PRINCE2, HERMES and the Project Management Institute’s approach are the three project management standards most often encountered in the German-speaking region. They pursue the same goal but differ in origin, structure and field of use. Leutrim Miftaraj works with HERMES on mandates for Swiss federal agencies and holds the PMP; this comparison comes from practice in both worlds.
Three standards, three origins
PRINCE2 comes from the British public sector and is now used internationally; the current seventh edition dates from 2023. HERMES is the project management method of the Swiss federal administration and mandatory for its IT projects; many cantons, municipalities and federally related companies use it too. The PMI approach with the PMBOK Guide comes from the US and is best known through PMP certification.
Where they really differ
PRINCE2 is process- and principle-oriented, with a clear separation between direction by a project board and management by the project manager. HERMES prescribes a concrete flow of phases, milestones, roles and results tailored to public administration processes and templates. The PMI approach describes principles and performance domains and leaves the concrete approach open, whether predictive, agile or hybrid.
What each standard assumes
HERMES assumes an organisation that works with a sponsor, phase approvals and standardised deliverables. PRINCE2 needs a functioning project board that actually decides. The PMI approach requires experienced project managers who choose the right tools from a broad toolbox.
HERMES and Swiss public procurement
Anyone delivering services to the Swiss federal administration can hardly avoid HERMES: tenders often require HERMES knowledge, and results are expected in HERMES templates. In the private sector the standard is less widespread; PRINCE2, PMI approaches and agile frameworks are more common there.
The mistake of doing all three halfway
Organisations that mix elements of all standards without combining them deliberately often get the worst of each: many documents, unclear roles and no common language. Better is one standard as the foundation, supplemented by deliberately adopted elements, such as agile execution within a HERMES framework.
Tie the choice to the project
For Swiss public sector projects, HERMES is a given. For international corporations with British or American influence, PRINCE2 or PMI fit. For small agile product teams, none of the three is fully necessary. More on certification is in our article on PMP certification; HERMES is explained in the glossary entry on HERMES 2022.