KEY CONCEPTS FOR PROJECT INTEGRATION MANAGEMENT

Project Integration Management is the specific responsibility of the project manager and it cannot be delegated
or transferred. The project manager is the one that combines the results from all the other Knowledge Areas to
provide an overall view of the project. The project manager is ultimately responsible for the project as a whole.
Projects and project management are integrative by nature, with most tasks involving more than one Knowledge
Area.
• The relationships of processes within the Project Management Process Groups and between the Project
Management Process Project Integration Management is about:
1. Ensuring that the due dates of project deliverables, the project life cycle, and the benefits realization plan are
aligned;
2. Providing a project management plan to achieve the project objectives;
3. Ensuring the creation and the use of appropriate knowledge to and from the project;
4. Managing project performance and changes to the project activities;
5. Making integrated decisions regarding key changes impacting the project;
6. Measuring and monitoring progress and taking appropriate action;
7. Collecting, analyzing and communicating project information to relevant stakeholders;
8. Completing all the work of the project and formally closing each phase, contract, and the project as a whole;
9. Managing phase transitions when necessary.
KEY CONCEPTS FOR PROJECT SCOPE MANAGEMENT

1. Scope can refer to product scope (the features and functions that characterize a product, service, or result), or to

project scope (the work performed to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions).

2. Project life cycles range along a continuum from predictive to adaptive or agile. In a life cycle that uses a predictive

approach, the project deliverables are defined at the beginning of the project and any changes to the scope are

progressively managed. In an adaptive or agile approach, the deliverables are developed over multiple iterations

where a detailed scope is defined and approved for each iteration when it begins.

3. Completion of the project scope is measured against the management plan. Completion of the product scope is

measured against the product requirements.

KEY CONCEPTS FOR PROJECT SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT

1. Project scheduling provides a detailed plan that represents how and when the project will deliver the products,

services, and results defined in the project scope.

2. The project schedule is used as a tool for communication, managing stakeholder expectations, and a basis for

performance reporting.

3. When possible, the detailed project schedule should remain flexible throughout the project to adjust for knowledge

gained, increased understanding of the risk, and value-added activities.

KEY CONCEPTS FOR PROJECT COST MANAGEMENT

1. Project Cost Management is primarily concerned with the cost of the resources needed to complete project

activities, but it should also consider the effect of project decisions on the subsequent recurring cost of using,

maintaining, and supporting project deliverables.

2. Different stakeholders will measure project costs in different ways and at different times. Stakeholder requirements

for managing costs should be considered explicitly.

3. Predicting and analyzing the prospective financial performance of the project’s product may be performed outside

the project, or it may be part of Project Cost Management.

KEY CONCEPTS FOR PROJECT QUALITY MANAGEMENT
1. Project Quality Management addresses the management of the project and the deliverables of the project. It
applies to all projects, regardless of the nature of their deliverables. Quality measures and techniques are specific
to the type of deliverables being produced by the project.
2. Quality and grade are different concepts. Quality is “the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills
requirements” (ISO 9000).1 Grade is a category assigned to deliverables having the same functional use but
different technical characteristics. The project manager and team are responsible for managing trade-offs
associated with delivering the required levels of both quality and grade.
3. Prevention is preferred over inspection. It is better to design quality into deliverables, rather than to find quality
issues during inspection. The cost of preventing mistakes is generally much less than the cost of correcting
mistakes when they are found by inspection or during usage.
4. Project managers may need to be familiar with sampling. Attribute sampling (the result either conforms or does not
conform) and variable sampling (the result is rated on a continuous scale that measures the degree of conformity).
5. Many projects establish tolerances and control limits for project and product measurements. Tolerances (the
specified range of acceptable results) and control limits (the boundaries of common variation in a statistically stable
process or process performance).
6. The cost of quality (COQ) includes all costs incurred over the life of the product by investment in preventing
nonconformance to requirements, appraising the product or service for conformance to requirements, and failing to
meet requirements (rework). Cost of quality is often the concern of program management, portfolio management,
the PMO, or operations.
7. The most effective quality management is achieved when quality is incorporated into the planning and designing of
the project and product, and when organizational culture is aware and committed to quality.
KEY CONCEPTS FOR PROJECT RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

1. Project resources include both physical resources (equipment, materials, facilities, and infrastructure) and team
resources (individuals with assigned project roles and responsibilities).

2. Different skills and competences are needed to manage team resources versus physical resources.

3. The project manager should be both the leader and the manager of the project team, and should invest suitable
effort in acquiring, managing, motivating, and empowering team members.

