Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Prince 2 or PMP

Options
  • 06-01-2014 6:45pm
    #1
    greenpower
    Registered Users Posts: 28 ✭


    Hi all,

    I'm considering doing a project management course and the two that seem to be the best are Prince2 or PMP.

    Can anyone give me advice as too which one is best and if there is much difference between the two of them...

    Thanks!!


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    sReq | uTeK
    Registered Users Posts: 6,011 ✭✭✭sReq | uTeK


    greenpower wrote: »
    Hi all,

    I'm considering doing a project management course and the two that seem to be the best are Prince2 or PMP.

    Can anyone give me advice as too which one is best and if there is much difference between the two of them...

    Thanks!!

    Hi greenpower, hopefully I can give some insight into this for you.

    It really depends on what you have to date, for instance, PMP and Prince2 seem to be widely accepted by most employers within Ireland and the UK and most jobs I've seen advertised doesn't state one over the other but simply requires either or, however this is where it gets interesting.

    With PMP, in order to qualify to sit the exams (Which I hear are quite tough) you need to have a Degree + 4,500 hours of project management experience, or a high school diploma (Leaving certificate) + 7,500 hours of project management experience and this is where a lot of people fall down, it's a case of the chicken before the egg with PMP. If you're not actively engaged in project management than it's quite hard to sit the PMP. Now they do have foundation equivalent courses however I wouldn't recommend these as I don't think employees would look at them compared to others.
    PMP requires you to fill out a form and list your PMP experience, now I can confirm that only about 5% of applications get audited however I wouldn't advocate telling any porkies just in case you were the one to get audited :)

    If audited you have 6 weeks to supply the information requested, if you don't it's no biggy and you can just apply again and again, but there obviously is a cost for each.

    Now to a more practical route Prince2

    I'm currently doing a Diploma in project management from Griffith Dublin, it's quite good and will give you a good understanding of the fundamentals of project management, whilst also getting an accreditation that will go towards hours completed if you ever do want to sit the PMP in the future.

    It's a good course but truth be told, you can probably self teach what's thought in the class as a lot of it is just theory, it's based on PMP but I'm doing it more so for the cert to have on the CV which I'm hoping will add to my Prince2 qualification (when I sit it in Feb)

    Getting Prince2 certified

    Obtaining the Prince2 certification is significantly easier than obtaining the PMP. Prince2 has 2 levels, foundation (3 day course) with multiple choice exam at the end and Practitioner (2 day course) with an exam that is not multiple choice.

    You can sit the 3, 2 or even the entire 5 day course if you like, but just make sure if you do so the fee includes the exam at the end. There are numerous exam bodies that run these courses, from Sureskills to Trigraph, you're looking at about €1350 - 1600 depending on who you go with for the 5 day course and exams at the end.

    But if you pass, that's it you're a certified prince2 project manager and then that should open up a world of doors to (US) :)

    I have numerous books the two main ones that are used at the moment being.

    PMP - Project management body of knowledge
    Prince2 - Delivering successful projects with prince2 2009.

    If you want to fire me across a PM, I'm sure I could upload them to a Dropbox account for you to peruse, feel free to ask me any questions and I'll try and answer as best I can.

    That was a long way around saying that I think Prince2 whilst being just as accepted here in Ireland and the UK is significantly easier to obtain than PMP, and once you get working in a few years after building up experience you can also sit the PMP.

    Hope that helped.


  • Options
    #3
    um7y1h83ge06nx
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,029 ✭✭✭um7y1h83ge06nx


    Hope it's okay to slightly hijack this thread rather than starting a new one.

    I'm a software engineer in a senior role that's looking to move in project management. I have no official project management experience.

    PMP would appear to be a non-runner for someone at my level. PRINCE2 is a possibility maybe or a Diploma that certifies me at IPMA Level D.

    What would be best for me to do in my case? PRINCE2 Foundation certification or IPMA Level D?

    What I want out of the course is to be able to apply for project management roles in software companies and when in that role start working towards the more advanced PRINCE2 levels or PMP certifications.

    Thanks!


  • Options
    #4
    sReq | uTeK
    Registered Users Posts: 6,011 ✭✭✭sReq | uTeK


    Malachi Cool Raft wrote: »
    Hope it's okay to slightly hijack this thread rather than starting a new one.

    I'm a software engineer in a senior role that's looking to move in project management. I have no official project management experience.

    PMP would appear to be a non-runner for someone at my level. PRINCE2 is a possibility maybe or a Diploma that certifies me at IPMA Level D.

    What would be best for me to do in my case? PRINCE2 Foundation certification or IPMA Level D?

    What I want out of the course is to be able to apply for project management roles in software companies and when in that role start working towards the more advanced PRINCE2 levels or PMP certifications.

    Thanks!

    Hi Sonic, like you that would be my intention, however in my current role in IT i would lead / be on the fringes of a lot of projects however, it's more so something that has fallen in my lap, and organising these projects and running with them has been done to date based on common sense. I wanted to understand the fundementals and ultimately get certified, so I've chosen the route I've stated above.

    I believe it's the best route, there is no way I will get PMP as it stands as I simply don't have the experience however Prince 2 whilst heavily theory based is just a week long course, providing you have the funds available.

    In hindsight I don't know if I would sit the Diploma in PM with Griffith again, I find that I could get the same reading from the PMBOK book (based on pmp) however at the end of the say I will have a cert, whether it;s worth the paper it's printed on is another story but at least it adds to the CV. The one good thing about doing the GCD course is that you're then eligible to apply for the CAPM

    http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/Certified-Associate-in-Project-Management-CAPM.aspx

    Again, not 100% sure how this stands up in terms of what people want on CV's but it's a way to get started.

    I would personally advise getting the Prince2 Handbook, this book outlines everything you need, read it a few times, do some practice questions.

    Do the full 5 day course, it's foundation for the first 3 and then the 2 days are practitioner at least you have it all in your head. I'm hoping to sit mine the 1st week of March.

    Send me a PM I will sort you out with all the books you need (PDF Format)


Advertisement