Project management documents are crucial because they provide essential information to the project managers throughout the project. So, in this article, we’ll discuss 20+ project management documents.
Table of Contents
What Are Project Management Documents?
Project management documents are crucial because they provide essential information to the project managers throughout the project. The following are some of the project documents that are usually created throughout the project life cycle.
- Project initiation stage – during this stage typically use these documents such as the project charter, project summary, project kickoff meeting agenda, and business case.
- Project planning stage – during this stage typically use these documents such as project management plan, project schedule, project budget, risk management plan, and scope management plan.
- Project execution stage – during this stage typically use these documents lessons learned register, project status report, and change request.
- Project monitoring and controlling stage – during this stage typically use documents such as lessons learned templates, timesheets, and project status reports.
- Project closing stage – during this stage typically use documents such as punch list and project schedule template.
Why Important Project Management Documents?
Project management documents are crucial and must be created accurately and constantly throughout the project. Typically, project documents are detailed written processes that are critical to setting up a project in an efficient and easy-to-understand manner. Furthermore, these documents provide valuable services, such as setting project boundaries and giving clear guidance to the project team regarding project needs or expectations. Therefore, project managers should use the right project management documents because they positively impact the overall quality of project implementation and the tangible results of project outcomes.
Moreover, project management documents offer clarity, accountability, and communication aid, helping the project managers and team members achieve the desired project goals while handling risks and issues proactively. The project managers should be familiar with these documents to streamline project execution, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness. On the other hand, understanding these documents’ purpose is essential for aligning projects with organizational goals and guiding teams and stakeholders toward shared objectives.
Accordingly, as a project manager, you should be familiar and comfortable with the various project management documents, forms, and templates because it’s important to understand why we do them and what information is crucial to project success.
30+ Project Management Documents
As a project manager, you should be familiar with various project management documents to understand project progress. The following documents are vital tools for effective project management. So, let’s explore these project management documents one by one.
Activity List
The activity list is a project management document that includes all the scheduled activities and each activity includes one or more tasks. Once completed, this allows everyone working on the project to move on to the next phase. Each project activity has a clearly defined start date and ends deadlines and most activity lists are highly detailed and include all available information about the activities within a project. Therefore, this will help everyone involved to understand what they have to do and the sequence in which they are scheduled to implement their tasks.
Once the project team members define all activities and the tasks required to complete them, the project manager and appropriate project stakeholders proceed to sequence them. That means they place them into logical order, handle their implementation, and track their completion.
Assumption Log
The assumption log is a document that needs to be verified and updated regularly as the project progresses. At the stage when the project charter is being developed, this document contains more general things in a summarized manner, and details begin to be recorded as the project progresses. On the other hand, they are vital while planning and implementing the project tasks, delivering the project outcomes, and managing uncertainty.
Activity Attributes
The activity attributes are features or characteristics of an activity that help to provide additional information or context regarding the activity. Furthermore, these are used to describe various aspects of a task, such as cost, time, and resources. These are essential for effective scheduling and planning management. The following are some common examples of activity attributes.
- Activity ID – this information comes from the project activity list and this ID must be a unique identifier assigned to each activity for easy tracking and reference.
- Activity – name of the project activity from the project activity list.
- WBS no – identifies where this activity can be found in the work breakdown structure.
- Activity description – a brief explanation of the task involved in the activity list.
- Activity Responsibility – identify who is responsible for implementing the work associated with the activity.
- Resources and skill sets required – describes the resources needed to perform the work.
- Activity predecessors – lists appropriate other activities that must occur after this activity.
- Predecessor scheduling – describes if the predecessor has a start-start, start- finish or other relevant type of scheduling relationship.
- Predecessor dependency – describes any dependencies on predecessor on predecessor activities like lag times or lead times.
- Activity successors – lists appropriate other activities that must occur after this activity.
- Successor scheduling – describes if the successor has a start-start, start- finish or other scheduling relationship.
- Successor dependency – describes any dependencies on successor activities like lag times or lead times.
- Location of activity – describes where the work for this activity will be performed.
- Type of effort – describes the work for this activity as a level of effort, fixed duration, or other type of work.
- Activity assumptions – lists all assumptions associated with this activity, which should be included in the project’s assumption log.
- Activity constraints – describes activity constraints like project milestones dates and resource constraints that may impact this activity.
Project Team Assignments
The project team assignment is a project management document that helps project managers provide information on the type of competencies and experience available in the project and knowledge that may need to be added.
Project Scope Statement
The project scope statement is a document that defines and documents the project scope which includes the following aspects.
- Project deliverables
- Project assumptions
- Project requirements
- Project exclusions
- Project triple constraints
Furthermore, this document establishes the scope baselines which are the approved version of the project scope that can be used to measure and control the project performance. Moreover, this document is derived from the project charter and the stakeholder requirements and created by the project manager. Typically, project managers get input from the project team and stakeholders. On the other hand, it clarifies the scope boundaries and expectations for the project manager and the project team, as well as the users and customers of the project deliverables.
