PROJECT in a box for your PRINCE2™ needs

What is PRINCE2?

PRINCE2™ (PRojects IN COntrolled Environments) is a project management methodology which breaks down the actions and activities required for effective project delivery into logical steps and processes.   PRINCE2™ is a structured method for effective project management and it can be adapted for any size or type of project.  PRINCE2™ seeks to overcome the problems which lead to failure on many projects. 

The PRINCE2™ project management method is now a de-facto standard in the UK. Widely adopted by the public sector in the UK and abroad and more recently adopted by private sector organisations in the UK, Europe and other English speaking countries. PRINCE2™ is now the most widely used project management method in Europe.  In April 2007 over 1,500 PRINCE2 exams were being taken a week somewhere in the world.

The process based approach of PRINCE2™ acts as a guide through a set of activities to achieve the desired outcomes.  PRINCE2™ is free to use and is maintained and updated by a team of project management professionals.

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Free PRINCE2 software

PROJECT in a box are delighted to provide you with access to the Community Edition. This product has been described as the "essential tool for PRINCE2™ project management" and based on the caliber and number of Project Managers using it we would have to agree.

Of course it might have something to do with the fact that we give it away for free.....

That's right free, this is not a 'trial' offer, the product you download is not limited in capacity or in time meaning you can use it as long as you want and on as many projects as you want. As it is an installed piece of software rather than a hosted web platform, we can't change our minds later and introduce a charge once you are using it. This all makes sense but even we have been amazed by the rate at which users have been adopting and using it since launch in Feb 2005.

The latest Community Edition 1.2.9 includes the following changes and improvements:

• All the new 2005 manual process diagrams.
• Several new document templates.
• An extended help and guidance section.
• Training/Familiarisation Flash tours.
• Sample P2 Guidance Module.
  

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PRINCE2 Articles

We are delighted to be able to provide our article archive to help you with your understanding of PRINCE2 and other project management topics.

The archive contains articles from the team at PROJECT in a box as well as guest authors and unlike most PRINCE2 sources on the web, these are truly public, you don't need to register, just open them and read on......

If these have been thought provoking why not give us your thoughts at the PRINCE2 forum..

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PRINCE2 Forum

The PROJECT in a box forum is a popular source of information on deploying and using our software but also in the wider issues associated with Project Management Delivery including discussions around the PRINCE2 and P2ABC Methodologies.

Anyone can view the forums but to post a response you will need to first Register as a forum member, this process is free and open to anyone who wishes to join in.

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PRINCE2 Training

PRINCE2 is a highly structured methodology and when exposed in its full detail (as it must be for training purposes in order to pass the exams), quite complex.

It is possible to self study PRINCE2 from a book and then take the exams at the open examinations venues.  If you are considering this you might like to explore our book store for learning support resources.

To get more out of your learning experience you could consider our Supported Learning packages, these consist of conventional distance learning materials and tutor access for discussion and marking of materials from the most successful PRINCE2 trainer CUPE ltd.  The Supported Learning packages start from just £450 and include the exam fees so you know exactly what you are getting yourself into.

Still the most popular way to formal PRINCE2 qualification is Classroom Training.  PROJECT in a box partner with many PRINCE2 accredited trainers so if you are looking to source PRINCE2 training for your organisation we can help.  If you are looking for a single course we recommend you try the excellent database of PRINCE2 training courses provided by Focus Projects.

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PRINCE2 for your smaller projects

A common accusation leveled at PRINCE2 is that it doesn't support small, light, low complexity/risk projects very effectively.  In fact it can do but it is usually very poorly scaled to do so by users.

PROJECT in a box recognised this and were the first people to introduce a set of prescaled lighter methods which are inkeeping with PRINCE2 so that you can retain consistency and the benefits of PRINCE2 whilst providing a practical and fit for purpose environment for your smaller projects.  These prescaled methods are known collectively as P2ABC and are available as standard in our commercial software range as shown below.

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Professional PRINCE2 software

Community Edition is a great tool to get you started and is where most of our customers first came across PROJECT in a box.  However it doesn't take long for most to outgrow it as they want great sophistication in their tool set including:

• Ability to share access to their projects realtime
• Permissions based management to projects and features
• Reporting capability
• Outlook, MS Project and other tool integration
• Integrated methodology Guidance
• The ability to tailor the standard methods to the organisation's own preferences

All of this is available through our range of commercial software in differing configurations.  These range from our Personal version for single users at just £99 through to implementing in your team or organisation for around £150 per head.

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