TABLE OF CONTENTS The PMP certification exam addresses critical project management functions that ensure coordination of the various elements of the project. The PMBOK Guide explains that the processes in project management are integrative in nature. They involve making tradeoffs among competing objectives to meet stakeholders' needs and expectations. Integration processes drive the associated knowledge area processes within each of the process groups and all process groups are addressed by one or more integration management processes. These processes interact with each other as well as with the other eight knowledge areas.
| Exam Tip | Although this is the first knowledge area to be discussed (following the sequence of the PMBOK Guide), we recommend that you revisit it after all other knowledge areas are reviewed. |
It is important to note that integration occurs within as well as outside the project. For example, project scope and product scope must be integrated and project work must be integrated with the ongoing other work of the organization (such as operations and deliverables from various technical specialties). One of the key tools or techniques used to integrate the processes and measure project performance is the earned value technique (EVT). Therefore, EVT is introduced in this chapter and is utilized for performance measurement in Time Management (Chapter 6), Cost Management (Chapter 7), and Communications Management (Chapter 10).
Interactions often have a domino effect and can be overt or subtle. Interactions engender tradeoffs and the project manager must be able to orchestrate these interactions as the project flows and...
