introduction
the first one of 10 knowledge area we will discuss is integration management
small note : integration management chapter start from chapter 4 as the first 3 chapters focus on project management introduction as we seen in previous articles
integration management
Performing Integration Management in a project is to keep the complete interconnected project as one unified set of activities.
This is a project manager’s key role. Effective execution of this role is determined to be a critical success factor for the project manager.
Project Integration Management includes the activities to:
- identify
- define,
- combine,
- unify,
- and coordinate the various processes
During the ongoing of a project:
- the team members are heavily involved in completing designated tasks (work packages),
- sponsors continue to monitor the project to avoid any changes and resource challenges
- the project manager continues to integrate project activities.
- project manager keeps the interconnected project as one unified whole to result in quicker results, economical activities and lesser resources and also ensures that project goals are met.
Project Integration Management is all about maintaining in all areas of a project (time, scope, cost, quality, human resource, communication, risk, procurement, stakeholder, among others).
These are interconnected processes and cannot be performed in separate manner .
for example :To create a project charter :
- we would need to detail business goals and its linkage to the project goals,
- we would also need to carve out the problem statement, scope statement, cost-benefit analysis (financial calculations), among others.
- after the project has initiated, we would need to identify the need of additional resources, schedule changes, increase in project activities, among others.
- The project manager will essentially keep this interconnected project as a unified set of activities in all of the given examples.
integration management process group
integration management has the following process group
- 4.1 develop project charter – (Initiating phase )
- 4.2 develop project management plan – (Planning phase )
- 4.3 direct and manage project work – (Executing phase )
- 4.4 Manage Project Knowledge – (Executing phase )
- 4.5 monitor and control project work – (Monitoring & Controlling phase )
- 4.6 integrated change control – (Monitoring & Controlling phase )
- 4.7 close project or phase – (closing phase )
what each process do ?
let us to detail what we means by each of processes above
Develop project charter (initiating)
- Provides a direct link between the project and the strategic objectives of the organization.
- Creates a formal record of the project, and shows the organizational commitment to the project.
- The process of developing a document that formally authorizes the existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities
- Performed once or at predefined points in the project
Develop project management plan (Planning)
- Production of a comprehensive document defines the basis of all project work and To Project Integration Management Blog
- The process of defining, preparing, and coordinating all plan components and consolidating them into an integrated project management plan
- Performed once or at predefined points in the project
Direct and manage project work (Execution)
- Provides overall management of the project work and deliverables, thus improving the probability of project success
- The process of leading and performing the work defined in the project management plan and implementing approved changes to achieve the project’s objectives
- Performed throughout the project
Manage Project Knowledge (Execution)
- Prior organizational knowledge is leveraged to produce or improve the project outcomes, and knowledge created by the project is available to support organizational operations and future projects or phases
- The process of using existing knowledge and creating new knowledge to achieve the project’s objectives and contribute to organizational learning
- Performed throughout the project
Monitor and Control Project Work (Monitoring and Controlling)
- Allows stakeholders to understand the current state of the project, to recognize the actions taken to address any performance issues, and to have visibility into the future project status with cost and schedule forecasts
- The Process of tracking, reviewing, and reporting the overall progress to meet the performance objectives defined in the project management plan
- Performed throughout the project
Perform integrated change control (Monitoring and Controlling)
- Allows for documented changes within the project to be considered in an integrated manner while addressing overall project risk, which often arises from changes made without consideration of the overall project objectives or plans
- The process of reviewing all change requests; approving changes and managing changes to deliverables, project documents, and the project management plan; and communicating the decisions
- Performed throughout the project
Close project or phase (Close Project)
- The project or phase information is archived, the planned work is completed, and organizational team resources are released to pursue new endeavors
- The process of finalizing all activities for the project, phase, or contract
- Performed once or at predefined points in the project
conclusion
this was briefly an overview about integration management knowledge area and it’s processes group
next articles we will discuss each process with more details
please keep tuned
