PRINCE2® vs APM: What's the Difference?
"Should I study APM or PRINCE2®?"
It's one of the questions I'm asked most often as a project management trainer.
Although they're often compared, PRINCE2® and APM aren't trying to achieve exactly the same thing. Understanding that distinction is the key to choosing the right route.
I recently discussed exactly this during a Lunch and Learn session I delivered for Jarrold Training. The conversation generated some brilliant questions, so I thought it would be useful to share the key differences here.
A method or a body of knowledge?
PRINCE2® is a project management method. It provides a defined structure made up of principles, practices, processes, roles and management products. Together, these elements explain how a PRINCE2® project should be directed, managed and controlled from the initial idea through to closure.
This gives organisations a common way of working. People know who is responsible for making decisions, when those decisions should be made, what information should be recorded and when an issue needs to be escalated.
APM takes a broader approach. Its Body of Knowledge brings together the concepts, functions and activities that make up the project profession. It covers areas such as governance, business cases, planning, risk, quality, leadership, communication, teamwork, sustainability and much more.
Rather than setting out one complete method for everybody to follow, APM helps project professionals understand the available approaches and make informed decisions about what is appropriate in their own environment.
Put simply, PRINCE2® gives you a method to apply. APM develops the professional knowledge needed to decide what to apply, when to apply it and why.
Processes or life cycles?
One of the clearest differences can be seen in how the two structure a project.
PRINCE2® uses seven processes, covering the journey from starting up a project through to directing it, initiating it, controlling stages, managing product delivery, managing stage boundaries and eventually closing the project.
These processes do more than put activities into an order. They also bring the different levels of management into the picture. The project board directs the project, the project manager deals with its day-to-day management, and team managers coordinate the delivery of specialist products where that role is required.
This creates clear lines of accountability, delegated authority and escalation. Everybody should understand what they are responsible for and where a decision needs to go next.
APM places greater emphasis on project life cycles. A life cycle provides the high-level stages that take an idea from concept to reality, while giving the project a structure for governance, control, decision-making and delivery.
The important difference is that there is no expectation that every project will use exactly the same life cycle. A project may use a linear, iterative or hybrid approach depending on the work being completed and the level of certainty involved.
This gives the project professional significant flexibility, but that flexibility comes with responsibility. If nobody is handing you a complete method, you need the knowledge and judgement to choose an appropriate approach and apply it effectively.
Principles and professional judgement
PRINCE2® has seven principles:
Ensure continued business justification.
Learn from experience.
Define roles, responsibilities and relationships.
Manage by stages.
Manage by exception.
Focus on products.
Tailor to suit the project.
These principles are not optional extras. They sit at the heart of the method and help distinguish a PRINCE2® project from a project that simply uses a few PRINCE2® templates or terms.
This is where PRINCE2® can sometimes gain an unfair reputation for being rigid. It is certainly structured, but one of its own principles is to tailor the method to suit the project. A small internal project should not be buried beneath the same level of documentation and control as a large, complex and high-risk programme of work.
The structure remains, but the way it is applied should reflect the size, complexity, importance and risk of the project.
APM does not prescribe an equivalent fixed set of seven principles that must be followed to claim you are using an APM method. Instead, it explores a wide range of approaches, techniques and considerations that a project professional may draw upon.
This freedom is one of APM’s greatest strengths. It recognises that projects operate across different sectors, organisations and cultures. However, freedom is only useful when it is supported by competence. Project professionals must understand their organisation's governance, select suitable techniques and justify the decisions they make.
PRINCE2® provides a consistent framework. APM places more weight on the professional judgement used within the framework you have.
What about the people?
Projects are delivered by people, not processes, and both approaches recognise that. However, they explore the people side of project management in different ways.
PRINCE2® defines project roles rather than organisational job titles. It explains who makes key decisions, who manages the project day to day, who represents the business, user and supplier interests, and how authority can be delegated through the project management team.
The latest version also places greater emphasis on people and organisational change than previous editions. This includes areas such as culture, collaboration, communication and stakeholder engagement. However, its main purpose remains to show how people fit within and support the effective application of the method.
APM explores behavioural and interpersonal knowledge in considerably more depth. Alongside the technical project management topics, learners encounter leadership, motivation, communication, conflict management, negotiation, teamwork and the challenges of building and leading effective teams.
This is an important distinction. Knowing how to build a plan or manage a risk register is valuable, but project managers also need to influence people, respond to conflict, adapt their leadership style and keep a team working towards a shared goal.
PRINCE2® gives people clarity within the project structure. APM looks more widely at the skills a project professional needs to lead and work with those people effectively.
Qualifications and career pathways
The qualifications also serve different purposes.
PRINCE2® is split into Foundation and Practitioner levels. Foundation establishes whether you understand the method, including its terminology and core elements. Practitioner then tests whether you can apply and tailor that method within a project scenario.
This route is particularly valuable for somebody working in, or hoping to join, an organisation that uses PRINCE2®. It demonstrates knowledge of a recognised method and provides a shared language that can be used across project teams.
APM offers a wider professional development pathway.
The APM Project Fundamentals Qualification, commonly known as the PFQ, gives learners a broad introduction to project management and does not require prior experience. It is a fantastic starting point for somebody new to the profession or somebody whose role contributes to projects.
The APM Project Management Qualification, or PMQ, goes further. It assesses broader project management knowledge and is aimed at people looking to demonstrate their understanding across a wide range of professional topics.
Beyond the qualifications, APM is also the chartered membership organisation for the project profession and provides pathways towards Chartered Project Professional status. ChPP represents a much broader demonstration of technical knowledge, professional practice and ethical behaviour than passing a single method examination.
This is why I tend to describe PRINCE2® as a method certification route and APM as a professional development route. Both can strengthen a CV, but they demonstrate different things.
Which one should you choose?
This is the part where people normally expect me to pick a winner. I am afraid I am going to disappoint you!
They are both fantastic for different reasons.
If you are completely new to project management and want a broad understanding of the profession, APM PFQ may be the strongest starting point.
If your organisation wants greater consistency, clearer governance and a shared method for managing projects, PRINCE2® may be more suitable.
If you already work within a PRINCE2® environment and need to understand how to apply and tailor the method, Practitioner is the natural progression.
If you have project experience and want to develop or demonstrate broader professional knowledge, APM PMQ may suit your ambitions more closely. It can also form part of a longer journey towards chartership, subject to the relevant ChPP pathway and experience requirements.
Of course, this does not have to be an either-or decision. A project professional can use PRINCE2® to understand a structured method while using APM knowledge to strengthen their leadership, planning, risk management, communication and professional judgement.
Having trained well over a thousand project professionals, I've seen people succeed with both approaches. The strongest project managers I've worked with rarely rely on just one. They understand structured methods such as PRINCE2®, but they also develop the wider professional judgement that APM encourages.
Conclusion
PRINCE2® and APM cover the same profession from different angles.
PRINCE2® teaches you how to manage a project.
APM helps you understand why different approaches work and when to use them.
That's why I don't see them as competitors.
I see them as two of the most valuable tools a project professional can have.
Whether you're taking your first step into project management or deciding what to study next, choosing the right qualification can make a real difference. If you're unsure whether APM or PRINCE2® is the better fit for you or your organisation, I'd be delighted to help. I can explain the options and connect you with an Accredited Training Organisation that offers the right course for your needs.
Email me at HarleyRichards@TheProfessionalPractice.com to start a conversation and begin your training journey!