Part 44: Project Integration Management Processes

Project Integration Management includes

Develop Project Charter
- KEY BENEFIT: Results in a defined project start & project boundary, creation of a formal record of the project, and a direct way for senior management to accept and commit to the project
- The Charter is a partnership between the performing and requesting organizations
- The Charter might be a formal contract if the customer is external
- Charter provides the project manager with authority to plan and execute the project
- Projects are initiated by an entity external to the project (such as a sponsor, PMO, or chairperson), and the initiator should be someone capable of obtaining funding and resources for the project
Develop Project Management Plan
- KEY BENEFIT: Creates the Project Management Plan, which is a central document that defines the project
- There are many subsidiary plans (scope, human resource, cost, etc.), which we develop and integrate into a comprehensive management plan. In the 6^th edition of PMBOK, there is less focus on the subsidiary plans.
- If a Project is part of a Program, then we should develop a Project Management Plan that is consistent with the Program Management Plan
- We can make as many changes as we want to the Project Management Plan.
- Once we are satisfied with the Project Management Plan, we create a baseline (a reference for the scope of work, time, and cost). Once we execute the plan, we compare our progress against the baseline.
- If we want to make changes to the Project Management Plan after creating a baseline, we must use the Perform Integrated Change Control process. We must create a change request and then decide on it.
Direct and Manage Project Work
- KEY BENEFIT: Results in overall management of project work, which increases the likelihood of the project’s success
- In this process, we
  - Perform the work defined by the Project Management Plan
  - Create deliverables
  - Train and manage team members
  - Obtain, manage, and use resources
  - Manage project communication
  - Generate Work Performance Data (Cost, Schedule, Technical/Quality Progress, Status of Deliverables)
  - Issue change requests and Implement approved changes
  - Manage and respond to risks
  - Manage sellers and suppliers
  - Manage stakeholders
  - Collect and document lessons learned
  - Review the impact of project changes
- Three types of changes are
  - CORRECTIVE ACTION is when we adjust the current performance of the project, so that it matches the plan
  - PREVENTATIVE ACTION is when we ensure that future performance conforms to the plan
  - DEFECT REPAIR is when we modify a non-conforming product or deliverable

Manage Project Knowledge
- KEY BENEFIT: Use the organization’s prior knowledge to improve our project’s outcome, and ensure that knowledge created by our project is available to support the organization’s future projects
- Knowledge can be “explicit” or “implicit”
  - Explicit knowledge can be written down or recorded easily (words, instruction manuals, training videos). Explicit knowledge can be taken out of context, even though it is recorded.
  - Implicit knowledge is difficult to express and might be intangible. It includes work experience, beliefs, and personal insights. Implicit knowledge lives in people’s brains. It must be shared from person to person with conversations and hands-on training.
- In this process, we
  - Reuse existing knowledge
  - Create new knowledge
  - Make sure that the project team uses their skills and experience effectively to deliver project results
  - The project manager must establish trust with the project team so that they are motivated to share their knowledge and skills, and so that less experienced members are willing to pay attention and learn.
Monitor and Control Project Work
- KEY BENEFIT: Ensures that stakeholders understand the current state of the project, steps, budget, schedule, and scope forecasts
- In this process, we
  - Track, review, and report project progress against performance objectives
  - Compare actual project performance against the Project Management Plan
  - Assess performance to determine if corrective/preventative action is required, and recommend necessary action
  - Maintain accurate project documentation
  - Provide information to support status reporting, progress measurement, and forecasting
  - Provide forecasts to update current cost & schedule information
  - Monitor implementation of approved changes
  - Provide reporting on project progress/status
- Risk Management involves
  - Identifying new risks
  - Analysing, tracking, and monitoring existing risks
  - Ensuring that risks are identified, their status is reported, and appropriate risk response plans are executed
- The difference between Monitor vs Control
  - MONITORING
    - Collecting, measuring, and distributing performance information
    - Analyzing measurements and trends to improve a process
  - CONTROL
    - Determining corrective/preventive action or following up on action plans
Perform Integrated Change Control
- KEY BENEFIT: Results in an integrated process for documenting changes & reduces project risk by forcing changes to be considered across the overall project objectives
- In this process, we
  - Review change requests; approve changes; manage changes to deliverables, assets, and project documents; and communicate changes
- When a change request is initiated, you should
  - Evaluate how the change affects all the project constraints. In any change scenario, this is always the first step.
  - Determine options
    - Reject the change
    - Defer the request (make the decision at a later time)
    - Accept the change, but add money to the budget and time to the schedule so that you can complete the change within the project’s constraints
  - Get the Change Control Board to approve the change, if there is one; not all projects have a Change Control Board
  - Get the customer or sponsor to approve the change
  - Changes should be entered into the Configuration Management System
- CONFIGURATION CONTROL
  - Configuration Control ensures that the product/deliverable is not changed without authorization
  - Configuration Control is intended for managing the product
- CHANGE CONTROL
  - Change Control helps us identify, document, approve, and reject changes
- Configuration Management Activities include
  - Configuration Identification, where we select a configuration item that forms the basis of the product configuration
  - Configuration Status Accounting, where we record & report information about the configuration, and status of proposed changes
  - Configuration Verification and Audit, where we ensure project configuration items are correct, and that changes are registered, assessed, approved, tracked, and implemented. It’s not enough to approve a change; once it’s approved, it MUST be carried out.
- Remember, we don’t need to use this process if we haven’t created project baselines yet
Close Project or Phase
- KEY BENEFIT: Provides lessons learned, formal ending of project work, and release of organizational resources.
- In this process
  - The Project Manager reviews the closure of the previous phase or project, and ensures that it was completed in accordance with the Project Management Plan
  - We transfer the products, services, and/or results to the next phase of the project or to production/operations (if the project is complete)
  - We also collect records, audit the project to determine if it was a success or failure, gather lessons learned, and archive project information. The information we collect becomes part of the Organizational Process Assets, and the Organization uses it to plan future projects
  - We make sure that the customer has formally accepted the project’s deliverables
  - If a project is terminated unsuccessfully, we must investigate and document the reasons
  - This process includes action for the administrative closure of the project or phase (where the project is cancelled)
  - The resources that were allocated to the project (equipment, people, meeting spaces) go back to the organization. The organization can use them for other projects.