We are delighted to announce that seven members of Hemisphere, including our entire projects team, have achieved their PRINCE2 Foundation Certificate in Project Management.

One of the most widely recognised international standards for project management, the PRINCE2 certification is a huge asset to Hemisphere, and will help us to unify our own internal processes and align with our clients’ frameworks, as well as boost our burgeoning project management service.

What is PRINCE2?

PRINCE2 stands for Projects in Controlled Environments and is an internationally recognised standard for best practice in project management.

Originally based on PROMPT – a system adopted by the government in 1979 – PRINCE2 provides a structured method for project management; focusing on business justification, organisation, planning, management, risk assessment, and flexibility. The method can be tailored to help deliver any project, regardless of the project size, type, or industry.

How will PRINCE2 certification benefit Hemisphere?

By ensuring that our entire projects team is working to the same framework, Hemisphere can guarantee efficiency and organisation both within our organisation and in the services we provide to clients.

Many of the external project managers that we work with have undertaken their PRINCE2 certification too, meaning that we can now seamlessly align our processes with our clients’ to provide a coherent and productive service.

PRINCE2 certification also helps us work towards our goal of providing an enhanced dedicated project management service alongside our logistics expertise. We now have the ability to provide our own qualified project managers, supplying complete solutions that are both efficient and cost-effective for our clients.

Who took part and what did they achieve?

All four members of our projects team — Harry Croome, Dan Leach, Daniel Morgan, and Ian Stewart — achieved their PRINCE2 Foundation certification. It was also completed by Louis Perrin, Dylan Pomietlo and Craig Perrin.

Certification involved an intensive three-day training process followed by an hour-long exam designed to assess understanding of the PRINCE2 principles, themes, and processes.

What our team had to say

Harry Croome

“I thrive on the learning environment and enjoyed being able to take in the knowledge and test what I had learnt. This training means we can all use the same methodology, which ensures cohesion and understanding, as well as giving us the chance to bid for projects that we have not had access to due to requirement of PRINCE2 qualification.

The methodology enables me to confidently manage the stages of projects by breaking everything down and avoiding potential risks. It also gives our clients clear direction and constant checks and balances throughout the life of a project.”

Dan Leach

“The course was Intensive, thought-provoking, and, when it came to the exams, nerve-wracking! I believe PRINCE2 gives us an enhanced understanding of how best to manage our customers projects and allows us to deliver a consistent level of project management regardless of the project at hand.

For the company, the training has provided Hemisphere with yet further skilled and qualified personnel. We hope this will allow us to drive the company and department further into new opportunities and sectors. With our entire projects team now qualified, a customer can rest assured regardless of who they speak with they are dealing with an accredited projects professional.”

Ian Stewart

“I think the training gives us an understanding of how we should be structuring projects from start to finish, within our team and organisation. It also allows us the opportunity to understand any PRINCE2 process flows that our customers ask us to adhere to.

Having this understanding will help us not only handle our customers’ projects to the highest level, but also helps us demonstrate our capabilities as a project management team. We now have the education along with the practical experience to handle any size project no matter how big or small.”

Daniel Morgan

“Both the training and the trainer were very good. A key benefit will be the use of the PRINCE2 structure within our organisation during any internal development projects – be that, for example, software development or asset purchases/expansion.

I also think that it will be a possible sales feature to both existing and potential clients, who will be reassured that we can understand and dovetail into their systems as part of their own project. Well-implemented and completed projects will make our organisation as competitive and well-structured as possible, which can only be a benefit to our clients.”

Letter of credit certificates

We are also pleased to announce that Katie Murphy and Ian Stewart have attained a certificate in letters of credit, upon successful completion of the relevant course.

A letter of credit is a document from a bank that guarantees the payment from a buyer to a seller upon completion of the letter of credit’s stipulations. It provides both buyers and sellers added security and confidence in the international trade process.

When a letter of credit is being used, it is an important part of the freight forwarding process, outlining the actions that must be taken for a seller to receive payment from the buyer. This typically includes the provision of a bill of lading, commercial invoice or other documents that pertain to the goods being delivered within a specific timeframe.

By attaining certification, Katie and Ian have the necessary training to further enhance the handling of letter of credit transactions, giving our customers the necessary confidence that HFS can deliver this type of service to the highest standard. We have the ability within our team to not only ensure letter of credit terms are satisfied through the logistics solution that we provide, but also to handle the entire letter of credit presentation process with the banks on our clients behalf – therefore relieving them from what can be a time-consuming and complicated process.