PRINCE2: an answer to the critics

PRINCE2 training, a system of project management accreditation which offers a structured, priority-focused working structure for project managers, found itself in the news this month following suggestions that formalised training such as PRINCE2 was becoming obsolete. A report by Computerworld UK considered the response of training professionals, particularly those specialising in PRINCE2 and other schemes, to the criticisms which are emerging.

Industry analysts have been suggesting that a new, more informal “social” way of working would soon render the more rigidly-structured curriculum-based training programmes unnecessary. The theory is that such structured forms of training would die out in the project management world, because a more social and open-ended form of working would be more flexible, easier to enter, and significantly more iterative.

PRINCE2 trainers in the UK and abroad, however, have united to reject claims that flexible, social working schemes will replace rigidly-structured training schemes such as PRINCE2. Trainers and industry analysts have claimed that social working, while an attractive concept, is entirely unproven in the project management field, and untried in a practical sense.

Organisations, companies and businesses which choose to go with a more social, less rigid way of working, would be responding to a new cultural trend whose effect on professional productivity is, as yet, unknown. There is an emerging trend for businesses, inspired by big names in the tech world and elsewhere, to consider a business model with a “flat” hierarchy and fundamentally different, informal organisational model. Experts suspect that the move may be a PR exercise, suggesting a sensitivity to a political and social zeitgeist rather than dedication to tried-and-tested training schemes.

The problem, according to PRINCE2's advocates, is that only the most radical and informal of companies will embrace the new 'social working' model; companies which, for better or worse, do not adhere to normal professional codes, including dress-codes, typical business hierarchies, or British social and professional culture.

Analysts in the field have insisted that social project management cannot, and will not, replace the practically proven PRINCE2 training model, which is based on pragmatism, practicality and results.  Not only is PRINCE2 far more flexible and industry-adaptable than its critics suggest, it is a globally-accepted training scheme, providing a common language and shared vocabulary among international business communities, allowing for widespread collaboration. Far from dying out in the face of a more sociable and intuitive way of working, PRINCE2 is in more demand than ever, accepted by companies and clients worldwide and becoming more popular by the day.

Tony is a professional writer within the world of project management, and also advises customers on the latest industry training techniques and courses.

http://www.prince2training.co.uk