Why you should invest in PRINCE2?

Effective Project Management is a key skill and is a critical element in the success of a project. How effectively the project is planned right from the drawing board to testing and its ultimate execution is the most critical success criteria which is much sought after in today’s cut-throat world where timelines need to be met and tight control on the quality and cost components are to be ensured. With many well known and defined methodologies for Project Management, it is highly recommended that existing Project management professionals who handle large IT projects upscale their skills and undergo this industry standardized PRINCE2 certification to be ahead of the pack in this domain.

Why is PRINCE2 a must for a Project Manager?

PRINCE2 is the most prominent and widely accepted certification program that enables structured project management methodology with industry-aligned processes and best practices. PRINCE2 program management methodology involves breaking down large projects into controllable and manageable project stages. This has been adopted world-wide with major applications in the UK, Australia, and the EU. Primarily used for IT projects, PRINCE2 standard was developed by the UK Government, however, since 2013 its rights have been transferred to AXELOS Ltd. that is responsible to maintain and manage the quality standards of this project management methodology.

Post its launch in 1996, PRINCE2 has undergone two revisions with the latest one launched in 2017 incorporating the feedback from practitioners of this standard and to further bring maturity tying it up with practical and latest business practices. Today it is a much-needed accreditation for software and IT project managers and is a basic requirement of skills in driving most government projects.

How does a PRINCE2 certified Project Manager score against others?

There are several advantages for individuals who undergo PRINCE2 foundation certification. Not only do they get preference in project management career opportunities in major IT corporations but they also get prepared to tackle large IT projects that drive highly impactful outcomes. Project Managers having certifications in PRINCE2 get more weight in career opportunities as compared to those who have other certifications like PMP etc. Some other benefits of these certifications are: 

1. PRINCE2 is the most sought after certification for Project Management in the UK, EU, and United Nations systems, the certified professionals are highly paid with average salaries ranging over GBP 50,000 and are the most priced skill sets in Europe.
2. The PRINCE2 certification helps to build on your project management skills and capabilities with sharpened deployment skills with better planning, initiation, monitoring and review mechanism using best practices and flexibility of this framework.   
3. Last but not least, the advantage of this certification is that it is globally recognized and is widely adapted and needed for most government projects around the UK, Europe, and the US.

Which PRINCE2 Certifications are available for Project Managers

The certifications for PRINCE2 are awarded by AXELOS. The interested Project Managers need to undergo an online/ in-person training from accredited training institutes like Invensis followed by a certification exam.  The Project Manager needs to get re-certified every 3 years in order to keep his certification. Following are the four levels of the PRINCE2 Certifications available:

1. PRINCE2 2017 Foundation – This course certifies that the Project Manager has the knowledge and a basic understanding of PRINCE2 fundamentals to be a team member in a project management team using this framework.
2. PRINCE2 2017 Practitioner – This is the next level certifying that the Project Manager has sufficient knowledge of PRINCE2 to deploy it on a real project in a suitable direction.
3. PRINCE2 Agile Foundation – This certification was released in 2018 and confirms the Project Manager is having enough knowledge of PRINCE2 along with an agile framework.
4. PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner – This certification confirms that the Project Manager is able to map the PRINCE2 Agile fundamentals to project management along with agile frameworks like Scrum and Kanban.

Companies hiring Project Managers certified on PRINCE2

There are many big companies where PRINCE2 Professionals are in great demand. DHL Express Inc. is known to pay the best to the PRINCE2 professionals. Other major companies that hire are Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, American Express, United Nations, etc. Below is the salary range for PRINCE2 certified professionals as per PayScale.

Benefits of PRINCE2 Certification 

Being an industry standard and well-recognized certification, below are the advantages of Project Managers getting the certification through Invensis.

1. PRINCE2 is more of a methodology that a strict instruction manual. It helps you learn and deploy these standards and best practice fundamental principles of project management and hence is easier, more flexible, and customizable to practice in a live project environment.
2. You can start easy and undertake a project with only the PRINCE2 Foundation training without the need for a higher level of time & money consuming training, 
3. PRINCE2 Certifications can be achieved sooner than the other certifications as all it needs is just taking the training and taking the exams without tedious registrations or audit processes as compared with other certifications like PMP.
4. PRINCE2 certification enables you to have access to career opportunities in any industry or organization as it is not tied to any specific. It can be used in a wide range of industries, organizations, and scale of projects with its standardized Project Management methodologies.
5. Though it is an independent certification, however having a PRINCE2 certification will qualify and provide exemptions while you are studying for other courses in project management and other skill areas.