In this post i have explained about Project Integration Management.
Chapter 3
Project Integration Management
A Comprehensive Guide for PMP Certification by Parag Pal
Chapter 3 focuses on **Project Integration Management**, the critical knowledge area that coordinates all other project management processes. It's about unifying and combining the various elements of a project into a cohesive whole.
This guide will detail the seven processes within Integration Management, from authorizing the project to its formal closure, highlighting key inputs, tools & techniques, and outputs for each.
3.1 Project Integration Management Processes Overview
Project Integration Management includes the processes and activities to identify, define, combine, unify, and coordinate the various processes and project management activities within the Project Management Process Groups. It is the only knowledge area that includes processes from all five Process Groups.
The 7 Integration Management Processes are:
- Develop Project Charter (Initiating)
- Develop Project Management Plan (Planning)
- Direct and Manage Project Work (Executing)
- Manage Project Knowledge (Executing)
- Monitor and Control Project Work (Monitoring & Controlling)
- Perform Integrated Change Control (Monitoring & Controlling)
- Close Project or Phase (Closing)
Integration Processes by Process Group
This chart shows how the 7 Project Integration Management processes are distributed across the five Process Groups.
Note: Integration Management is unique in having processes in all five groups.
3.2 Develop Project Charter
This is 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. It establishes the partnership between the performing organization and the requesting organization.
3.2.1 Inputs
- Business Documents:
- Business Case: Explains why a business should do this project, often including a cost-benefit analysis.
- Benefits Management Plan: Describes the main benefits the project will produce once completed, often expressed financially or in terms of risk reduction/strategic alignment.
- Agreements: Contracts for external customers, signed before the project starts.
- Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs)
- Organizational Process Assets (OPAs)
3.2.2 Tools & Techniques
- Expert Judgment
- Data Gathering (e.g., brainstorming, focus groups, interviews)
- Meetings
- Interpersonal Skills & Team Skills
3.2.3 Outputs
- Project Charter: The formal authorization document.
- Assumption Log: A log of all assumptions and constraints identified throughout the project, continuously updated.
Business Case Project Selection Methods
Businesses use various methods to justify projects and select the most valuable ones.
| Method | Description | Preference |
|---|---|---|
| Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) | Ratio of benefits to costs. | Larger ratio is better. |
| Internal Rate of Return (IRR) | Return on project investment as an interest rate. | Bigger interest rate is better. |
| Opportunity Cost | Value of what you give up to do something else. | Lower opportunity cost is better. |
| Payback Period | How long it takes to return the investment capital. | Shorter period is better. |
| Economic Value Add (EVA) | Net value of a company over a period (profits after tax - cost of capital). | Positive EVA is better. |
| Net Present Value (NPV) | Present value of future cash flows minus initial investment. Accounts for time value of money. | Higher positive NPV is better. |
| Return on Investment (ROI) | Percentage showing how much money will be gained back. | Higher percentage is better. |
3.3 Develop Project Management Plan
This process defines, prepares, and coordinates all subsidiary plans and integrates them into a comprehensive Project Management Plan. It specifies how the project will be executed, monitored and controlled, and closed.
3.3.1 Inputs
- Project Charter
- Outputs from other planning processes (e.g., Scope Management Plan, Schedule Management Plan)
- EEFs, OPAs
3.3.2 Tools & Techniques
- Expert Judgment
- Data Gathering
- Meetings
- Interpersonal Skills & Team Skills
3.3.3 Outputs
- Project Management Plan: The comprehensive document with 18 parts (4 baselines and 14 subsidiary plans). This plan is the single most important document in the entire project.
- A project kickoff meeting is usually done when the planning is complete and the team comes together to execute the project.
3.4 Direct and Manage Project Work
This process is about leading and performing the work defined in the project management plan and implementing approved changes to achieve the project's objectives. It's where the actual project work is done.
3.4.1 Inputs
- Project Management Plan
- Project Documents (e.g., Issue Log)
- Approved Change Requests
- EEFs, OPAs
3.4.2 Tools & Techniques
- Expert Judgment
- Project Management Information System (PMIS)
- Meetings
3.4.3 Outputs
- Deliverables: The most important output; products or parts of products given to the customer for acceptance.
