Importance of documentation in project management
November 09, Category Project Management. The project manager has a larger responsibility, not just managing the people but also the papers and documents. Yes, documenting all things done in every phase of the project is critical for various purposes like tracking the work in progress, understanding, and addressing the gaps. Further, in this blog let us understand what are the different types of project management documents used in various project management phases. Also, know why there is a need for such documents to excel as a project manager successfully from this blog and create your documents by attending a PMP Training Online.
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Content:
- Project Management Documentation List – Free Templates and Checklists
- Project Documentation: What is it & How to Manage it?
- Different Types of Project Management Documents
- A Quick Guide to 9 Essential Project Documents [+ Templates]
- The importance of documentation (because it’s way more than a formality)
- The Information Systems Documentation - Another Problem for Project Management
- 18. Project Completion
- Project Charter
- Project Documentation: Examples and Templates
- Project Documentation
Project Management Documentation List – Free Templates and Checklists
November 09, Category Project Management. The project manager has a larger responsibility, not just managing the people but also the papers and documents. Yes, documenting all things done in every phase of the project is critical for various purposes like tracking the work in progress, understanding, and addressing the gaps. Further, in this blog let us understand what are the different types of project management documents used in various project management phases.
Also, know why there is a need for such documents to excel as a project manager successfully from this blog and create your documents by attending a PMP Training Online. Every project has a beginning, execution, and closing phase. To be precise it has planning and monitoring phases as well.
Therefore it is evident that the documentation also falls in these categories. The below image shows precisely what are the documents prepared in each phase of the project. Apart from this, technical documents are a must for the execution of every project, which includes User Requirements document URS , User Acceptance testing document UAT , training manual, technical manual, etc. Initiation Phase - A plan document, business case, requirements gathering, budgeting, project schedule are all the documents that are made in this phase to begin at the right place.
Execution Phase — Work breakdown structure, change request, risk log are the documents to be made in the execution phase. These documents are subject to change based on the progression of the project. Closing Phase - User manual, Handover document, lessons learned document are prepared during this last phase of the project development lifecycle. Know more details by undergoing a PMP Certification Training Online and document your work at every phase of the project.
Different types of Project Management Documents. Irrespective of the type of document used in a project it is a must to keep them concise, relevant, and updated. The habit of making such project documents will make the entire team and all stakeholders work together and stay aligned.
Therefore these business case documents will emphasize the need for the project. What is the purpose of a project and what outcome is expected? Depending on the size of the project a business case project document can be a document filed with several pages or just a simple one page write up explaining the project details.
The project manager must ensure that the project sponsor provides this document along with an economic feasibility study. Next comes the project charter which is the formal authorization permit making the PM own the project by making a plan, to execute and manage the same. A typical project charter must contain the project scope, timelines, requirement details, DoD, cost, project success factor along with people and other resources. Once the scope is identified the PM must now identify people among the team to hold accountability for each work to be executed.
Basically, this can be a matrix representation detailing who is in charge of what. This will provide role clarity among all the team members. This helps in setting expectations and there is no communication gap. Breaking down the work is called a work breakdown structure. Once the team is aware of their roles they need to know when to start a task, and what is the timeline. The WBS will contain the project deliverables which will be broken down into chunks of work based on the objective.
Allocating resources becomes simple with this document. Referring to this document provides a clear idea of how the work is getting distributed among the team. However a system is foolproof, there are possibilities for accidental and unavoidable risks. But that cannot be an excuse for the delay in the project or missing out an important deliverables.
Thus it is good to create an issue tracker and enter details like what is the issue, how did it happen, who can resolve it and when can it be rectified. When the risk is identified it becomes easy to make corrections. But there are areas where one cannot resolve it and need expert support. This document must be clear with all details that will bring the team on one page to avoid wastage of time on altered or deleted deliverables.
This contains the plan and schedule of the project. What work is to be done, what is already completed, and what is in the queue. This will decide the timeframe to complete the entire project. An outline of all deliverables is listed in this document. This can be referred for future projects as it will provide guidelines of when it is started, how it went etc. This document will contain all the mistakes done, what went wrong, how it got rectified, who was responsible for the error and who helped to correct it.
Such details noted down will certainly provide a clear route for the upcoming projects. Each document needs expertise to write them correctly and an Online PMP Training will walk you through the process. Documents surpass the human brain as it is not possible to remember all details over a long time.
Therefore documenting them will help to store, review, and change details. Project managers in multiple projects can easily refer to documents for the project goals, objectives, and plan schedules accordingly. Apart from recollecting data, documentation helps in improving the efficiency of all the team members. When there is a document to track progress, correction becomes easy and thus efficiency can be increased.
The document will allow each stakeholder to highlight what is important and thus will give them a focus to prioritize the task and they can complete them. How much ever one is prepared and planned there will be some slips. Thus documenting that as well will avoid last-minute surprises and referring to the document will let the entire team stay prepared for the worst.
This will help take some corrective actions to prevent major failures in project delivery. PMP Course Online outlines the importance of project documentation and also provides you with examples to write each document without missing any details. Preparing a project management document is very important and the project manager plays a key role in making most of the documents. Thus you must undergo a professional PMP Certification Course to understand what is documentation, how to make the right one take your project to success in a professional institute like StarAgile.
