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If I’ve Got Prince2, Do I Really Need Itil As Well?
By Simon Buehring
PRINCE2 and are both standardised management methodologies, formulated by the UK government and subsequently adopted by public and private sector organisations throughout the UK, Europe and increasingly in the USA, Asia, South Africa and the Middle East. Both methodologies are described in standard textbooks and are available as accredited courses, with examinations and certificates administered by the APMG.

PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments v. 2) provides a generic project management framework based on best practices (or ‘Components’) devised by teams of professional and experienced project managers and subject to constant revision (there is currently a movement towards replacing the term ‘best practices’ with the less absolutist ‘good practice’, in order to recognise the importance and necessity of continual improvement.


There are two tiers to the PRINCE2 qualification: PRINCE2 Foundation and PRINCE2 Practitioner. The Foundation-level qualification is essential for anybody who might work on a project run according to PRINCE2 guidelines, as it provides a basic understanding of the PRINCE2 concepts, practices and terminology. It is also recommended for anybody who needs to have a grasp of what project management is about and what the industry standards are.

PRINCE2 Practitioner is designed for project managers. The qualification demonstrates analytical abilities, as well as knowledge and a sound understanding of industry standards and practices. It is necessary for anybody working on a PRINCE2 project, and is also an extremely useful resource of processes and procedures for project managers to draw on when managing non-PRINCE2 projects.

The IT Infrastructure Library (or ‘ITIL’) is an IT-specific service management framework. The essential difference

between project management and service management is that a project has by definition a temporary lifespan, while an important aspect of service management is maintaining and developing the services that are currently provided. An IT Service Manager may embark on a project within the context of the role, but a Project Manager will not provide operational maintenance in the long-term, unless the nature of the role is fundamentally altered.

There are various, independent qualifications available in ITIL. The basic Foundation certificate is a prerequisite for all other levels, and provides an introduction to the ‘Service Lifecycle’: Strategy, Design, Transition, Operation and Continual Service Improvement. Like the PRINCE2 Project Lifecycle, describes Service Management as a series of stages, but unlike PRINCE2, places considerable emphasis on the maintenance, monitoring and improvement of the services developed during the earlier stages of the lifecycle.

Intermediate-level qualifications explore these stages in greater detail. Some modules also examine specific Service Management processes (for example: Risk Management, Knowledge Management, Request Fulfilment), which are clustered according to the roles with which they are associated. This enables individuals employed in an IT services capacity, but not necessarily as the Service Manager, to study methodologies and best practices more applicable to their responsibilities.

There is considerable cross-over between project management and service management. Both disciplines require the ability to assume both a macroscopic and an in-depth perspective on the goals of the team, the business and the industry. Both PRINCE2 and teach holistic approaches to the goals of the project/service manager, beginning with the need-based development of a strategy and providing broad frameworks for organising progress towards a defined goal. In addition, both methodologies insist on a constant business-focus, in order to prevent degeneration into activity for its own sake, rather than as a tool for the fulfilment of customer need.

However, there are important differences between PRINCE2 and ITIL. The necessarily temporary nature of a project means that PRINCE2 does not cover the support and development required of an IT Service Manager after the design and implementation of the initial product. On the other hand, does not sufficiently train Service Managers to bring projects to a satisfactory close, its focus being rather on the provision of long-term services. While an IT Service Manager may make do with on a day-to-day basis, the project-specific training provided by PRINCE2 is essential when independent projects are required within the context of long-term service provision. And correspondingly, while a project manager may have many of the skills required to move into Service Management, it is the qualification that offers the requisite understanding of how a high standard of services may be maintained after the initial product has been developed.
Simon Buehring is a project manager, consultant and trainer. He works for KnowledgeTrain which offers ITIL v3 training in the UK and overseas. He can be contacted via the itil courses website.

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