Project Management Documentation Techniques

As project managers we all know how crucial documentation can be. It is crucial in any project phase, regardless of the project specifications, deadlines, or life cycle. Documentation is important to monitor and track for record keeping, filing, and archiving purposes. So what documentation techniques are best for your team and project?

Some of the typical documentation techniques include the following:

Meeting minutes. One of the most common documentation techniques could be as simple as someone taking detailed and thorough meeting notes. Meetings could range from weekly development or project status update meetings, planning meetings, post mortem meetings, or even expert interview meetings, as a means to gather data.

Meeting minutes should be either written down or typed electronically using a laptop or tablet during a meeting. They then should be saved in a universal location where other team members can access them, such as a designated area in a project folder on a server, or uploaded to a project management software or platform.

Risk Registers. One documentation technique that focuses heavily on risks is the risk register. Risk registers are repositories that include all project data, probability, impact, and risk level as well as other crucial, detailed project information. A risk register can be detailed in project management software or platform, a spreadsheet, or even in word processing format.

The outputs for risk registers can also either be maintained in hard copy or electronic copy format. Similar to meeting minutes, risk registers should be kept in a centralized location, such as uploaded into software or on a common server, for all team members to access at any point during the life cycle of a project.

Work and Risk Breakdown Structures (WBS, RBS). Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) include specifications, analyses, and projections in a documented plan. The documented plan itself can be designed in various formats and techniques, such as diagramming techniques, which often involve the visual representation of the WBS in a variety of flow charts or visual aides.

The Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS) is similar to the WBS in which is a documented plan identifying and categorizing the risks in a documented plan. Diagramming and similar visual aides can be utilized in the creation of the RBS to what we saw in the WBS. The purpose of the RBS is to identify the risks associated with the project, whether they are certain or uncertain, and what the probability and impact levels are.

Finally, documentation is definitely a crucial area in the large realm of project management. Not only is it important for the overall communication and function of a project, it is also extremely essential for archiving purposes. Archiving is not only a smart, and standard procedure that should implemented in any organization, it is also a crucial reference point. Future projects can depend on prior, archived projects for information, data that was previously collected, and as reference or sources for current or future projects.

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The Most Common Mistakes in Project Management

Project managers know that in the realm of project management, projects can encounter many risks. Most risks range from internal and external risks, technical risks, and even legal risks, depending on the project and organization, of course. However, project management in itself is considered a risk.

Here are some of the most common mistakes in project management.

1.)  Lack of project management experience. Many projects today are assigned to project managers of various levels. Some of the less experienced project managers may be forced to take on projects that have higher level or complexities that he or she may not be familiar with. As a result, this becomes a major risk. The project manager may not understand how to properly allocate resources or schedule in an effective manner.

Solution: So what can project managers do to mitigate this risk? One of the best ways to address this is to document project steps and even create checklists for less experienced PMs to follow. This will ensure that typical project steps and/or risks will be addressed.

2.)  Miscommunication in project scope or specifications. This is something that most of if not all project managers have experienced at one point or another in their roles. Often times project managers receive instructions that may be vague or incomplete or are perhaps interpreted incorrectly.

Solution: Although this may be an area that is difficult to mitigate, project managers should be prepared or have a process in place in the event that scopes change mid project. This will help the change take place more effectively and successfully without further risks to the project. The object here is not to anticipate every possible scenario, but to anticipate the obvious risks and the risks that are most evident and probable.

3.)  Don’t be a boss, be a team leader. Some project managers can go on a power trip when they are assigned to projects, especially those that are complex or that are worth high revenue. However, if projects are managed and recognized as team efforts, this mitigates the risk and the power struggle.

Solution: It is important for project managers to keep in mind that eve though project managers are at the forefront of the project and there to align all project milestones and deadlines along the way, that doesn’t mean that one person is better than the other. Each functional area that grabs hold of the project throughout its life cycle is a crucial team member that is just as important as the next.

Project managers certainly encounter different risk and mistake areas in various projects and their life cycles. These are some of the top risk areas that occur in the project management risk category. However, it is important to take each step in project management seriously in order to recognize and mitigate each area of risk in order to avoid errors or compromise the project integrity, quality, and delivery.

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Project Management: What’s Your Methodology?

Each project has its own specifications, complexities, and risks. As a result, each project needs its own methodology, or plan of attack. Methodologies can certainly vary from project to project and even from project manager to project manager. So what is your methodology for your project?

Project management methodologies are the plans of attack that a project manager would go about the project scope or specifications and how he or she would identify and respond to project risks. Methodologies can involve creating flowcharts or outlines addressing the project steps, risks, and the planned responses to those risks. Methodologies should also include project entrance and exit plans.

While methodologies certainly aren’t identical from project to project, there should be some consistency, however, throughout the organization. This basically means that the tools used in project management roles should be consistent across an organization and the documentation or archiving methods should also be consistent. This will only help when project managers work on similar, future projects, as they will have documented archived projects to refer to for reference, if necessary.

Another benefit to working with consistent organizational methodologies is that projects can easily be handed off to other project managers should reassignments occur. Not only will this make the newly assigned project manager ease into the project scope and responsibilities easier, it will also reduce the risk level involved in the hand off, as one of the key areas of risk in project management is the hand off phases.

For example, let’s say a particular project involves the publishing of a textbook. A project manager may have his or her own style in developing the product or putting together the manuscript, but the end result—in how the book is printed—is the same. However, an organizational policy may be that projects with certain grades or specifications are outsourced by specific, assigned vendors. This is the area in which organizational consistency is key. Another project manager could step in at any point and know that, that particular project is or needs to be handled by one particular vendor due to the certain scope.

Regardless of which methodology a project manager chooses to execute his or her project, it should be documented, outlined, and even include steps and practices in order to ensure that all risks were addressed and are being responded to and that they remain compliant and consistent with the organization.

All in all, all projects should have certain methodologies specified at the beginning. Not only will this help the project manager analyze and get a grasp of what is needed in the project but it will also help him or her identify the risks involved. By spending time doing this up front it will ensure proper documentation of the project for archival purposes, consistency with organizational procedures or policies, and even ensuring the project’s overall success.