According to the PMBOK® Guide, tailoring is necessary because every project is unique; not every process, tool, or technique is required on every project. For Project Integration Management, the project manager must consider specific factors to determine how to integrate the various project components effectively.
One of the primary tailoring considerations for Integration Management identified by PMI is Benefits:
Benefits: The project manager must consider how and when benefits will be reported. This includes determining whether they will be reported during the project, at the end of the project, or at the end of the phase. Since integration is about the " big picture, " ensuring that the project ' s outputs align with the intended business benefits is a critical integration activity.
Other Tailoring Considerations in Integration Management include:
Project Life Cycle: What is an appropriate project life cycle? What phases should comprise the life cycle?
Development Life Cycle: What development life cycle and approach are appropriate for the product, service, or result? (Predictive, adaptive, or hybrid?)
Management Approaches: What management processes are most effective based on the organizational culture and the complexity of the project?
Change: How will change be managed in the project?
Governance: What control boards, committees, and other stakeholders are part of the project?
Lessons Learned: What information should be collected throughout and at the end of the project?
Analysis of other options:
A. Validation and control: These are general management functions (found in the Monitoring and Controlling process group) rather than specific tailoring considerations for the Integration knowledge area.
C and D. Technology support and Physical location: While these are factors that can influence how a project is managed (often categorized under Enterprise Environmental Factors), they are more commonly cited as tailoring considerations for Communication Management or Resource Management rather than the core Integration Management strategy.
In summary, because Integration Management is the " glue " that holds the project together, the project manager must tailor the integration approach to ensure that the realized Benefits remain the focus of all coordinated activities.
