What is the Importance of Project Integration Management?
When different departments in a company work together, managing a project can be really challenging. In order to achieve the results they want, each department that works on the project is using a methodology or framework they are most comfortable with.
This makes collaboration between departments really difficult. Project challenges may also occur when working on complex projects with many parts that must eventually align.
Project integration management is what should be implemented with the aim to create harmony between departments and parts of the project.
Project integration management is the first knowledge area within the PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) guide. This knowledge area is actually the one most utilized on a day-to-day basis by experienced project managers.
So what is the importance of project integration management? How does project integration management relate to stakeholders? Why is PIM important in project management? Let’s figure it out by reading this post.
What is Project Integration Management?
Integration management is the process, where a project manager receives the authority to track and coordinate all activities and functions taking place at different organization levels. It mainly focuses on ensuring proper coordination between project activities.
Effective integration management means a critical success factor for the project manager.
Project integration management ensures stability in all areas of a project such as project scope, time, costs, human resources, quality, communication, risk management, stakeholder management, procurement, and others.
These interconnected processes cannot be carried out by a single team. This is a highly valued aspect of the PMI.
Project integration management involves constant tracking of the procedures undertaken during the project lifecycle. Such integration should be focused on a given project and provide a watchful eye from the project initiation until its completion.
There are specific processes and process groups in this project management knowledge area.
What are the Key Processes of Project Integration Management?
Project integration management involves seven key processes.
1. Building a project charter
A project charter is an official doc that reflects a complete description of project deliverables and establishes project goals. The charter authorizes the project, providing PMs with the official right to apply all available project resources. It includes a summary of the project and information about the core stakeholders.
Typically, project charters are written for large and complex projects. However, any project has a charter in some form. For example, contracts, tenders, proposals, official emails, etc. If you thoroughly generate a project charter before starting project work, you will be able to run your project smoothly.
2. Maintaining project knowledge
In order to accomplish the goals, projects require specific knowledge. Different projects usually require a special team member with strong skills to carry out the work that not everyone possesses.
This can be knowledge, obtained through experience, explicit or tacit. The knowledge needed to perform the project’s work in a good manner must be planned via project integration management.
3. Forming a project management plan
Agile project management and the Lean approach have allowed project managers to spend less time on planning and more time on execution. This plan is approved by sponsors. It becomes the official document that communicates to stakeholders what their expectations should be. It demonstrates how the project’s goals will be accomplished. If anything changes, the project plan must be updated and re-approved.
A typical project management plan covers everything from project execution to tracking all the steps.
4. Conducting project execution
Project execution is about applying real actions. A project manager must implement project activities and monitor their execution. Managing a project team is also a part of this process. PMs should coordinate everything that happens in accordance with the project scope statement and initial plan.
5. Leading project work
This important phase involves measuring and balancing the project’s progress. Project managers should be proactive in making corrections and crucial measures to eliminate the challenges and issues that can threaten the overall success. The process leads to canceling all obstacles that stop the project from achieving its goals.
6. Implementing integrated change control
Acting change controls is aimed to help project managers with their change management efforts. This is a rather difficult task, as PMs may face backlash from their teammates.
When performing change controls, you can easily approve, calculate, and direct changes in the way you need. As a result, you get advanced customer satisfaction and the ability to drive your project to success.
7. Closing project
When you have completed all project tasks and activities, delivered the outcome to customers, and received their approval, it is time to close the project.
The closure may often be skipped, for example, because funds have been depleted. However, this is one of the most significant phases to top management.
What are the Project Process Groups?
- The initiating process group deals with all the processes necessary for getting official approval for starting a new project. It Is about developing a project charter and a project scope statement.
- The planning process group generates a project plan and schedules all the activities required. It is important to know how much time each project activity would take and plan accordingly.
- The executing group ensures all the activities outlined in the project plan are executed in the same order. Execution of all project activities aligns with the project plan.
- The monitoring and controlling group collects, evaluates, and shares performance-related data to measure the progress of all project activities.
- The closing group works with the activities for officially closing the project. This involves delivering the final product to customers/users and getting approval from them to end the project.
Accelerate project integration management with robust software
From ordinary task management and project planning to complex resource management, Hygger helps project teams optimize collaboration and increase work velocity, empowering people to get more done.
Whether you work in construction project management, in the IT sector, education, healthcare, financial and other spheres, Hygger will make it easy to plan, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more efficient and productive.
Create handy online Kanban boards, roadmaps, or simple to-do lists to keep your team connected and informed. This will enable project managers to get a bird’s eye view of their project status and identify bottlenecks timely.
