In an organization, the purpose of a project documentation template is to communicate the scope and goals of a project to the stakeholders that are involved. The process of sorting and arranging files will be properly managed and organized with a project documentation template.
No doubt, organizations are required to receive and process a wide range of data and at a point in time, the data would be needed in the future. According to PwC, only 2.5% of companies successfully complete 100% of their projects. This one of the reason which explain the importance of Project Management.
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Project Documentation Template
Project documentation template will assist you in the extraction of the necessary information and elimination of the needless data and then putting them in a folder properly. In essence, it should be carefully done so as to have the ideas being communicated to the clients in a clear manner.
A project documentation template can be designed with a number of layouts and formats such as Excel, PDF, and Word. It will contain every detail regarding the objectives of a project and key points about the project design. Here, you will find an Excel project management template. Also, you will download more free Project Management templates.
Furthermore, it provides a rudimentary format for producing this vital information thereby reducing the risks associated with having to create a new format when the information is needed.
In the process, a considerable amount of time will be saved by the organization. Sinnaps, project management tool can be used by organizations in creating their project documentation template, it is very easy to use and it can be used in communicating the information in the template to the stakeholders.
Furthermore, it is useful in attaching documents into the project’s activities; this is because there are some support documents that could be of great assistance to the project team in executing their tasks in a way that will be devoid of complications. Also, vital information can be communicated through the chat on it with ease. With all these, you are assured of outstanding results in your projects.
Download a Project Documentation Template in Excel
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Project Proposal Sample Document
A project proposal sample document is a document that will provide information about the items that should be implemented to achieve the desired results from a project. In reality, there are different kinds of projects involving different entities, the content, and format of a project proposal sample document can differ from one company to another.
Again, it can be used in generating a PDF report of the current information on the project evolution. The report will clearly show the activities, the person responsible for each activity, and the estimated finish date. On Sinnaps, you can also export your project’s report and planned resources to Excel conveniently on it.
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It is imperative for you to ensure that relevant items are properly organized and stated with precision in it.
Simple Project Initiation Document Example
A project initiation document is a vital document that will carefully specify why a project is important, what will be delivered, when it will be delivered, and how it will be done. It is the contractual agreement between the management team and the sponsor.
A typical example is this:
XYZ is a leading edible vegetable oil manufacturing company, our vegetable oil supports healthy living; it is very good for the human heart because it is cholesterol free. Currently, our production capacity is 500 MT/annum and we are hoping to increase our production capacity to 1000 MT/annum. This will enable us to distribute our edible vegetable oil to some areas that are yet to be covered in the country.
As an organization, if we are able to increase our production to 1000 MT/annum, our profit margin will grow by over 100% and at the same time, more people will have access to our unique products that will enhance their healthy living.
The cost of increasing our production capacity is $500, 000. Based on our comprehensive research, we are confident of break-even in 5 years because we have the ability to recoup the investment capital by a minimum of 20% per year for 5 years.
No doubt, we are very conversant with the threat posed by our competitors in the business; however, we are confident of beating them off because of the expertise and technology we have at our disposal. At XYZ, we have experienced workers who are skilled in the production of edible vegetable oil, our management boasts of the best talents in business organization and management. Our outstanding success stories speak volume about us despite our short existence in the business. We have an effective and efficient quality control management in place.
With the investment capital, the production expansion process will take between 6 – 9 months and we have prepared the project schedule in Gantt chart with the use of Sinnaps as the project management tool.
How to Prepare Documentation for a Project?
Project documentation should be clear, relevant, and up-to-date, it will allow the stakeholders involved in the project to be on the same page. No doubt, it is essential that expectations, requirements, resources, and risks should be known from the beginning. The process of preparing the documentation for a project entails the following:
- By creating a clear layout and format: you should endeavour to prepare it by using a clear layout. The use of white space, bullet points, and bold text will allow you to present your message in a manner that will be easily understood. With this, everybody that is reading it will have an understanding of the information in it.
- Try to keep it very simple: inculcate the habit of using simple language, carefully explain every acronym or terminology used in it. You should guard against misunderstanding in project documentation.
- Stay positive: the task of keeping everyone involved in a project motivated can be daunting. However, the use of positive language can serve as a motivation for the team members thereby making them enthusiastic and committed. The use of positive words will improve the communications among the team members which will, in turn, keep them focused and motivated to attain the desired results in the end.
- Consistency: while preparing your project documentation, you must strive to be consistent in the format and language to ensure that it properly aligns with the needs of the project. It is essential for you to define the style and tone of your project’s communication from the inception.
