The area of integration management is where a new project manager may understand the most. It is also the area where problems can arise. Integration management assists processes to work together.
Project Charter
One area of integration management where new project managers will fail is they do not have a good project charter. A project charter is a high level document that outlines the project objectives and constraints. The project charter also identifies the primary roles and responsibilities of the project. It outlines the goals and objectives of the project. A signed project charter allows the project manager to start the project and use resources. A new project manager may think having an approved project charter is too formal and overly complicated for a small or medium sized project. The project charter should include the following.
- Name of the project
- Project Manager
- Sponsor of the project
- Purpose of the project
- Requirements
- Project scope
- Cost and duration of the project
- Project risks and constraints
Scope Statement
The scope statement outlines at a high level what is in the scope of the project and what is not in scope. Defining what the scope is very important for all projects. We have all heard about scope creep in a project. Scope creep is where more and more objectives are added to a project while it is in progress. Adding additional scope may be necessary, but there are change management processes to do so.
The scope statement should also set expectations of what a successful project completion looks like. To ensure everyone involves have the same expectations, you must document the project deliverables. You are must identify how the deliverables will be measured. Too many times a new project manager will try and close their project only to hear from the stakeholders that not all of the deliverables they expected have been achieved.