Project Integration Management

What exactly is Project Integration Management?

In simple terms it means integrating the work of all the people involved within a project by focusing on communication and relationship management. When controlling a project from beginning to end and all the variables in between, it involves many stages of organizational skills. You must keep the project a coordinated success with the numerous areas of knowledge that will be accumulated from the stakeholders, management, users and the team who will be installing the system. If you are a keen listener and pay close attention to detail you could be a successful Project Manager.

Essentially there are 7 steps to Project Integration Management, they are:

1. The Project Charter - acknowledges the project and provides direction on objectives, similar to a basic contract.
2. The Project Scope Statement - will develop & confirm the details of the work to be accomplished on the project.
3. The Project Management Plan - is created & used to coordinate & guide all project planning, execution & control.
4. The Project Execution - managing & performing the work described in the Plan while keeping the project on budget.
5. The Monitoring & Controlling of Project Work - involves overseeing the project work to make sure the performance objectives are met.
6. Integrated Change Control - coordinating determined essential changes while keeping the project on task. An implemented Change Control System will help prevent scope creep.
7. Closing the Project - finalizing all aspects of the project, from administration, contracts, products, services & organizational process standpoints.

As you can see, a Project Manager must be very versatile and diplomatic when signing on to a project. There are many necessary functions that must be performed while dealing with the different levels of management ,the workers and all of their different personalities.

One of the best ways to determine what a job will consist of is in the strategic planning. The best method to use in planning is the SWOT method, it stands for the analyzing of:

• Strength
• Weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Threats

In the end, the most important thing to make sure is that the project is tailored to support the organization's overall business strategy.

Reflection

While working in a new Detox Unit in Ontario we had to, as a team, integrate a system for assessing client needs, planning their path to recovery, communicating with the various treatment programs, as well as with the client and documenting their progress. By first using a client contract we could assess the clients need for referral as well as their wishes for the type of treatment they were hoping for. Documentation becomes useful when the client has to deal with other staff. This gives the staff member an overall picture of what has been discussed. Documentation is also important when making the referral to treatment programs and holds important information about the client ,their addiction habits and their desire for treatment.

Planning involved setting times for treatment that the client is able to attend. They may need time away from work as well as time away from family, plus, they need to know if there is a cost involved and does their health benefits cover the cost of treatment as well as guarantee their wages. I would see the client, their family, the community, employers, and the treatment facility itself as stakeholders in a persons recovery. The client stands to profit through recovery because they would be healthier, have more cash flow, better family relations and a better standing in the community. The family would benefit by having a sober member of that family who they have less to worry about because they become more predictable in their daily routines. The community is safer (one less impaired driver) ,there are also cost savings for the community without the police, fire department, and paramedics being involved with this persons intoxicated behaviour.

The facility becomes a stakeholder in this persons life because their job is to teach him/her the fundamentals of staying sober. The reputation of the facility, in addictions, is very much spread by word of mouth, so, the better the treatment the more people talk about its good qualities and effectiveness. Employers may be one of the biggest stakeholders (next to the client and his family) because they would gain a more productive employee who has less time off and a better work attitude.

Communication is probably one of the most important tools in the process. The staff and client must develop a rapport through dialog to determine the best course of action that will benefit the client most. The staff and the treatment facility need to have a good line of communication to best serve the client by communicating pertinent information from one to the other. Once all this has been done it is most important for the client to establish the very best communication possible with the treatment facility staff. This is where they are going to learn the most but can only be helped by opening up and talking honestly about themselves and their feeling.

Starting a new Detox Unit means staff training in communications, first aid, food preparation, assessment and referral is an essential part of getting the unit up and running properly.I never really thought how project management would fit into a recovery setting but now I see that although the client is not the project, their recovery plan is. This means staff have to integrate the client into the recovery aspects of life.