How PRINCE2 Can Complement PMBOK and Your PMP
Jay M. Siegelaub
Impact Strategies LLC
Abstract
PMBOK is the recognized (de facto) standard of project management knowledge. In the UK and Europe, PRINCE2
is the project management methodology of choice, and is required by the UK government for all projects it
commissions. This paper will provide an overview of the PRINCE2 method and examine the similarities and
differences between PMBOK and PRINCE2. Finally, it will suggest how these two project management approaches
relate to and can complement each other, and how the PRINCE2 approach can provide added value to a PMBOK
knowledge base.
About PRINCE2
PRINCE2 (short for “PRojects IN Controlled Environments”) is the de facto standard in the UK. It was developed
for and is used extensively by the UK government, and is widely used in the private sector, in the UK and
internationally. PRINCE2 is in the public domain, offering non-proprietary best-practice guidance on project
management. Anyone may use this methodology, and the manual describing PRINCE2 can be purchased through
online booksellers, as well as through the UK government website, http://www.ogc.gov.uk/prince. PRINCE2 is
supported by a rigorous accreditation process, including accreditation of training organizations, trainers,
practitioners and consultants. (The accrediting body is the APM Group, www.apmgroup.co.uk; their website lists
approved training organizations, consultants and practitioners.)
PRINCE2 is a Process-based, structured methodology that highlights how eight particular Components, when
understood and effectively addressed, can additionally reduce risks in all types of projects. While PRINCE2 is
based in the same ground as the PMBOK, it spotlights a number of areas to concretize PMBOK, and answers the
question “how do I apply these concepts in my projects?”
The Structure of PRINCE2
PRINCE2 does not claim to be as comprehensive as the PMBOK. PRINCE2 is based on the principles of the
PMBOK, as any project management methodology must be. PRINCE2 extracts and focuses on the elements
(“components”) which it identifies as being crucial to the successful assessment and completion of a project. It
constructs a process to tie those elements together to reduce overall project risk, and provides techniques to support
them. While “The Guide to the PMBOK” offers a loose, general approach to integrating the Knowledge Areas,
PRINCE2 suggests an effective way to organize them. In essence PRINCE2 says: “using these elements in this way
is the most effective way to reduce project risk and maintain quality within the project.”
PRINCE2 components and processes are consistent with the PMBOK, but PRINCE2 does not include all the
knowledge areas and details specified in the PMBOK. PRINCE2 focuses on critical areas, so a project manager still
needs to draw on the full depth and range of the PMBOK and other sources to complete project management work.
The intention of PRINCE2 is to organize and supplement project management knowledge. It assumes that those
learning and working with this methodology have a level of experience that enables them to fill in the details that
PRINCE2 omits. In PRINCE2 the scale and content of its Processes, Components and Techniques should be
adapted to the size and nature of the project.
PRINCE2 Components
PRINCE2
is comprised of 8 elements, or “components”. They are: Business Case, Organization, Plans, Controls,
Management of Risk, Quality in a Project Environment, Configuration Management, and Change Control. They
roughly map against the PMBOK Areas of Knowledge as follows:
© 2004, Jay M. Siegelaub -1-
Originally published as a part of 2004 PMI Global Congress Proceedings — Anaheim, California