Next Move: Should You Study PRINCE2 or ITIL?

IT professionals are often looking for methods to expand their skill sets, with project and service management qualifications commonly the best approaches.

Of course, several options can make choosing the right program hard.

ITIL and PRINCE2

Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and PRojects IN Controlled Environments (PRINCE2) are a couple of the most popular qualifications and recognized by organizations around the world.

This is for a good reason, too, as they're able to offer a framework that can be applied to nearly any project, whether it is implementing a new IT installation or even something like organizing a conference.

ITIL is the most recognized framework for IT service management and is a set of 'best practices' for managing IT services within an organization. ITIL can be used to improve effectiveness, quality, and cost management continually, and is now being used for more than merely IT-based projects.

PRINCE2, on the other hand, is intended to manage projects and improve performance where required. Its focus is centered more on process-based methodology and giving detailed direction on achieving successful projects.

How PRINCE2 and ITIL Can be Used Together?

Though they can be used individually, both qualifications are used well together. For example, if a business is trying to implement ITIL across the organization, it is essentially becoming a 'project.' PRINCE2 can then be used to manage the whole management process. By using the methodologies studied during the qualification process, efficient ITIL integration is assured.

Read: ITIL Vs PRINCE2 Certification - Choose Better One

Knowing how both can be used to work together can assist businesses and IT professionals, and secure projects are completed smoothly.

The Qualification Process

Once the benefits of both are known, and IT professionals have narrowed down the one that best suits their needs, it is time to assess the qualification process. It is essential to undertake comprehensive courses that offer the smoothest progression.

Below, the qualification method for both PRINCE2 and ITIL will be explained. Understanding how the process works before starting education can make each stage easier to get.

The Qualification Process for PRINCE2

PRINCE2 offers several courses for IT professionals, each taking place over several days and offering different educational opportunities. The starting point is the practitioner certificate, which can be used by professionals to master the PRINCE2 structure. It is useful for those studying to become a consultant or even a trainer.

PRINCE2 Foundation Certification:

This offers a fundamental understanding of the framework and is suitable for those who require an understanding of the project management methodology. This is a course ideal for team leaders or those contemplating moving into the project management field.

PRINCE2 Practitioner Certification:

This stage is intended for those who have made the foundation certificate but want to upgrade to a practitioner level the scene features how theory can be put into practice.

The Qualification Process for ITIL

• ITIL has several courses that can be utilized called 'Lifecycle modules.' These focus on a range of various areas and are quite comprehensive.

• Freestanding qualifications are also available, such as one that provides a business and management level opinion of the ITIL focus lifecycle. It also deals with how it might be made to enhance IT service provision within an organization.

• IT professionals need to consider the use of these qualifications and how they offer lasting career benefits. While they do give distinct variations in terms of both the qualification process and where they can be used, they are also able to be used together.

• In today’s highly aggressive marketplace, both ITIL and PRINCE2 can be a powerful combination for organizations that need to maintain their corporate dynamism.

• Whether an organization is setting up a foreign location or developing something new in-house, following the ITIL framework, along with a robust project management structure, will do spectacles for the business.

• According to AXELOS, PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a soft method that guides organizations in the essentials for running a successful project regardless of project type or scale. PRINCE2 can be tailored to satisfy your organization or industry-specific requirement.

• ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a generally-accepted IT service management strategy in organizations across the globe. The ITIL framework is formed from best practices followed by both public and particular sectors all over the world.

• The best practices in ITIL are based on expert advice and inputs of ITIL users and consolidate the latest thinking with sound, practical guidance. ITIL has, hence, increased in importance as a methodology that delivers actual business outcomes for enterprises.

How ITIL and PRINCE2 Complement Each Other?

The ITIL framework discusses many of the limitations of IT by providing a service-oriented framework that fits the business requirements of the customer.

Read: Difference Between ITIL and PRINCE2 Certification

But, for the ITIL framework to be performed, which is a project in itself, a specific project management methodology in PRINCE2 must be applied as well to ensure a higher degree of success. PRINCE2 and ITIL organization complement each other in several ways:

Consistent Business Justification:

The best benefit that PRINCE2 takes to the table is the principle of continued business justification and constant center on the business case throughout the project. This assures the project does not change course from its primary objective at any point in time.

Management by Stages:

Breaking large chunks of work to sizeable pieces will aid in handling a project more efficiently. Every requirement will be analyzed and signed off from the right stakeholders. With PRINCE2 methodology, it provides an accurate view of what can be done and when it can be done.

Careful Risk Management:

Because ITIL demands to change not only the IT department but also the rest of the organization, ITIL implementations require an impeccable project management structure.

Anything less and the application is at severe risk. With its careful risk management processes defined in the risk theme, PRINCE2 serves to address all possible threats in the project.

Risk management is also a component of the ITIL framework. Hence they complement any other well. The emphasis on identifying and evaluating risks helps the stakeholders to make educated decisions as part of ITIL change management.

During the Commencement of a Project:

The ITIL best practices in Service Design and Service Strategy have a clear project order which forms a basis for building PRINCE2’s project management structure. Everything from field, success, and different criteria, are identified and approved by senior management. This saves a lot of time in lighting up a project.

Quality and Cost:

The ITIL framework helps PRINCE2 to concentrate on the bigger picture. It is imperative to balance both cost and quality in ITIL, which helps in making correct decisions for quality improvement, which adheres towards the larger view.

The stress on quality also fits in with the PRINCE2 framework, where the quality theme develops on aspects such as Project Product Description, Product Description, Quality Register, Quality Management Strategy, among others.

Plugging the PRINCE2 Gap:

The ITIL framework implementation helps in ‘benefits realization,’ which happens only after the project is finished. PRINCE2 has no part in this, as the project management structure mandates the completion of the project successfully. But, the ITIL framework helps to realize the advantages when the implementation is done, and it can fine-tune it when there is a change after the project is completed.

Managing several constraints such as time, price, and the scope of business are all superimposed on a framework of meeting quality requirements. This forms the foundation of project management and meeting customer-defined needs, availability, reliability, capability, and cost-effectiveness of business services offered along with increasing responsiveness in managing change from the heart of ITIL.

Summing-Up

PRINCE2, with its project management structure and the ITIL structure with its best practices together, deliver an aggressive advantage for an organization.