On how sustainability tolerances are being handled in the new issue

Sustainability is one of the new areas of performance targets. Previously there were six, now there are 7 with sustainability being added and we’ve also positioned sustainability in terms of the sustainability management approach within the business case chapter. 

The reasons behind combining some of the management products and keeping some of the current ones as they are.

Previously, PRINCE2® has had 26 management products in the 6th edition, which is a large number of documents to keep track of in a project. However, the use of these management projects has been relatively stable for a while and has worked within the PRINCE2® methodology as they were intended.

However, Jhon Edmonds, the lead architect of the new PRINCE2® Version 7, stated that they wanted to encourage people to think about how they use the management products and not just as part of the prescribed methodical process that neither contributed nor detracted from the successful management of a project.

He stated that they looked at the management products and decided which ones need to stay, which happened to be the majority of them, but still wanted those using PRINCE2® to think about how the management products were being used instead.

They allowed for the traditional nesting of management products in the project initiation documentation. But what has changed is that they have now created something new called the project log, which acts as an overall repository for all of the logs and registers of the project. In the 6th version of PRINCE2®, all of the logs and registers, such as the issue and risk register, were standalone documents.

On some projects, people will just have a project log and have various sections for risks and issues and so on, but sometimes it may be necessary to separate these depending on the context of the project. Regardless of this, they will all be seen as part of the project log, to keep all the logs and registers neatly organised in one place.

At other times for some major projects, people will decide to have a series of individual discrete logs and registers if that is necessary. This reinforces the message that the new 7th edition of PRINCE2® is embracing the modern view of flexibility by embedding the previously separate chapter of tailoring throughout the entire methodology.

How is data addressed in PRINCE2® 7th edition, and how does AI factor into this?

There is a lot that can be said, and in terms of future trends, you can see a lot of this really affecting the role of the project manager and members of the project team going forward in the sense that it will be less about crunching all those numbers that in the past we would have done and more about value-added work.

This is especially true in terms of working with people, working with stakeholders, but then also UM, forecasting and analysis and sort of the interpretation of these things. So the data and digital management approach is introduced.

We are starting to see just challenges really how are you going to manage the data, what to do with it, and What happens to it after the end of the project? And a range of pertinent questions. 

On what makes PRINCE2® 7th edition more flexible than PRINCE2® 6th edition was?

This new edition does not include any minimum requirements. We now have new questions created to replace the minimum requirements ones. 

There is an increased focus on helping people understand what the core is, and to focus on it throughout the book, and ensure it is not hindered by unnecessary material. 

Also, the language used should make it more accessible. The examples and scenarios given further illustrate the focus on cross-referencing. People should see this PRINCE2® 7th edition update as a fully integrated one. 

Regarding documentation: how much of an effort has been made to remove/ lessen the amount of documentation in this new edition?

We are moving into a new era of data and digital solutions. As a result, we need to move away from a document mentality into an information mentality. We must be careful about how we utilise the increasing amount of data that we have in projects. 

Is there a table in each process linking activities to practises as there is an MSP®

A number of things were learnt from MSP® and MOR4, which followed a similar line in terms of cross-referencing, and then we have done the same there. People will find a table at the end of each process chapter which links back to each of the practices and explains how that practice is worked out. 

On any plans to update the health cheques for PRINCE2® 6th edition or something similar like this in the new edition?

The health cheques, the health check was an appendix which has been removed from the book. You will not find that in the book, but will find a home online as additional material. We wanted to make better use of online resources. There will be other resources coming along as well which will be able to supplement the use of PRINCE2® in practice. 

Further explanation: Explaining the concept of a business opportunity being a type of risk? Is this being linked to exploit and opportunity when viewing the opportunity as the upside of the risk? 

Risk management professionals tell us that risks are not simply threats. And PRINCE2® has taken this line for a number of years. MOR emphasises that risks can be either threats or opportunities. And what joins them together is that all risks are in the future. They’re all about uncertainty. They’re all about things that might happen.

This version of PRINCE2® reflects MO of four and is consistent with the language as well, which is seen as best practice in the world of risk management.

Any available information about OTM release date

The plan is to get it up this month ( August 2023). People should expect to get a preview of it in August before the official launch. 

We are hoping to start showing versions of the material that you guys probably be available on the partners portal to start with and then available on Canvas from the 4th of September.

Is the people chapter one of the seven practices? 

No! The seven practises are what was previously called the seven themes from before with some slight adjustments; essentially it’s the it’s the same seven business case risk plans. The People chapter stands alone as a separate entity. There are practises, processes,  principles and people as a separate idea.

Any thoughts on how the private sector, especially small organisations, would be able to adopt some of all of the sustainability development goals defined by the UN and put forward in the new book?

We do reference the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (the 17 goals). We referenced them in Chapter One as a standard. 

These seventeen goals are wide-ranging; they cover various aspects. We encourage particularly smaller organisations to adopt some of them. 

Not all 17 are going to be relevant to your business or the project that you’re doing. So use them as a prompt. 

When talking about sustainability, we are talking about being aware of the choice of projects that the organisations are making in the first place.

OTM and the use of OTM by organisations 

It is still valid if an organisation wants to continue with its own materials. There is no specific mandate imposed on companies for OTM use; rather, the idea is to support organisations to help with online training materials. 

When is the hard copy menu going to be available? 

So there’s a digital copy available now in the partners portal. Everything else, including videos, documentation and the rest will be available from launch in September.

Can the ATM be restructured to make it more concise or appropriate for our delivery?

Yes! It is a module. Hence, there is a suggested sequence. However, people can approach it in a different sequence that makes sense to their organisation.  

Is there official syllabus documentation and learning objectives for Prince2® 7?

Yes! This is available in the partner portal with service breakdowns and exam rationale that are available for sample papers and other material. Additionally, Draught OTM is set to be available during the month of August.  

Are the chapters from 4 – 21 about tailoring and embedding being removed from the new version of the manual? 

Tailoring and applying PRINCE2® is now incorporated in all the chapters. 

The challenge with PRINCE2® is how it has historically been applied, which hasn’t always been accurate. The method has largely been applied mechanically and, at times, inappropriately. 

This is why it is woven throughout the chapters to show how PRINCE2® is tailored. 

Chapter One introduces the overall book and the overall method. Chapter four introduces the practices, while Chapter 12 introduces the processes.

Read Next: Learn more about the upcoming PRINCE2 7th edition in this detailed post covering the major updates you need to know about.