What does the PMBOK knowledge area of integration focus on?

The PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) knowledge area of integration focuses on the coordination of all project elements. This area is crucial because it ensures that various components of a project work together effectively to achieve the overall project objectives.

Project integration management involves making trade-offs among competing objectives and alternatives to meet or exceed stakeholder needs and expectations. This process includes defining the project purpose, developing the project management plan, directing and managing project work, monitoring and controlling project work, and closing the project. All of these processes emphasize the responsibility of project managers to unify the different aspects of the project, such as scope, time, cost, quality, resources, communication, risks, and stakeholders.

In contrast, the other options focus on specific aspects of project management that do not encompass the broader perspective of integration. Effective planning and execution of cost management, while important, falls under financial management rather than integration. The technical aspects of construction pertain to the execution phase and the practicalities on-site, not the overarching coordination. Lastly, the development of marketing strategies is outside the scope of project integration management, as it does not directly relate to the integration of project components.