Adopting PRINCE2 For Business Project Management

PRINCE2 is a tool which is used in the area of project management. Various companies have adopted the form of the PRINCE2 methodology, and some companies are on their way to accept this form of project management. However, many companies are also applying the method of tailoring, Tailoring is the process of customizing the rules and principles of PRINCE2 methodology as per the requirement of the project.

But, what exactly does adopting and tailoring PRINCE2 means? There are certain terms in PRINCE2 which can get confusing. The term “adopting” and “tailoring” are such terms, so to clear out the confusion, here is a detailed discussion of the terms adopting and tailoring of PRINCE2 for business management. While both tailoring and adopting might sound similar, but they are not. There are certain differences amongst the terms which one should know while implementing the PRINCE2 methodology for their company. These two terms define the whole process of PRINCE2 methodology and further allows the company to use it while doing any projects.

Adopting PRINCE2

Adopting means using the methods of PRINCE2 in a company to do various projects. An industry, when implements the methods of PRINCE2 methodology in its projects, then it are known as adopting.

By adopting the complete method of PRINCE2 tool, the company does not allow any customisation for the tool. This helps the industry in following the specific rules and principles of the method to complete a project. However, various companies do customise the PRINCE2 methods, and that’s where the term tailoring comes in the view.

Tailoring PRINCE2

As stated above, tailoring the tool of PRINCE2 means adapting or customising the rules and principles of the PRINCE2 to do a job.

The process of Tailoring is done to allow for better work productivity and allowing certain relaxation to some of the rules. Tailoring further helps in managing the project in one’s way and completing it efficiently. However, only certain rules of the PRINCE2 method can be tailored. What are those aspects? Below are the aspects which one can tailor while doing a project with the PRINCE2 method.

• The processes can be combined while doing a project. By combining certain rules and principles, one can experiment with the process and in result get various outputs which can be beneficial for the project
• While doing a project, one can apply certain themes by using various techniques. These themes should be appropriate and useful for the project and should not harm the project in any way.
• Certain management products like plans and reports can be combined or split as per the requirement of the project.
• One can change certain terminology of the method so that it can suit the standards or policies of the project. The changes can only be made if they are used continuously.

However, there are even terms and rules which a company or industry cannot tailor or change. These rules are stated below.

• The company cannot exclude principles, themes and processes while tailoring, as all of them are interconnected.
• It is important to cover all the parts as, if any part is excluded then it may weaken the project management which might further decrease the success rate of the project
• For effective customisation or Tailoring, one needs to have the experience, good judgement skills and other soft skills.

Tailoring aims to add value to the project. If Tailoring does not add any positive value to the project, then it is of no use. Moreover, Tailoring would further help the company to do the project more effectively. But, only those people should do the Tailoring who are experienced in this field and know which aspects they can tailor to achieve a higher rate of project success. Companies nowadays are accepting the method of both Tailoring and adopting. But, most of the companies are applying the method of Tailoring as it brings more success and benefits to the project. While adopting means completing following the rules and principles of the PRINCE2 tool, Tailoring allows the company to customise it as per their requirement. Another benefit of Tailoring is that it helps the company in customising the methodology of pRINCE2 as per the project requirement. Once the project changes, the tailoring process changes.