The project scope statement helps project managers to align all stakeholders for timely and quality delivery by remaining within the decided budget. So, this document serves as a critical reference point for all stakeholders, ensuring a shared understanding of the goals and limitations. Moreover, project managers rely on project scope statements to maintain their project’s focus, make informed decisions, and deliver a successful project within defined parameters.
Project Schedule Plan
The project schedule plan is a document that helps project managers outline the planned start and finish dates, durations, dependencies, and resources of the project tasks and milestones. Typically, this document is developed by the project manager with the appropriate project team and stakeholders based on the work breakdown structure and resource availability. Furthermore, it uses various tools and techniques, such as Gantt charts, project management software, network diagrams, and critical path methods, to create and update the project timeline.
However, the project schedule plan helps the project manager and team members to track and handle the project’s progress and deadlines.
Related: Schedule baseline in project management
Project Communication Plan
A project communication plan is a document that provides the expectations and methods for project team communication throughout the project. Furthermore, this document can include meetings throughout the process and communication channels for staff to exchange information. Moreover, this plan helps your team members understand which procedures to follow when communicating with others during the project.
Related: 7 tips for creating a communication plan in project management
Milestone List
The milestone list is a document that shows the final dates on which the project milestones have been accomplished.
Lessons Learned Register
The Lessons Learned register is the document that records insights for future projects. However, this document can be used to improve the project performance and avoid repeating mistakes. On the other hand, this document helps identify where to set rules or guidelines so the team’s actions are aligned.
Cost Forecast
The cost forecast is a document based on the project’s past performance. Typically, this document is used to determine if the project is within defined tolerance ranges for budget and to identify any relevant change requests.
Change Log
The change log is a project management document that contains the status of all change requests throughout the project or stage.
Basis of Estimates
The basic of estimates is a document that indicates how the various estimates were derived and can be used to make an effective decision on how to respond to variances.
Issue Log
Issues log is the project management document that helps project managers track the project issues and resolutions. Furthermore, this document can used to document and monitor who is responsible for resolving specific problems by a scheduled date.
Quality Reports
The quality report is a document that includes quality management issues or problems, recommendations for process, and product or service improvements, and corrective action recommendations. As well as this may entail the summary of findings from the control quality process.
Project Charter
The project charter is a high-level document that outlines a project’s purpose, scope, objectives, timeline, budget, and stakeholders. So, this document is usually created by the project sponsor or initiator, and approved by the appropriate key stakeholders. Typically, it authorizes the project manager to initiate and lead the project and allocate the essential resources and budget. However, the project charter serves as a reference point and a source of authority for the project manager throughout the project.
A project charter provides a clear roadmap and purpose and sets the project’s boundaries. However, this document not only empowers the project manager. It also aligns all appropriate stakeholders by explicitly stating the project’s goals and scope. As well as this document also ensures that everyone involved understands their roles and responsibilities while providing a foundation for risk management and decision-making throughout the project. Therefore, the project charter is crucial in keeping projects on track and aligned with the organization’s strategic objectives.
Related: What is project charter
Stakeholder Register
The stakeholder register is the project management document that lists project stakeholders and their interests.
Schedule Forecast
The schedule forecast is a document based on the project’s past performance. Furthermore, this document can be used to determine if the project is within defined tolerance ranges for the timeline and to identify any necessary change requests.
Risk Report
The risk report is a document that provides crucial information on the risk status and that can be used to check that there are no open risks at the end of the project.
Risk Register
The risk register is a document that helps project managers identify, analyze, prioritize, and record the project risks and their responses. Typically, this document is created by the project manager with the contribution of the project team and appropriate stakeholders based on the project scope, timeline, cost, quality, and other relevant factors.
When creating this document, you can use various tools and techniques such as brainstorming, checklists, SWOT analysis, interviews, probability and impact matrix, and risk response strategies, to identify and access the project risks and their impacts. On the other hand, this document helps project managers and their teams to plan and implement suitable actions to avoid, minimize, transfer, or accept the project risks.
Resource Calendar
The resource calendar is a document that ensures your project team is available to work when you need them to implement the task or activity. So, this document shows who is available and when. Then, the project manager can assign an appropriate team member to complete the project task or activity.
Resource Breakdown Structure
The resources breakdown structure is a project management document that includes information on the composition of the project team members. However, this information will help project managers understand what knowledge is available as a group and what knowledge is missing.
Resource Traceability Matrix
The resource traceability matrix is a document that helps assess the impact of the change on the project scope.
Requirements Documentation
The requirements documentation is a document that can used to show compliance with the project scope.
Quality Control Measurements
The quality control measurement is a project management document that results in control quality activities and shows compliance with the quality requirements.
Conclusion
As a project manager, you should know the project management documents because they provide crucial information regarding the project’s progress or status. Typically, project management documents may include an activity list, assumption log, activity attributes, project team assignments, project scope statement, project schedule plan, project communication plan, milestone list, lesson learned register, cost forecast, change log, the basis of estimates, issue log, quality reports, project charter, stakeholder register, schedule forecast, risk report, risk register, resource calendar, resource breakdown structure, resource traceability matrix, requirements documentation, and quality control measurements.
