What is Project Integration Management?
As per Project Management Institute (PMI®), Project Integration Management is the first project management knowledge area, which mainly pertains to the procedures required to guarantee that the different tasks of the project are coordinated appropriately.
While developing a project, the entire sub-processes are integrated to form a whole project, and that constitutes the concept called ‘project handling’. Project Integration Management consists of the 6 project integration management processes like Initiation, Planning, Execution, project monitoring, and control and closing of a project. For project management, effective communication channels are an absolute necessity. We will see the importance of project integration management processes in detail.
Here are the articles on project description and conflict management.
Importance of project integration management
The motive behind implementing a project integration management is as follows:
- Managing and coordinating all the tasks with processes to develop a whole project during a project life cycle.
- Conducting a whole project in order to produce an outcome systematically as each process in the project integration management has some purpose to achieve the main project goal.
Get to know more about agile vs traditional project management.
As per the PMBOK® 4th edition, the processes involved in the project integration knowledge areas and steps for implementing project integration management are as follows:
6 Project Integration Management Processes
1. Developing a Project Charter
The project charter plays a pivotal role in Project Integration Management. A project can’t start leaving this process. This process belongs to the Project Initiation phase. It defines the objectives of the project to produce a project charter. The high-level project information includes a name, description, and what will be the end product. The project charter helps in authorizing the project in the enterprise to begin the next process.
The table below shows the inputs, project integration management tools and techniques, and outputs of the project charter process.
| Inputs | Tools & Techniques | Outputs |
|---|
| The project statement of work | Expert judgment | Project charter |
| Business case | Facilitation Techniques |
|
| Agreement and contracts |
|
| Environmental factors |
| Organizational process assets |
A project charter is a key resource of the project information. The project charter anchors the project and should include the following:
- Mentioning the project title and description
- Stating the business requirements and business case
- Listing the project targets
- Defining the risks
- Identifying the resources of the project and the technologies needed
- Listing the end product
- Identifying the project managers and team members and adding their roles and responsibilities
- Delineating the budget
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2. Developing a Project Plan
Project plan development is the second step in project integration management. It comes under the Planning phase. It takes the output of the other planning processes to create a continuous and logical document that can be used during project execution. This process includes appropriate project planning and generating various project management plans like scope management, cost management, time management plans etc. The project plan directs the execution of the project, documenting various planning assumptions, communicating with the clients etc.
The table below shows the inputs, project integration management tools and techniques, and outputs of the project planning process.
Develop a Project Management Plan process
| Inputs | Tools & Techniques | Outputs |
|---|
| Project charter | Expert judgment | Project Management plan |
| Outputs from planning processes | Project planning Methodology | Supporting Detail |
| Historical information | Stakeholder skills and knowledge |
|
| Enterprise environmental factors | Project Management information system (PMIS) |
| Organizational process assets | Facilitation techniques |
| Constraints |
|
| Assumptions |
The document consists of all the project requirements to meet the end product and deadlines. The statement should include the following:
- Project objectives
- Goals
- Tasks
- Stakeholders
- Project requirements list
- Resources
- Budget
- Schedule
- Change request process
- Communication methodologies
3. Directing and Managing a Project Work
This is the third process in project integration management and belongs to the Execution area. In this process, the tasks are carried out as described in the project management plan and changes are made according to the project needs. During this phase, the project outcomes are generated and delivered to the stakeholders. This step mainly focuses on delivering the end product to the customers.
The table below shows the inputs, project integration management tools and techniques, and outputs of the Execution process.
Direct and Manage Project Work Process
| Inputs | Tools & Techniques | Outputs |
|---|
| Project Management Plan | Expert Judgment | Deliverables |
| Approved change requests | Project Management information system | Work performance information. |
| Enterprise Environmental Factors | Meetings | Change requests. |
| Organizational process assets |
| Project Management plan updates |
| Project Document updates |
4. Monitoring and Controlling a Project Work
This is the fourth phase in project integration management. It belongs to the Project Monitoring phase. User requirements are gathered, plans are made ready, and the execution starts. Still, it is not guaranteed to get the actual results as you planned, regardless of whether it is a good plan. Variations from the planned things are measured with the help of monitor and controlling the project work process. Also, this phase includes tracing, cross-verifying, and revealing the progress in order to meet the objectives of the project management plan.
The table below shows the inputs, project integration management tools and techniques, and outputs of the Monitor and Control process.
Monitor and Control project work process
| Inputs | Tools & Techniques | Outputs |
|---|
| Project Management Plan | Expert Judgment |
|
| Work Performance information | Analytical Techniques |
|
| Enterprise Environmental factors | Project Management information system
(PMIS) | Project Document updates |
| Organizational process Assets | Meetings | Work Performance report. |
| Cost forecasts |
|
|
| Validated Changes |
5. Performing Integrated Change Control
This is the fifth process in project integration management which belongs to the Project Monitoring and Control process group. You may need to do changes, due to the variations in the planned values or the customer may ask you to do some changes to the project.
E.g., The customers might ask for a new requirement or they might require changes in the existing product. Such change requests are evaluated by the Change control phase by finding out the alternative solutions and their impact on the project. Perform the Integrated change control phase ensures the appropriate implementation of the required changes in the project.
The table below shows the inputs, project integration management tools and techniques, and outputs of the Performing Integrated Change control process.
Perform Integrated Change Control Process
| Inputs | Tools & Techniques | Outputs |
|---|
| Project Management Plan | Expert Judgment | Change Request Status updates |
| Work performance Reports | Change Control Meetings | Project Management plan updates. |
| Change Requests | Change Control Tools | Project Document Updates |
| Enterprise environmental factors |
| Change log. |
| Organizational process Assets |
6. Close Phase
The close phase is the last step while implementing project integration management belonging to the Project Closing process group. Once the project is finished, this process indicates the formal completion of the project. If all the project objectives are met and the customer agrees to the final product, then that project or phase (phase belongs to a large project) can be closed declaring the project to be completed officially.
The table below shows the inputs, project integration management tools and techniques, and outputs of the Close process.
Close Project or Phase Process
| Inputs | Tools & Techniques | Outputs |
|---|
| Project Management Plan | Expert Judgment | Final product, service or Result Transition. |
| Accepted Deliverables | Analytical Techniques | Organizational Process Assets updates. |
| Organizational Process Assets | Meeting |
|
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Coming to the Conclusion
As stated above in the project integration management tutorial, we have studied all the key process groups in project integration management. Also, we have seen that all the projects require a concrete project plan to finally have the desired end product. It is up to the project manager and the project team to create one. Then the project manager must work with the project team to ensure the work is being completed as it was planned.
The project manager must follow all the subsidiary project plans, such as the Risk Management Plan, the Schedule Management Plan, and the Communications Plan. Finally, the project manager must work throughout the project to control changes across all facets of the project.
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