PRINCE2 launched its 7th and latest edition in August 2023 and the changes from the 6th edition are quite a good deal of numbers. PRINCE2 7th edition (latest edition of PRINCE2) seeks to respond to several changes that have taken place in the world and the discipline of project management since then. This edition, like the previous one, is focused on product; however, in the 7th edition, people are central to successful projects, and now they are integrated into the PRINCE2 method.
What is New in PRINCE2 7?
The PRINCE2 7th edition is much more leaner in terms of the number of pages being reduced to 343 pages from 405 pages in the PRINCE2 6th Edition. Everything from project delivery methods, ideology, principles, management styles, and people used during the project has changed according to the needs of organizations across industry sectors. PRINCE2 7 now has a more holistic approach than ever before for any type of project from its inception to closure stages. This is a welcome change where professionals and enterprise teams are gearing up for various transformations within their organizations, a project management methodology that is vendor-neutral and one that has a symbiotic relationship with other global frameworks can perform wonders to create sustainable strategies, innovate, grow, leverage talent, and reduce costs.
Let’s check out below the key differences in PRINCE2 7th edition vs PRINCE2 6th edition using a comprehensive structure. Information is collected from Tecknologia.
| Topic | PRINCE2 6th Edition | PRINCE2 7th Edition |
| Pages in the Manual guide | 405 pages | 343 pages |
| Doesn’t Guide On | 1. Leadership capabilities 2. Specialist aspects of project work 3. Detailed project management techniques | 1. Specialist aspects of project work 2. Detailed project management techniques |
| Integrated Elements | 1. Project context 2. Principles 3. Themes 4. Processes | 1. People 2. Project context 3. Principles 4. Practices 5. Processes |
| Project Delivery Method | 1. Waterfall 2. Agile | 1. Linear-sequential approach 2. Iterative-incremental approach 3. Hybrid approach |
| Ideology | Project management involves strategic planning, delegation, continuous monitoring, and effective control of all project facets. It also encompasses the task of inspiring and encouraging team members to accomplish project goals within predetermined performance benchmarks, including time, and cost, quality, scope, benefits, and risk. | Project management entails employing methodologies, tools, skills, and strategies to facilitate the achievement of a project’s goals. |
| Performance Target | 1. Benefit 2. Costs 3. Timescales 4. Quality 5. Scope 6. Risk | 1. Benefit 2. Costs 3. Time 4. Quality 5. Scope 6. Sustainability 7. Risk |
| Principles | The principles represent the overarching responsibilities and best practices that serve as criteria for assessing whether PRINCE2 is truly being applied in project management: 1. Sustaining business justification 2. Gaining insights from past experiences 3. Defining clear roles and responsibilities 4. Employing a staged approach to management 5. Operating under exception conditions 6. Emphasizing the production of deliverables 7. Customizing the approach to fit the specific project requirements. | The PRINCE2 principles serve as the guiding imperatives that assess the authentic implementation of PRINCE2 in project management, guaranteeing its effective adaptation and customization to any project. 1. Guaranteeing the ongoing validity of business justification. 2. Drawing insights from prior experiences. 3. Precisely defining roles, responsibilities, and interconnections. 4. Adopting a stage-based management approach. 5. Operating under exceptional conditions. 6. Prioritizing the development of deliverables. 7. Adapting the methodology to align with the project’s unique needs. |
| Management Style | Project management involves strategic planning, delegation, continuous monitoring, and effective control of all project facets. It also encompasses the task of inspiring and encouraging team members to accomplish project goals within predetermined performance benchmarks, including time, cost, quality, scope, benefits, and risk. | The project segment that the project manager handles on behalf of the project board at any given time. |
| People Used | No | The objective of a project is to bring about transformation that will impact individuals in their everyday business activities, routines, and duties. The effectiveness of the change implementation and, consequently, the project’s success, hinges on the project team’s competencies, the quality of the relationships among its members, and the individuals affected by the change. |
