Common Pitfalls in the Project Integration Management Phase and How to Overcome Them
The article lists eleven frequent mistakes that occur during the integration management stage of a project—such as missing charters, lack of authority, poor planning, inadequate monitoring, and incomplete closure—and then outlines the essential elements of a project charter, its inputs and outputs, and the comprehensive contents of an overall management plan.
Common Pitfalls in Project Integration Management
Project charter not created or not approved.
Project manager lacks authority and cannot define senior‑level scope or objectives.
No project management plan is drafted, or the plan is incomplete.
The plan is not reviewed and approved.
Planning is done by the project manager alone instead of involving the whole team.
Project execution is insufficient.
Monitoring is weak; the comparison between planned and actual performance is not performed.
Issues are not monitored or analyzed promptly, so corrective, preventive, and remedial actions are delayed.
No coherent change‑control process is established.
When changes occur, the baseline or plan is not updated.
Project closure is neglected, and lessons learned are not captured.
Essential Practices for Project Integration Management
Project charter must contain
Project purpose or justification.
Measurable project objectives and success criteria.
Overall project requirements.
A concise project description.
Key project risks.
High‑level milestone schedule.
Overall budget.
Project approval requirements.
Designation of the project manager with defined responsibilities and authority.
Name(s) and authority of the sponsor or other approvers.
Project charter inputs
Project statement of work; business case; agreements; enterprise environmental factors; organizational process assets.
Project management plan inputs and output
Inputs: project charter; outputs of other processes; enterprise environmental factors; organizational process assets.
Output: project management plan.
Overall management plan contents
Selection of project‑management processes for the team.
Implementation level for each selected process.
Explanation of tools and techniques used for those processes.
Methods and approaches for applying the processes, including dependencies, interactions, and key deliverables.
Methods for executing work to achieve project objectives.
Methods for monitoring changes.
Methods for implementing changes.
Use of performance‑measurement baselines and how to keep them complete.
Communication needs and techniques among stakeholders.
Selected project life‑cycle and phase definitions for multi‑phase projects.
Key reviews by senior management to accelerate resolution of unresolved issues and decisions regarding scope, schedule, and content.
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