The Importance of Project Integration Management

Managing projects is more complex than ever. With specialized skills, a wide variety of software solutions, and high client expectations, orchestrating the many different aspects of project processes can feel overwhelming. However, the advent of the project integration management process can help both project managers and the resources they manage stay informed from the beginning to the end of a project.

By understanding project integration management and its steps, your teams can implement a successful project strategy starting today.

What is Project Integration Management?

Project integration management is the coordination of all aspects of a project, including its processes and related systems, to ensure that a project is well executed. In doing so, project managers can better balance the demands of stakeholders, the expectations of clients, and the tasks during a project.

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), project integration management impacts all of a project’s processes, ranging from its initiation to its post-completion review. When applying integration management to your company’s projects, it is critical that project managers follow seven steps throughout their lifecycles, which can be repeated again and again when taking on new projects. Following these steps will ensure a holistic and well-informed approach to strategizing and executing a project, with the knowledge gained helping future projects perform even better.

The 7 Steps of Project Integration Management

According to Project Engineer, there are seven steps within the project integration management process. Following these steps will help your organization effectively coordinate and control projects for greater success.

1. Develop Project Charter – Kick off the project, summarize the goals, define the steps to complete the project, and choose the project manager. This is done in a one-page road map that guides the entire project from here on out.
2. Preliminary Scope Statement – Develop the preliminary scope statement, which will identify what is part of the project so that managers can determine the right resources to complete the project on time and within budget.
3. Develop Project Management Plan Process – Create the project’s master plan, which will determine the needed planning documents and provide a baseline for the project’s schedule, scope, and necessary costs for help in executing the project.
4. Direct and Manage Project Work Process – Execute your project plan, with project managers integrating all of the activities of assigned team members into the overall project’s defined objectives. The management of day-to-day processes, status meetings, stakeholder meetings, and more will keep project tasks integrated with one another for success.
5. Monitor and Control Project Work – While the previous step is focused on the execution of a project, this stage is all about controlling the scope, quality, schedule, and stakeholder engagement of the project. Keeping these in check and aligned with the project charter will keep the project on the right track.
6. Perform Integrated Change Control – Ensure that any change request is reviewed and either accepted or rejected according to the project’s agreed upon goals and the organization’s guidelines. These changes can range from deadlines and budgets to project quality reports, but integrating the changes with the rest of the project is crucial for products and services that live up to client expectations.
7. Close Project or Phase – At completion, produce a formal review of the entire project. This will define where the project succeeded, where it had issues, and what lessons were learned for the improvement of future projects, with these findings added to a formal document that uses data points regarding these metrics. Your findings will shape future projects and their own project integration management processes.

By following these seven steps, your project integration management strategy will grow stronger over time and create a consistent level of high quality project execution. The lessons learned and the support given to resources will mean predictable success for your company to build on in the years to come.

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