PMP Certification Study Notes 4 Project

Integration Management
Introduction: This part of the PMP exam study notes is based on chapter 4 of PMBOK Guide
Guide 5th Edition. More information on my PMP certification exam preparation can be found
at my PMP exam and certification journey here.

integration management is needed when processes interacts

to identify,combine, unify and coordinate various processes/activities

and manage the interdependencies

communication is most important

a PM Plan not meeting requirements is a defect

Develop Project Charter

formally authorize the project and allow the PM to apply organizational resources

well-defined project start and project boundaries

project charter is a several page document including high level information of

the project: project background, business case, goals (S.M.A.R.T. specific,
measurable, attainable, realistic, time-bound), who is and the authority of the
project manager, budget, risk, stakeholders, deliverables, approval criteria, etc.

can link the project to other works in the organization through portfolio/program
management

signed off by the sponsor (the one who supply the money/resources)

agreements: either a contract (for external parties), letter of intent, service level
agreement, etc. (can be legally binding or NOT)

a charter is NOT a contract because there is no consideration

PMO may provide the expert judgement

Facilitation techniques includes brainstorming, conflict resolution, problem

solving, meeting, etc.

Develop Project Management Plan

the project management plan is a formal written document on how the

project is executed, monitored and closed, including all subsidiary management
plans (scope, requirements, change, configuration, schedule, cost, quality,
process improvement, human resource, communication, risk, procurement) and
documents (cost baseline, schedule baseline, scope baseline, performance
measurement baseline, cost estimate, schedule, responsibility for each
deliverable, staff requirements) and some additional documents/plans (selected
PM processes and level of implementation)

the contents to be tailored by the PM (tailoring) to suit each project

created by PM, signed off by destined KEY stakeholders (e.g. project sponsor,
project team, project manager)

may be progressively elaborated in iterative phases (outputs from other

processes), this must be the final process/iteration to consolidate the PM Plan

when the project management plan is baselined (i.e. validated and then
signed of by key stakeholders), it is subject to formal change control and is
used as a basis for comparison to the actual plan

after baselining, the senior management must be consulted if these high level
constraints are to be altered (whether to use the management reserves)

can be re-baselined if significant changes are seen (scope change, internal

changes/variances (for the project execution), external factors) <- needed to be
approved by sponsors/stakeholders/senior management, must understand the
underlying reasons first (built-in costs is not usually a legitimate reason)

cost baseline (specific time-phased budget), schedule baseline (-> knows when
to spend money), scope baseline (includes scope statement, WBS, WBS
dictionary): whether preventive/corrective/defect repair actions are needed

the performance measurement baseline (PMB) is an approved scopeschedule-cost plan for the project work (to use in earned value management),
it includes contingency reserve but excludes management reserves

configuration management (works with change control management plan),

document all change versions of project deliverables and completed project
components, PMIS includes: Configuration Management System (contains the
updated deliverable/project specifications and processes) and Change Control
System (contains formal documents for tracking changes)

configuration management system contains the most updated version

of project documents

other project documents NOT included in the project management plan:

Kick-of Meeting: at beginning of the project/phase, participants including

project team+stakeholders, element including project review, responsibility
assignment matrix, participation of stakeholders, escalation path, frequency of
meetings

Microsoft Project is considered by PMI as close to a bar chart, not an PMIS

Direct and Manage Project Work

create project deliverables, acquire/assign/train staff, manage vendors, collect

data for reports, document lessons learned

implement approved process improvement plans and changes, change requests

include corrective actions, preventive actions, defect repair and updates
(all considered to be change requests)

if the PM discovers a defect, he/she should instruct the team to make defect
repair during this process (need change request but may be approved by the PM
only (if stipulated in PM Plan for minor change))

approved change requests approved in the perform integrated change

control, may include preventive, corrective and defect repair actions

change requests may arise as a result of implementing approved change

requests

PM should be of service to the team, not a boss

a work authorization system (part of EEF) defines approval levels needed to

issue work authorization (to allocate the work) and is used to prevent scope
creep as formal approval must be sought before work begins

Stakeholder risk tolerance is part of EEF

Face-to-face meeting is considered to be most effective

The PM Plan can be considered as a deliverable

most of the time of project spends here

Monitor and Control Project Work

validated changes actions taken as a result of the approved change requests

are validated against the original change requests, to ensure correct
implementation

corrective and preventive actions usually dont affect the baseline, only affect
the performance against the baseline

defect repair: considered as rework, deliverable not accepted, either rework

or scrap, strongly advise defect prevention to defect repair

the work performance info is fed from all other control processes (e.g. control
schedule, control stakeholder engagement, control communications, control
costs, control quality, etc.)

variance analysis is NOT a forecast method

Perform Integrated Change Control

the PM should influence the factors that cause project change

changes arises as a result of: missed requirements, views of stakeholders, poorly

designed WBS, misunderstanding, inadequate risk assessment

all the process is documented in the change log

tracked using a change management system, also affect configuration

management system

configuration control: changes to deliverables and processes

change control: identify/document/approve changes

configuration management activities: configuration identification,

configuration status accounting, configuration verification / audit to ensure the
latest configuration is adopted and delivered

for a change request: 1) identify need, 2) assess the impact, response and
alternatives, 3) create CR, 4) Meet with stakeholders, 5) obtain approval from
CCB (change control board) or PM as defined in roles and responsibility
document/PM Plan, 6) request more funding if needed

customers/sponsors may need to approve certain decisions by CCB (if they are
not part of CCB)

communicate the resolutions (approve or reject) to change requests to

stakeholders

Burnup chart vs Burndown chart

Close Project or Phase

ensure all procurements are closed (in the Close Procurements Process) before
formal closure of the project/phase

create the project closure documents

formal sign off by designated stakeholders/customer

obtain formal approval to close out the project/phase (administrative closure)

obtain approval and deliver the deliverables (maybe with training)

finish and archive documentations, lessons learnt and update to organizational

process asset

if the contract comes with a warranty, make sure that changes during the
project are evaluated against the origin clauses, ensure alignment of the
warranty and changes

to close a project as neatly and permanently possible

for multi-phase projects, this process will be performed once for every phase end
and once for the whole project (5 times for project with 4 phases)

litigation can be further pursued after the closure