idf101

This question is in reference to the project management course as opposed to another name for the weirdo singer!
Has anyone here completed the above course as i understand it is consists of a foundation exam and then a practitioners exam, how difficult are they? and are they beneficial in regards to employment in a project management role?
Any views as always appreciated.

Cheers.

OllyK

All our PM's have to be PRINCE2 qualified, so yes it is beneficial.

SJ_Skyline

My wife is a qualified Prince2 practitioner. It's a marketable and transferable comodity which some employers do like, particulary public sector.

One thing you need to remember is that there is the Prince2 methodology of managing projects and then there is how you manage projects in the real world with real constraints, risks, team issues and a client squeezing all the contingency out of your budget, oh, and a vigilante financial controller taking profit from your project without telling you...

So IMHO Prince2 is worth it to get the qualification in order to open more doors but it's not the be all and end all of project management.

Iwan

I did the course in April this year, Foundation on 25th and Practitioner on 27th. The results came through last week and l was happy to find I'd passed!

The foundation exam is pretty easy and almost everyone passes if they pay attention on the course, it's multiple choice and gets marked by the instructor while you wait.

The practitioner exam is something like 3hrs written, and is a lot harder. It's open book but you do need to be pretty comfortable with the material to be able to pass it, certainly not something you can just bluff or guess at. Apparently approx 63% of entrants pass practitioner at the moment, according to the company I did my course with.

I didn't find the course fun, or interesting. It's really just a massive theory cram, although you do have to understand the concepts too. It's not rocket science, but there's masses to remember and the final written exam is a bit tough if you haven't done a 3hr written exam since leaving school!!

I actually don't intend to go into PM now I've done the course, I have a feeling it'd bore the **** out of me. But Prince2 is apparently quite useful to have on the CV, and it helps to have a good understanding of how projects are run even if you're not running it yourself, you might be overseeing just a small part of a bigger project etc.

scoob_babe

Hello,
I did P2 last year and am fully qualified. I took the course as I wanted transferable proof that I can manage projects if I move companies. I had prior experience of managing projects before although not to the extent P2 does it however only my word for it. Seeing as so many job candidates lie, I wanted proof I could do it.

What you have to remember is that P2 is merely a framework / best practice for managing projects. It does not teach you how to actually manage a project from a soft skill perspective for people management nor how to actually run a budget therefore you would need additional courses on these areas.

There are currently 2 exams - foundation and practictioner.
Foundation is 1 hour multi choice. This must be passed before the practitioner exam is marked.
The practitioner format is changing in September. I only had a quick chat with a course leader this week and I believe that it is no longer a 3 hour written exam based on a case study.
If you are looking to do it, give the new system time to bed down first as its a big change in teaching method too! You'll probably still have to know the textbook inside out as before but anything has to be better than a 3 hour written exam - Like Iwan, that was the first exam I have taken since my finals 10 years before!!!!

hope this helps

idf101

Thanks guys that was helpful, as already said it may not be the be all and end all in regards to PM but it is good for thr CV.