Integration Management Processes

Integration Management Processes
By Moises Ortiz

The PMBOK Guide specifies seven processes for the Integration Management Knowledge Area.

1. Develop Project Charter

The project charter is the document that authorizes the Project Manager to do the work. The project manager is not always involved in the creation of this document, some times it’s handed by the sponsor.

2. Develop Preliminary Scope Statement

This document specifies the goals of the project. It is called preliminary because it’s created before planning and as the Project Manager gets more details on the project a more detailed scope statement will be created.

3. Develop Project Management Plan

This is the most important document of all. This document guides everything that happens on the project.

4. Direct and Manage Project Execution

The Project Manager needs to make sure that everybody is doing what they should be doing, and that the product being created meets all the requirements.

5. Monitor and Control Project Work

One of the most important activities of a Project Manager is to constantly monitor everything that happens in the project. The sooner you find a problem, the easiest and cheapest it is to fix.

6. Integrated Change Control

If you find a problem on your project you must immediately try to figure out how to deal with them. You must approach the stakeholders and sponsors for approval and final decision. You should also update your project management plan to reflect the changes and make sure everybody stays on the same page.

7. Close Project

You can never tell when your project’s lessons may help you out on your next project. You better document all the lessons learned during the project.

Moises Ortiz is a project manager with strong experience in the IT field. He’s been working for many multinational corporations leading IT projects and helping them align their IT strategy to the overall business goals.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Systems Engineering from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and can be contacted at his personal web page at www.moisesortiz.com.