PRINCE CHARMING.....PRINCE CHARMING...

When people talk to me, been the original, super amazing, hyper fighting, ninja Technical Project Manager DON that I am....(someone moved the slider at the back of my skull to 'dream mode' again)....

...they always always ask...."do you need PRINCE 2?" Do you need PRINCE 2 to be a Technical Project Manager?

Some will say "Yes...definitely." Do i think you need PRINCE 2 to be a Technical Project Manager? Well....yes and no - I don't really like yes and no answers because its on or off, hot or cold. Lukewarm even. Lukewarm isnt good. Its undecided and not refreshing....digressing again.

I say yes because PRINCE 2 gives you an understanding, a very broad understanding of how a project could be controlled. It shows a very controlled approach to Project Management. Its good to understand how it works and what techniques and processes are included in it - BECAUSE ITS USED WORLDWIDE. In that way when you go for a job, you can say, while you slap your knee "Yep...I am a PRINCE 2 Practitioner."(TOOT TOOT) Just be prepared for when they ask you "oh right, what's does SU stand for?".

I also say yes because, if for example you are looking after a large project, you will need some sort of control. There may be no control or governance whatsoever to begin with. If you're given the task of putting all of this in place (I hope you dont because you're a techy PM and techy PM's do interesting things like mess with new bits of kit and see which developers they can rile up the most.) rather than trying to pull this out of thin air, PRINCE 2 is a fantastic place to begin....and end for that matter.

You will not find an organisation that uses PRINCE 2 in the fullest sense. You just WONT. There's too much of it. If there is an organisation that does, it must be a pretty dreadfully boring place to be a PM. You'd be doing more writing than technical project managing. There is just WAYyyyy too much documentation to go through it all. So most organisations use a 'wiff' of PRINCE 2. Often they'll use the PID, they'll use the issue log, they'll do the project plan and maybe a few more things.

Why would I say no that I dont need PRINCE 2 to be a PM? Well i've mentioned the qualities you need in earlier posts. At the same time to:

- if you have common sense,
- you are going to have some kind of plan for your project,
- you are going to communicate regularly with your customers
- you will be measuring your progress and reporting on it
- and you will be doing what you can to bring things back on track if they deviate.

So really, you dont need PRINCE 2 to be a TPM, but it is a good methodology to have an understanding of.

If you wanna be a universal TPM then get it. In fact, you know? Just get it anyway...Its worth it!