Integration Management

This topic covers the last of the knowledge areas according to PMI. In this post we discuss how we put all the pieces from the previous posts together.
During the project the main task for the project manager should be the integration role.
The Project Manager should:

• Take lessons learned into account. Do you have any historical information from previous projects? If yes, use it! This is important for project managers that join a company on a temporary basis and for regular employed Project Managers. Even though records exist quite often they are not taken into account. The lessons learned should show what went well and what didn't. It is especially important to pay close attention to the lessons learned regarding  “communication”.
• Determine which Project Planning Methodology to use. Are you using the Waterfall model or the Agile Project Management with SCRUM? Why do you use one or the other? What Project Plan Documents will you use?
• Decide where all the Project Management Information will be stored? For the Project Schedule you might want to use a Software Program like MS Project. What about the Risk Management Plan? The Communication Plan etc.? You also have tons of other documents (e.g. regular status updates to project sponsors, Workflows, Project Charter, Business Requirements Plan, RACI charts, Meeting notes, Change Management). Where do you want to keep all these documents? Who should have access to these documents?

Let's put the tasks above plus some others in a chronological order.

1. Create a Project Charter (this is a fairly extensive example). The Project Charter in its simplest form should explain what the objective of the project is. What is the Business Case? Why is the Project being done? It should further state what the deliverables of the project are. Note: Keep in mind this is NOT a project plan! Keep it short and simple so that it is really useable!
2. Prepare HIGH LEVEL Project Documents as far as possible (e.g. if you got a go-live date from a project sponsor you can already enter that information and do some backwards calculation). You should have at least these documents.

a. Scope Document (Business Requirements Document)
b. Project Schedule
c. Risk Management Plan
d. Communication Plan
e. Procurement Plan

3. Determine how Change Management is supposed to work and put the necessary policies and   processes in place. This will deal with changes once the original Project Scope has been agreed to and then you get the unavoidable changes. 
a. What systems will you use?
b. Who needs to approve a change?
c. What is the expected Turn-around-time for a change request?
d. Do you have a form that needs to be submitted?
e. To who is the form submitted?

4. Setup a Project Kickoff Meeting
a. Objective here is to make everyone familiar with the details of the project and the people who will work on this project.
b. Invite all the stakeholders (e.g. project sponsor, project team) for a face to face meeting if possible
c. If the project team comes from multiple continents and multiple cultural backgrounds make sure you are familiar with their cultural backgrounds so that you can work most effectively.
d. Review all the available information (e.g. project risks, meeting plan, project schedule)

5. Execute the Project
a. This can include the Project Management Life Cycle for every Project Life Cycle
 
6. Close the Project
a. Organize a post-mortem meeting

Check this link for a short summary of Integration Management from PMI.