| Change Management Approach | Not applicable | Change management is integral to the organization’s transition from the current state to the desired target state. This approach is included in the project initiation documentation, serving the purpose of defining the necessary organizational state for the project to achieve its objectives. It also outlines the methods through which the organization will navigate the transition from the current state, including any interim stages. |
| Regular Practices | 1. Business case 2. Organisation 3. Quality 4. Plans 5. Risk 6. Change 7. Progress | 1. Business case 2. Organizing 3. Plans 4. Quality 5. Risk 6. Issues 7. Progress |
| Investment Assessment | 1. Whole-life costs 2. Net benefits 3. Return on investment (ROI) 4. Payback period 5. Net present value 6. Sensitivity analysis | 1. Whole-life costs 2. Net benefits 3. Return on investment (ROI) 4. Payback 5. Net present value (NPV) 6. Internal rate of return 7. Options analysis 8. Sensitivity analysis |
| Multi-case Model | Not used | 1. Strategic perspective 2. Economic perspective 3. Financial perspective 5. Implementation and commercial perspective |
| Defining Roles For | 1. Corporate, program management, or customer 2. Executive 3. Senior user(s) 4. Senior supplier(s) 5. Project manager 6. Project assurance 7. Project support | 1. Business layer 2. Project Executive 3. Senior user 4. Senior supplier 5. Project manager 6. Team manager 7. Project assurance 8. Project support |
| Organizational Levels | 1. Corporate, program management, or the customer 2. Directing 3. Managing 4. Delivering | 1. Commissioning (business layer) 2. Directing (project board) 3. Managing (project manager) 4. Delivering (team managers) |
| Authority | Part of the organizational structure diagram as a role. A role in the organizational structure chart is responsible for change approval, and in projects with few expected changes, it’s reasonable to keep this authority with the project board. | Not a part of the organizational structure diagram. The project board has the option to create a separate change authority, independent of the project manager, with a direct reporting line to the project board. The utilization and structure of this change authority are detailed in the issue management approach. |
| Steps Of Work | A work breakdown structure is an organized hierarchy that deconstructs all the tasks required for a plan’s completion. In PRINCE2, a work breakdown structure exclusively comprises activities. | A structured hierarchy encompassing all project tasks serves as a bridge between the product breakdown structure and work packages. |
| Organization Development and Technique | Nothing | 5 steps: 1. Understand organizational ecosystem 2. Design project ecosystem 3. Develop project ecosystem 4. Manage changes to project ecosystem 5. Transition project into organizational ecosystem |
| Description of Project Product | A unique form of product description is employed to secure user approval regarding the project’s scope and requirements, specify the customer’s quality standards, and establish the project’s acceptance criteria. | A comprehensive depiction of the project’s primary products or results, encompassing the user’s quality expectations, along with the criteria and methods for project acceptance. |
| Quality Standards | An explanation of the product’s required quality standard and the quality metrics that will be employed by the inspectors when assessing the final product. | A depiction of the quality metrics used by quality control personnel and the specific standards a completed product must adhere to. |
| Quality Management Core | Two elements: 1. Quality planning 2. Quality control | Three elements: 1. Quality planning 2. Quality control 3. The quality assurance |
| Risk Management Formula | Contains the following five steps: 1. Identify a) Identify context b)Identify the risk 2. Assess a) Estimate b) Evaluate 3. Plan 4. Implement 5. Communicate | Contains 5 steps: 1. Identify a) Define context and objectives b) Identify threats and opportunities 2. Assess a) Prioritize risks b) Assess combined risk profile 3. Plan 4. Implement 5. Communicate |
| Risk Management Assisting Methods | 1. Risk Models 2. Expected monetary value 3. Probability impact grid 4. Expected value 5. Probability trees 6. Pareto analysis 7. Review lessons 8. Risk checklist 9. Brainstorming 10. Risk breakdown structure | 1. Cause and effect diagram 2. Horizon scanning/ PESTLE/ SWOT analysis 3. Prompt lists 4. Pre-mortem analysis 5. Swiss cheese model 6. Use of data |