Drop Your Query. Get A Coupon Code. Select Classroom Live Virtual online. Get Your Coupon Code. Different Types of Project Management Documents. Phases of Project Documentation Every project has a beginning, execution, and closing phase. Different types of Project Management Documents Irrespective of the type of document used in a project it is a must to keep them concise, relevant, and updated.
Charter Next comes the project charter which is the formal authorization permit making the PM own the project by making a plan, to execute and manage the same.
Accountability Document Once the scope is identified the PM must now identify people among the team to hold accountability for each work to be executed. WBS Breaking down the work is called a work breakdown structure. Risk Logbook However a system is foolproof, there are possibilities for accidental and unavoidable risks.
Change request document When the risk is identified it becomes easy to make corrections. Project Schedule This contains the plan and schedule of the project.
Handover Document An outline of all deliverables is listed in this document. Lessons Learned Document This document will contain all the mistakes done, what went wrong, how it got rectified, who was responsible for the error and who helped to correct it. Significance of Project Management Documents 1. Memory Documents surpass the human brain as it is not possible to remember all details over a long time.
Improves Efficiency Apart from recollecting data, documentation helps in improving the efficiency of all the team members. Focus on Important Things to Deliver the Best The document will allow each stakeholder to highlight what is important and thus will give them a focus to prioritize the task and they can complete them.
Be Prepared for the Worst How much ever one is prepared and planned there will be some slips. Conclusion Preparing a project management document is very important and the project manager plays a key role in making most of the documents. Important Links. Call Us. Drop A Query. Drop a Query. View Details.
Project Documentation: What is it & How to Manage it?
Time is perhaps your biggest enemy when taking on a new project. Innovation requires that you come up with an idea that either no one has thought of before or do it better than your competition. Hence, turning an idea into reality can become a challenging task. Agile is perhaps the most widely used methodology in software development, given the dynamic nature of most projects. Its iterative mode of operation allows flexibility when adapting to market demands, but documentation is something it does not stress upon. Instead, it opts to focus on churning out a working prototype as per its manifesto. When you actually venture into the world of software development, you find that the process itself relies on heavy documentation.
Different Types of Project Management Documents
This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure. There were lots of other documents that all had a degree of overlap with a charter, but not an actual charter. The documentation created by a project manager in order to adequately manage, control and deliver the project. If you are building a massive Olympic park or a military battleship, then there are higher standards for documentation, but for most projects done in office-based environments by small, medium and even large-ish firms, your time will be best spent on getting the basics right. As you read through the descriptions and learn more about what these documents are for, have a think about how they might be relevant to your project. Your business case is just a few lines in an email? Get copies of all these project document templates in one easy-to-use bundle with notes and guidance.
A Quick Guide to 9 Essential Project Documents [+ Templates]
In addition to stating legal and financial requirements, contracts define what is to be done for the client. Just as important as contracts, proper specifications are needed to identify clearly how the contract requirements are to be satisfied. We have written this to remind our peers about the importance of specifications to any engineering project, and to explain to any prospective clients that we know how to deliver what is expected. A lot has also been written to give advice to project managers on how to run a project.
The importance of documentation (because it’s way more than a formality)
Project management leaders are frequently asked, "What is the value of project documentation and how can I be sure I'm doing it correctly? It is substantiated by the basic two tasks of documentation: ensuring that project requirements are met and establishing traceability of what has been done, who has done it and when it was done. For both individual documents and the entire project documentation, documentation must set the groundwork for quality, traceability and history. It's also critical that the documentation is well-organized, simple to read and sufficient. Uses of Documentation in Project. Project managers with a lot of experience excel at creating and following standard templates for their project documentation.
The Information Systems Documentation - Another Problem for Project Management
M-Files supports the entire project life-cycle from initiation to closeout, increasing on-time delivery rates and decreasing risk. With data and documentation being at the center of any project, it is vital that it is managed efficiently. However, this is proving more and more difficult with typical folder structures and information silos where project data is detached from the project, siloed off in various systems and removed from its contexts. This makes critical project information not only difficult to access, but it can also lead to costly errors and project delays, particularly when information is misfiled or duplicated. M-Files eliminates the project-stalling effects of information chaos.
18. Project Completion
Project documentation is a vital part of project management. It's also every project manager's least favorite task. It may seem tedious, but comprehensive documentation is what can make the difference between the success and failure of your project.
Project Charter
RELATED VIDEO: Project Management Series - Project Documentation Part 1
Plan, track, and get projects done using simple, drag and drop timelines. Project management is the process by which a project is planned, tracked, controlled, and reported. Each project has a specific start date and end date. In addition, a project produces a specific deliverable.
Project Documentation: Examples and Templates
Not only do they need to accommodate their project teams, but they also need to ensure that the online transition does not impede project development. One of the most effective tools for making the transition to an online space more manageable is project management software. Simply put, all projects are a short-term effort to create value by producing a one-of-a-kind product, service, or result. Project management software is designed to make the workflow of a team working on the same project easier. This software is suitable for small start-up teams as well as large organizational teams working at various levels. Depending on the needs of the project team, the software can perform a variety of functions. Project management software can be used in any business to link specific tasks to specific projects.
Project Documentation
Project documentation should be clear, relevant, and up to date. This will ensure all project stakeholders are on the same page at the same time. Prior to gathering or developing project documentation, take time to understand why the project is happening and what type of governance the project may require. This will determine how much and what type of project documentation is required and if any document templates exist.
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