- Work Performance Data: Raw information about the work performed (e.g., how long work took, how much it cost).
- Issue Log: A document to keep a list of all problems, conflicts, or issues on a project, described, assigned, prioritized, and addressed.
- Change Requests: Can be requested due to preventive actions, corrective actions, or defect repairs.
- Project Management Plan Updates, Project Documents Updates, OPAs Updates.
3.5 Manage Project Knowledge
This process ensures that the knowledge gained before, during, and after the project is used for the organization's benefit. It focuses on facilitating the sharing and integration of knowledge.
3.5.1 Types of Knowledge
- Explicit Knowledge: Tangible form, easily codified and transferred (e.g., documents, procedures, manuals, textbooks).
- Tacit Knowledge: Difficult to transfer, gained by doing (e.g., "know-how," experience, insights).
Explicit Knowledge
Documented, codified, easy to share.
- Manuals, procedures, databases
- Textbooks, reports
Tacit Knowledge
Experience-based, difficult to articulate.
- Intuition, insights, "know-how"
- Skills gained through practice
3.5.2 Tools & Techniques
- Expert Judgment
- Knowledge Management: About sharing generally tacit knowledge (e.g., networking, meetings, discussions, seminars, workshops, training).
- Information Management: Ensuring explicit information is available to stakeholders when needed.
3.5.3 Outputs
- Lessons Learned Register: A living document where all lessons learned are stored and consistently updated throughout the project.
- Project Management Plan Updates, OPAs Updates.
3.6 Monitor and Control Project Work
This process tracks, reviews, and reports the overall progress to meet the performance objectives defined in the project management plan. It compares actual work to planned work to identify variances.
3.6.1 Inputs
- Project Management Plan
- Project Documents
- Work Performance Information: Analyzed data on the performance of work (status of deliverables, forecasts).
- Agreements
- EEFs, OPAs
3.6.2 Tools & Techniques
- Expert Judgment
- Data Gathering
- Data Analysis (e.g., Variance Analysis, Trend Analysis)
- Meetings
- Interpersonal Skills & Team Skills
3.6.3 Outputs
- Work Performance Reports: Status reports on project schedule, budget, etc.
- Change Requests: To implement corrective actions, preventive actions, or defect repairs if variances are found.
- Project Management Plan Updates, OPAs Updates.
3.7 Perform Integrated Change Control
This is the process of reviewing all change requests; approving changes and managing changes to deliverables, organizational process assets, project documents, and the project management plan; and communicating their disposition. It's a central point for managing all changes.
3.7.1 Inputs
- Project Management Plan
- Project Documents
- Work Performance Reports
- Change Requests (generated from other processes)
- EEFs, OPAs
3.7.2 Tools & Techniques
- Expert Judgment
- Data Gathering
- Meetings (often involving a Change Control Board - CCB)
- Change Control Tools (automated tools for managing changes)
- Interpersonal Skills & Team Skills
3.7.3 Outputs
- Approved Change Requests: Changes that have been formally approved and can now be implemented.
- Project Management Plan Updates, Project Document Updates, OPAs Updates.
The Change Control Process
A structured approach to managing changes is essential to maintain project control.
Important Principle:
Never approve or deny a change without first assessing its actual impact on the project.
3.8 Close Project or Phase
This process finalizes all activities across all Project Management Process Groups to formally complete the project, phase, or contractual obligations.
3.8.1 Inputs
- Project Charter
- Project Management Plan
- Project Documents (e.g., Lessons Learned Register)
- Business Documents
- Agreements
- Accepted Deliverables
- Procurement Documentation
- OPAs
3.8.2 Tools & Techniques
- Expert Judgment
- Data Gathering
- Meetings
- Interpersonal Skills & Team Skills
3.8.3 Outputs
- Final Product, Service, or Result Transition: The completed deliverable is formally handed over to the customer or sponsor.
- Final Report: A comprehensive report summarizing project performance, objectives achieved, quality, budget, and benefits.
- Project Document Update, OPA Update.
Key Activities:
Reviewing the scope baseline to ensure all work was done correctly, transferring deliverables, successfully capturing lessons learned, releasing the project team, and ensuring all contracts are closed out.
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