Techniques and tools

Which is the difference between tools and techniques in PRINCE2 and PMI.

Techniques and tools in PRINCE2® and PMI®

Both PRINCE2 and PMI (through the PMBOK® Guide) offer comprehensive approaches to project management. While they share many core principles—such as planning, monitoring, controlling, and delivering successful projects—they do differ in their recommended techniques and the way they group and define tools.

Overview of tools and techniques in PMI

In the A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) — 6th Edition, PMI defines seven groups of 132 different project management tools and techniques. These groups provide project managers with a broad toolkit that can be adapted and applied to various types of projects and industries. Here’s the breakdown:

1. Data Gathering Tools (9 tools). These methods help collect information from various sources. Examples include brainstorming, interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires.
2. Data Analysis Techniques (27 techniques). These techniques involve interpreting and making sense of collected data. Examples include cost-benefit analysis, earned value management, and root cause analysis.
3. Data Representation Tools and Techniques (15 tools and techniques). These help visualize data and processes, such as flowcharts, histograms, and risk probability and impact matrices.
4. Decision-Making Techniques (2 techniques). These facilitate informed choices among alternatives. Examples include multi-criteria decision analysis and voting methods.
5. Communication Skills (2 techniques). These ensure clear and effective sharing of information among stakeholders, such as feedback methods and presentation techniques.
6. Interpersonal and Team Skills (17 skills). These foster better teamwork and cooperation, including conflict management, leadership, and negotiation.
7. Ungrouped Tools and Techniques (60 tools and techniques). These are assorted tools that may not fall neatly into the above categories but are still valuable, such as change control tools, project management software, and other specialized solutions.

Overview of tools and techniques in PRINCE2

PRINCE2, on the other hand, focuses on defining specific processes, themes, and roles within a project management environment. It is less prescriptive regarding tools, allowing organizations to customize or select tools based on their needs.

PRINCE2 explicitly highlights two techniques that are generic and widely used in project management:

Product-Based Planning

Purpose: This technique outlines how to create plans by breaking down the main project deliverable (often referred to in PRINCE2 as the “project product”) into smaller, more manageable components.
Key Deliverable: The result is a Product Breakdown Structure (PBS), which has similarities to the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) used in PMI methodologies.
Benefits: Product-based planning helps ensure clarity on what needs to be delivered, the dependencies between different products, and the quality criteria for each deliverable. It also facilitates accurate estimates of time, cost, and resources.

Quality Review Technique

Purpose: This technique is recommended for verifying that each project deliverable meets its defined quality criteria.
Process: A group of reviewers, typically subject matter experts, examines the deliverable. Any issues or defects are documented, and recommendations are made to ensure the deliverable meets the required standards.
Outcome: The findings are recorded in the Quality Register to track and manage quality throughout the project lifecycle.

PRINCE2 tools

While PRINCE2 does not explicitly define a long list of tools, it encourages project managers and teams to use the tools that best fit their project context. Commonly, practitioners may adopt tools and techniques often referenced in PMI’s PMBOK® Guide, such as:

• Risk management tools: Risk registers, risk probability and impact matrices, and risk response planning tools.
• Estimation tools: Techniques like analogous estimating, parametric estimating, and three-point estimating can be applied.
• Scheduling and planning tools: Gantt charts, project network diagrams, and critical path method (CPM) tools.
• Communication and collaboration tools: Software for stakeholder engagement, issue tracking, and information sharing.

Comparing PMI and PRINCE2 on tools and techniques

Scope of Guidance

PMI: The PMBOK® Guide provides a detailed compendium of techniques, grouped systematically. It’s designed to be a broad framework that can be tailored to various projects and methodologies.
PRINCE2: Focuses on governance, principles, and processes, rather than prescribing a comprehensive list of tools. It relies on practitioners to select the most appropriate techniques for planning, risk management, and quality control.

Flexibility vs. prescription

PMI: Offers extensive flexibility by providing numerous tools for different project contexts.
PRINCE2: Stays methodical in its processes but leaves tool selection up to each organization or project manager. It prescribes only two formal techniques (Product-Based Planning and Quality Review) and expects project managers to integrate other tools as needed.

Adoption and customization

PMI: Often used in diverse industries worldwide, supported by a vast library of tools and techniques.
PRINCE2: Commonly adopted in government and public sectors (especially in the UK and Europe) but also used globally. Its structured framework is easily combined with other project management approaches.

Key takeaways

PMI’s PMBOK® Guide presents a wide array of tools and techniques, grouped into seven categories, ensuring project managers have a solid reference for every stage of the project lifecycle.
PRINCE2 offers a clear process-based approach, with just two specifically highlighted techniques—product-based planning and quality review—while recognizing that practitioners can (and should) use additional tools as appropriate.
Both approaches complement each other. Many organizations blend the governance structure of PRINCE2 with the detailed toolbox of PMI to achieve robust project management practices.
By understanding these differences in recommended tools and techniques, project managers can make informed decisions about which framework—or combination of frameworks—best suits their project environment.