experience: your project team should look to learn from mistakes and lessons learned from previous projects.
- Manage by stages: PRINCE2 projects should work within defined stages. You should plan and manage the project by moving from stage to stage.
- Tailor to suit the project environment: the PRINCE2 methodology should be tailored to suit the specific type and size of project.
- Manage by exception: the project manager and team should have the authority to act when agreed tolerances are exceeded.
- Defined roles and responsibilities: the project team should use a defined structure and people should take on different roles.
The principles are there to help control your project. However, in order to be classed as using PRINCE2, you must adhere to all of the PRINCE2 principles. Want to find out more? Check out the official PRINCE2 website.
Which aspect of PRINCE2 do you find most helpful as a project manager? Which is your favourite / least favourite principle to keep in mind? Let me know in the comments below!
About the Author
Oliver Banks is a PRINCE2 Practitioner. He is an expert at delivering retail change projects and programmes. Oliver blends classic project management techniques (including PRINCE2, PMBOK and Lean Six Sigma) with a dose of pragmatism and business reality to ensure retail projects are led, managed and delivered successfully.