| Off-specification | Something expected from the project but currently lacking (or expecting to be missing). This could be an absent deliverable or a product that falls short of its defined specifications. | A product that will not meet its quality specifications. |
| Issue Management Support | Not mentioned | 1. Root cause analysis 2. Pareto analysis 3. Cause and effect analysis 4. Failure mode analysis 5. Five Whys |
| Progress Assessment Methods | 1. Milestone chart 2. S-curve 3. Earned value management 4. Burn charts 5. Kanban board | 1. Dashboards 2. Daily Stand-ups 3. Earned value management 4. Peer review 5. Burn charts 6. Retrospectives 7. Kanban board |
| Process Structure Section | 1. Purpose 2. Objective 3. Context 4. Activities (detail of each activity follows with a separate graphical representation of each activity) 5. Tailoring guidelines | 1. Purpose 2. Objectives 3. Context 4. Activities (detail of each activity follows – NO separate graphical representation of each activity) 5. Applying the process a)General considerations b)Tailoring roles in the process 6. Responsibilities 7. Application of the practices to this process |
| Project Initiation Tasks | 1. Appoint the executive and project manager 2. Capture previous lessons 3. Design and appoint the project management team 4. Prepare the outline business case 5. Select the project approach and assemble the project brief 6. Plan the initiation stage | 1. Appoint the executive and project manager 2. Assess previous lessons 3. Appoint the project management team 4. Prepare the outline business case 5. Select the project approach 6. Assemble the project brief 7. Plan the initiation stage 8. Request project initiation |
| Project Direction Activities | 1. Authorize initiation 2. Authorize the project 3. Authorize a stage or exception plan 4. Give ad hoc direction 5. Authorize project closure | 1. Authorize initiation 2. Authorize the project 3. Authorize a stage or exception plan 4. Give ongoing direction 5. Authorize project closure |
| Initiating Phase Activities | The project manager oversees a specific project segment on behalf of the project board. After this segment, the project board will assess progress, evaluate the project plan, examine the business case and risks, and review the subsequent stage plan. This evaluation informs their decision on whether to proceed with the project. | 1. Agree with the tailoring requirements 2. Prepare the risk management approach 3. Prepare the quality management approach 4. Prepare the change control approach 5. Prepare the communication management approach 6. Set up the project controls 7. Create the project plan 8. Refine the business case 9. Assemble the project initiation documentation |
| Monitoring Stage Activities | 1. Escalate issues and risks 2. The report highlights 3. Take corrective action 4. Evaluate stage status 5. Capture issues and risks 6. Authorize a work package 7. Evaluate work package status 8. Receive the completed work package | 1. Request the next stage 2. Evaluate the stage 3. Update the business case 4. Update the project plan 5. Prepare the next stage plan 6. Prepare an exception plan |
| Delivery Control Tasks | 1. Accept a work package 2. Execute a work package 3. Deliver a work package | 1. Accept a work package 2. Execute a work package 3. Evaluate a work package 4. Notify work package completion |
| 1. Escalate issues and risks 2. The report highlights 3. Take corrective action 4. Review the management stage status 5. Capture and examine issues and risks 6. Authorize a work package 7. Review work package status 8. Receive the completed work package | 1. Report management stage end 2. Update the business case 3. Update the project plan 4. Plan the next management stage 5. Produce an exception plan | 1. Agree with the tailoring requirements 2. Agree on the management approaches 3. Establish project controls 4. Create the project plan 5. Prepare the project plan 6. Prepare the full business case 7. Assemble the project initiation documentation 8. Request project authorization |
| Stage Closure Duties | 1. Prepare planned closure 2. Prepare premature closure 3. Hand over products 4. Evaluate the project 5. Recommend project closure | 1. Prepare planned closure 2. Prepare premature closure 3. Confirm project acceptance 4. Evaluate the project 5. Request project closure |
Conclusion
This table has explained the significant differences between the 7th and 6th editions of PRINCE2 certification exquisitely. Now, as an individual or as an organization, if you have already implemented PRINCE2 in previous versions and now looking to upgrade to PRINCE2 7, then Spoclearn can be your ideal partner to achieve the required transformation with PRINCE2 7 Foundation Training and PRINCE2 7 Practitioner Training and any PRINCE2 consulting related services.