PRINCE2

[5] PRINCE was derived from an earlier method called PROMPT II (Project Resource Organisation Management Planning Techniques).

In 1989 the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) adopted a version of PROMPT II as a UK Government standard for information systems (IT) project management.

They gave it the name 'PRINCE', which originally stood for "PROMPT II IN the CCTA Environment".

PRINCE was renamed in a civil service competition as an acronym for "PRojects IN Controlled Environments".

[7] Since then, PRINCE2 became increasingly popular[8] and is now a de facto standard for project management in many UK government departments and across the United Nations system.

In the following table project level tolerances are summarised:[10] PRINCE2 is based on seven principles and these cannot be tailored.

The purpose of a project is to deliver change, which will affect the people who perform business as usual (BAU) activities.

[citation needed] The general response of PRINCE2's authors to criticism has been to point out that the methodology is scalable and can be tailored to suit the specific requirements and constraints of the project and the environment.

[14] This strong emphasis on tailoring has led some users to complain that PRINCE2 is unfalsifiable, i.e. it is impossible to tell whether PRINCE2 "works" or constitutes "best practice" if any problems encountered with a project can be blamed on inappropriate application of PRINCE2 rather than on PRINCE2 itself.

The experiences of the Blair administration in the UK between 1997 and 2007 (and of subsequent UK governments) arguably undermine PRINCE2's claim to be "best practice", given the string of high-profile failed IT projects charged to the taxpayer during that time,[15][16][17] and the controversy surrounding the financial relationship between the Blair government and PRINCE2's co-owners Capita.

Asia, Africa and the Middle East area have no strong preference for PMP or PRINCE2.

In practice, companies and practitioners choose one system or both depending on the project environment, their geographical location and costs involved.