Also, ensure that the reason behind each decision and the evidence buttressing each decision is maintained in the documentation.
The project documentation list will include the following:
- Project business case: this will justify the reason for investing in a project. It will explain why the project should be undertaken, the goals, objectives, and expected results from the project.
- Project charter: it will highlight the scope of work to be completed, the requirements, timeline, the investment needed, and the project success factors. However, it must be approved by the appropriate officials in an organization. Here, you will find a project charter template.
- RACI Matrix: this will clearly define the roles and responsibilities. It will spell out who is responsible, who is accountable, who is consulted, and who should be informed for every action involved in a project in order to ensure that desired results are attained.
- Work Breakdown structure: this will organize the work into manageable sections; it can be measured in time. The purpose of Work Breakdown structure is to ensure that no element of the project is overlooked in the course of planning the project.
- Risk/Issues log: this will carefully address the risks and issues that might spring up in the project.
- Project communications plan: it will ensure effective communications among the project team and stakeholders. It will take into consideration the list of dates and meetings that will be needed while the project is executed.
Having an effective plan will assist in making project decisions more efficient. Sinnaps can be used for this purpose because it supports effective communication between the team and stakeholders. Also, it is very easy to use and can be used in sharing information about the project.
- Change Request Management: this will help in keeping track of any formal additions or alterations to the stipulatory deliverables from any of the other project document.
- Project schedule: this will determine the work that needs to be done and when it should be done. It will also determine the timeframe needed to complete a task and start others.
- Learnt lessons: this is important because your organization might want to repeat the project or similar project in the future. It will speed up the project as the lessons learnt in the previous projects will benefit your organization in undertaking the project more effectively.
In the field of the Information technology project, documentation is called IT project documentation. In IT projects, having some documents can be important and useful in helping the IT project managers to attain success in their projects.
Project Requirements Document Template
Project requirements document template is a template that contains the various resource requirements of a project. Also, it determines the resources and planning needed for the project and where the needed resources can be obtained.
Furthermore, it makes the procedures easier for the organization in the future if the organization needs to carry out a project that requires the same resources thereby saving them a lot of time in the process. Again, it helps in defining various problems that should be solved in the future project.
Project documentation tools are tools that can be used by managers for their project documentation purposes. The tools can come in different formats that will ease the process of documentation of an organization. The tools will assist managers in planning, implementing, and completing their projects.
Examples include Sinnaps, it is an efficient tool that can be used for project documentation. Also, it is efficient in project planning. Other examples are JIRA, StoriesOnBoard, and SmartDraw.
Project Document Management
Project document management can be defined as the practices and procedures used in creating, distributing, and storing various project documentation. In most organizations, project document management practices are carried out to fulfill the following:
- It provides a mechanism for document production and control without an additional substantial overhead cost.
- It provides standard formats and templates for document production.
- It enhances collaboration and unanimity through an organized process for document review and approval.
- It ensures document retrieval and accessibility.
- It reduces errors of documentation through version control and secured access.
- It ensures that all documents are properly updated and timely distributed.
Project Management Document Checklist
These are essential tools for project managers. The project management document checklist contains the Kick off, Project planning, and project control.
- Kickoff: in this, the idea of the project, the recommendation, and the outline charter will be addressed.
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You will receive 5 lessons over the course of 15 days.
Lesson 2: Plan your project and prepare a substantive Kick Off meeting.
- Project planning: this will outline how the project will be executed. It is in 3 stages, the first stage is the project charter. It contains the scope statement, objectives, and business of the project.
The second stage is the project management plan (PMP). In it, the way the project will be managed tactically will be explained; it will include the project plan, risk plan, quality plan, communication plan, and stakeholder and procurement plan.
Finally, the third stage is the stage plan; this is the plan for the initial delivery stage that will allow the project manager to proceed once the charter and project management plan are approved.
- Project control: this will help the project manager to painstakingly determine what is needed and what is not needed in the project. It will include the stage progress report, team progress report, stage completion report, project completion report, the project evaluation report, project issue, and work package.
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Without mincing words, it is imperative for organizations to embrace the use of project documentation template because it will serve as an archive for vital information which will be useful for them in the future. However, a template that can be used with ease should be used for purpose of project documentation.
Sinnaps is an effective tool which can be used for the project documentation template; it will aid the efficient and effective planning of the organization. Also, it will carefully communicate the information in the project plan template to all and sundry involved in the project. It is cloud-based thereby making it ideal for storing your project documentation information.