Project management training

Hi Wombles, I work as a Project Manager, and did PRINCE2 a few years back. In all honesty, I didn't find it that useful. I passed the exam, but that was because our tutor, at something like Day 4 of a 5 day course, told us all the tricks involved in PRINCE2 exams. So from memory it was things like 'If a question involves a statement with the word never or always in it, it will always be false in a true or false question.' There were lots of other similar things which I forget. So in all honesty the whole thing was an exercise in getting people through the exam, rather than building understanding. Don't be put off, I find quite a lot of autistic people work in project management. 

How did you get your head round it all though?  It is so abstract and I simply can't visualise and understand all the moving parts and what they do in a project.

I too have managed projects and this whole method just seems hideously overcomplicated for complication's sake.

It's probably not the most helpful answer, but it's an honest one: I didn't really focus on the concepts, I just focused on getting through the exam, put loads of sticky labels all over my manual (marking out the various stages, roles etc), so that I could find them quickly, and concentrated on exam technique. I managed projects before and since - I can't say I did anything different after the course to what I did before it. It was good to have on my CV, though, which was the only reason I did the course. Sorry, I realise that won't help you very much.

It's probably not the most helpful answer, but it's an honest one: I didn't really focus on the concepts, I just focused on getting through the exam, put loads of sticky labels all over my manual (marking out the various stages, roles etc), so that I could find them quickly, and concentrated on exam technique. I managed projects before and since - I can't say I did anything different after the course to what I did before it. It was good to have on my CV, though, which was the only reason I did the course. Sorry, I realise that won't help you very much.

I studied PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner in 2005 (we had reams of essays to write then, rather than the more modern multiple-choice elements). 

I admit that I did find it really tough. (However, I did pass, so please do take encouragement; that you might yet find your own route to achievement).

Things which I personally found definitely helped me along "my" route to "pass":

- used a paperback copy of the manual (often available secondhand),

- used coloured plastic sticky tabs which you can write on with a ballpoint pen,

- used an A3 paper copy of the PRINCE2 process model / map (I needed that "bird's-eye" view),

- tried very hard to remind myself that, in the long run, it did not matter that (not to get distracted by) e.g. I hated the hotel & food for that week, I could get a bit fed up if the Tutor kept pandering to some of the delegates from bigger named companies, it was frustrating that several of the delegates were all talk but offered little real contribution, that it was annoying that some folk were clearly only there to write PRINCE2 on their CV ...whereas I wanted to use it in my workplace,

- I decided that I really wasn't there on the course to make friends and influence people, therefore I took each coffee break as a chance to pick up some water and then step outside for some air, change of scene and quiet time (to micro-refresh myself),

- I just stayed for the main course of the provided evening meal and then sat silently studying in my hotel room each evening - using a timer to remind me to drink water regularly,

- got strict with myself that sleep was a priority (deploying all mechanisms to aid sleep known to me),

- during the exam scenarios I kept trying to visualise "if I were doing this for real in the workplace, what would I prioritise in the available time?", or "if I were sharing the essentials of this knowledge with a colleague, what might I say or what explanatory diagram would I draw?"

It is true to say that lots of workplaces say you must have PRINCE2 ...only to then not let you actually do it and they instead use some ancient project management framework (often involving ridiculous spreadsheets).  However, there are companies / organisations who do value a PRINCE2 outlook, attitude, rigour and communication style - so I am glad that I persevered and found the way to achieve PRINCE2 - albeit via a route which suited me best.

Best wishes for your experience of your studies over the coming year.  (That is said with an encouraging smile from me).

That does makes absolute sense.  I would love a paper copy of the book to annotate - or even a PDF copy, but it can only be accessed via a clunky, user unfriendly webpage (it is an online course, and I presume the provider doesn't want the PDF to be shared when they can charge hundreds of pounds for the course - they charge about 90 quid just for the manual).

I have switched off on the course completely - I have told the trainer I will not resit the foundation, nor will I do the practitioner this week (I have 12 months to sit them).  He hasn't been massively helpful, but in fairness to him, I don't think there is a lot he can do to help - he also has a class of around 10 other people to get through both exams in a week.

My plan is to go over this in slower time in the next couple of months to try and get my head round it - and I am going to try and learn the concepts using a scenario that I understand.  The trainer told me I should understand enough to pass foundation when I have done the practitioner, but having done the first day of practitioner yesterday, I am even more confused.  The mock exam questions might as well be written in ancient Egyptian, because I frankly didn't have a clue what the questions meant, let alone which answer was correct.

It's very depressing and frustrating.  I think the approach you suggested of just learning with the goal of passing the exam in mind is the best approach.  I can at least use the manual in the practitioner - not that I find the online manual particularly accessible or easy to use.

Thanks for your advice Martin, it is appreciated.