4. The project manager should be aware of team influences such as the team environment, geographical location of
team members, communication among stakeholders, organizational change management, internal and external
politics, cultural issues, and organizational uniqueness.

5. The project manager is responsible for proactively developing team skills and competences while retaining and
improving team satisfaction and motivation.

6. Physical resource management is concentrated on allocating and utilizing the physical resources needed for
successful completion of the project in an efficient and effective way. Failure to manage and control resources
efficiently may reduce the chance of completing the project successfully.
KEY CONCEPTS FOR PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT

1. Communication is the process of exchanging information, intended or involuntary, between individuals and/ or groups.
Communications describes the means by which information can be sent or received, either through activities, such as
meetings and presentations, or artifacts, such as emails, social media, project reports, or project documentation. Project
Communications Management addresses both the process of communication, as well as management of
communications activities and artifacts.

2. Effective communication creates a bridge between diverse stakeholders whose differences will generally have an impact
or influence upon the project execution or outcome, so it is vital that all communication is clear and concise.

3. Communication activities include internal and external, formal and informal, written and oral.

4. Communication can be directed upwards to senior management stakeholders, downwards to team members, or
horizontally to peers. This will affect the format and content of the message Communication takes place consciously or
unconsciously through words, facial expressions, gestures and other actions. It includes developing strategies and plans
for suitable communications artifacts, and the application of skills to enhance effectiveness.

5. Effort is required to prevent misunderstandings and miscommunication, and the methods, messengers, and messages
should be carefully selected.

6. Effective communication depends on defining the purpose of communication, understanding the receiver of the
communications, and monitoring effectiveness.
KEY CONCEPTS FOR PROJECT RISK MANAGEMENT

1. All projects are risky. Organizations choose to take project risk in order to create value, while balancing risk and reward.

2. Project Risk Management aims to identify and manage risks that are not covered by other project management
processes.

3. Risk exists at two levels within every project: Individual project risk is an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has
a positive or negative effect on one or more project objectives. Overall project risk is the effect of uncertainty on the
project as a whole, arising from all sources of uncertainty including individual risks, representing the exposure of
stakeholders to the implications of variations in project outcome, both positive and negative. Project Risk Management
processes address both levels of risk in projects.

4. Individual project risks can have a positive or negative effect on project objectives if they occur. Overall project risk can
also be positive or negative.

5. Risks will continue to emerge during the lifetime of the project, so Project Risk Management processes should be
conducted iteratively.

6. In order to manage risk effectively on a particular project, the project team needs to know what level of risk exposure is
acceptable in pursuit of project objectives. This is defined by measurable risk thresholds that reflect the risk appetite of
the organization and project stakeholders.
 KEY CONCEPTS FOR PROJECT PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT

1. The project manager should be familiar enough with the procurement process to make intelligent decisions
regarding contracts and contractual relationships.

2. Procurement involves agreements that describe the relationship between a buyer and a seller. Agreements can be
simple or complex, and the procurement approach should reflect the degree of complexity. An agreement can be a
contract, a service-level agreement, an understanding, a memorandum of agreement, or a purchase order.

3. Agreements must comply with local, national, and international laws regarding contracts.

4. The project manager should ensure that all procurements meet the specific needs of the project, while working with
procurement specialists to ensure organizational policies are followed.

5. The legally binding nature of an agreement means it will be subjected to a more extensive approval process, often
involving the legal department, to ensure that it adequately describes the products, services, or results that the
seller is agreeing to provide, while being in compliance with the laws and regulations regarding procurements.

6. A complex project may involve multiple contracts simultaneously or in sequence. The buyer-seller relationship may
exist at many levels on any one project, and between organizations internal to and external to the acquiring
organization.
KEY CONCEPTS FOR PROJECT STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT

1. Every project has stakeholders who are impacted by or can impact the project in a positive or negative way. Some
stakeholders will have a limited ability to influence the project’s work or outcomes; others will have significant
influence on the project and its expected outcomes.
2. The ability of the project manager and team to correctly identify and engage all of the stakeholders in an
appropriate way can mean the difference between project success and failure.
3. To increase the chances of success, the process of stakeholder identification and engagement should commence
as soon as possible after the project charter has been approved, the project manager has been assigned, and the
team begins to form.
4. The key to effective stakeholder engagement is a focus on continuous communication with all stakeholders.
Stakeholder satisfaction should be identified and managed as a key project objective.
5. The process of identifying and engaging stakeholders for the benefit of the project is iterative, and should be
reviewed and updated routinely, particularly when the project moves into a new phase, or if there are significant
changes in the organization or the wider stakeholder community.