“What is the importance of project documentation, and how can I make sure I’m doing it correctly?” project management leaders are often asked. The importance of plan documentation in project management education cannot be overstated. The basic two functions of documentation are to ensure that project requirements are met and to create traceability of what has been done, who did it, and when it was done.

For both individual documents and the whole project documentation, documentation must lay the groundwork for consistency, traceability, and history. It’s also critical that the documentation is well-organized, simple to read, and sufficient.

Project Documentation Uses:
Project managers with a lot of experience excel at creating and following standard templates for their project papers. They repurpose active project plans, business cases, criteria sheets, and project status reports to enable them to concentrate on their core competency in project management rather than juggling the overwhelming paperwork.

Project Documentation Phases details

Report on Feasibility
A feasibility report aims to look at and highlight task criteria to see if the project is worthwhile and feasible. Five primary criteria are used to determine feasibility: technology and method, economics, legal, operational, and schedule. Business, capital, culture, and financial factors are secondary feasibility factors.

Charter of the Project
The project summary statement is another name for the project charter. A project charter lays the groundwork for a project by containing high-level planning elements. It serves as an anchor, keeping you focused on the project’s goals and leading you through the milestones as a navigator. It is the project’s formal approval.

Specification of Requirements
A requirement specification document contains a detailed overview of the framework that will be built. It includes both functional and non-functional specifications for all experiences users may have with the device.

Document of Design
The design manual displays the system’s high- and low-level design elements. The high-level design document is eventually expanded to include low-level design information. The architectural strategies of the system are described in this text.

Work Schedule/Estimate
A work plan lays out the stages, activities, and tasks that must be completed to complete a project. A work plan also shows the timeframes for completing a project, as well as resources and milestones. Throughout the project, the work plan is referred to frequently. The most important document for delivering projects effectively is the actual progress report, which is reviewed regularly against the specified schedule.

Tracking Issues
An issue tracker keeps track of and manages a list of problems. It allows you to create problems, delegate them to individuals, and keep track of their progress and current responsibilities. It also contributes to the development of a knowledge base that provides information about how to solve common problems.

Documentation on Change Management
A change management document is used to monitor progress and keep track of all system changes. This aids in the identification of unanticipated negative consequences of a transition.

Documentation for Testing
A research plan and test cases are included in a test paper. A test case is a step-by-step method for thoroughly testing a function or a feature’s aspect. A test case describes how to run a specific test, while a test plan describes what to test.

Technical Report
Product concept and specification, design, manufacturing/development, quality assurance, product/system liability, product appearance, an overview of features, functions, and interfaces, secure and proper use, service and repair of a technical product, and safe disposal are all covered in the technical document.

A document that serves a purpose
The inner workings of the proposed system are described by functional specifications. They are missing the information about how the machine work will be implemented. Instead, the documentation for this project focuses on what other agents (such as people or computers) might see while communicating with the system.

Transition/Deployment Strategy
The rollout plan provides step-by-step guidance for implementing the system in a company. It entails the step-by-step and phase-by-phase preparation of the rollout. It also explains the system’s training schedule.

Documentation for Handover
The handover document is a summary of the system with a list of all the system’s deliverables.

Project Completion
The process of completing all tasks and terms that were listed as deliverable and pending during the contract’s initial drafting is known as contract closure. This only applies to projects that are outsourced.