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Describe the purpose of project integration management.

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Project Integration Management is a key knowledge area in project management that focuses on coordinating and integrating various project elements to ensure smooth execution and successful completion. It involves processes and activities that unify project components and align them with the overall project objectives. Here's a detailed technical explanation of the purpose of Project Integration Management:

  1. Initiation:
    • Purpose: Identify and define the project at a broad level.
    • Technical Details: During initiation, project integration involves developing a project charter that outlines the project's purpose, scope, objectives, and stakeholders. This document sets the foundation for integration by clarifying the project's boundaries and aligning it with organizational goals.
  2. Planning:
    • Purpose: Develop a comprehensive project management plan.
    • Technical Details: Integration in planning involves creating a Project Management Plan (PMP) that integrates all subsidiary plans. These plans include scope management, schedule management, cost management, risk management, communication management, and others. The PMP establishes how these aspects will be coordinated and managed throughout the project life cycle.
  3. Execution:
    • Purpose: Carry out the project plan and coordinate people and resources.
    • Technical Details: Integration during execution involves coordinating project activities as per the project plan. It includes monitoring and controlling project work, ensuring that project deliverables meet quality standards, managing changes, and addressing issues. The integration manager must ensure that the project stays aligned with the project management plan and any changes are properly documented and communicated.
  4. Monitoring and Controlling:
    • Purpose: Track, review, and regulate the progress and performance of the project.
    • Technical Details: Integration management involves monitoring and controlling various project aspects, such as scope, schedule, cost, quality, and risks. This includes comparing actual performance against the project management plan, identifying variances, and taking corrective actions to keep the project on track. The integration manager ensures that the project remains aligned with its objectives and that any deviations are addressed promptly.
  5. Closing:
    • Purpose: Finalize all project activities and formally close the project.
    • Technical Details: During project closure, integration management involves completing all project activities, obtaining formal acceptance of deliverables, and closing contracts. The integration manager ensures that all project objectives have been met, conducts a lessons learned session, and creates a final project report. This phase consolidates the project's results, captures knowledge for future projects, and officially concludes the project.