Steven Macdessi – Project Manager Steven Macdessi, Member of The Institute of Arbitrators & Mediators Australia (IAMA)

Importance of Keeping Documentation in Project Management

By: Steven Macdessi

Project management is simply a way of doing things in a good manner and this cannot happen without proper documentation. We use documentation in almost every task whether it is personal or professional. Human life has become so complex that sometimes it becomes difficult to remember everything. Documentation enables us to keep a record of everything. Apart from other professions, documentation has a key role in project management as it enables the project manager to continue the project smoothly.

Important Items Which Should Be Documented

The items which should be documented depend on the nature of your project. The projects related to medical, pharmaceutical or defense industries require detailed documentation whereas small projects require less documentation. The documentation usually involves all your strategies, action plans, goals and objectives, progress report, process details, project schedule, technical specification, deployment plan, communications plan etc. The extent of documentation greatly depends on your budget as an effective documentation not only requires enough money but also the time. Moreover, documentation can only give benefits, if it is being updated on regular basis.

Significance of keeping documentation in Project Management

The project is a combination of various tasks and activities some of which are done repeatedly. By recording the results of these activities, we can make our future goals and objectives. By recording the performance of every individual, you can easily know about his overall performance. Moreover managing files help you to collect data about your project in a sequence so that whenever there is any administration problem you can easily check previous documents to overcome the mistake. Documentation also helps you to know about the recent progress in project. Following are some other benefits of keeping documentation in project management.

Defines the Aim

Documentation defines the aims and objectives of your project so that every member of the team may have clear idea about the basic purpose of initiating the project. Be documenting he aims, you can compare them with the final results.

Identify Important Dates

By keeping the documentation, you can easily identify the important dates and figures when needed. It is especially helpful in showing your progress to your head.

Documenting the Technical Issues

Documenting the technical issues helps you to perform your tasks in a professional manner.

Details about Product, Process, Material

Documenting involves writing every detail about the product to be made, process to be used and material to be collected etc. It also helps you to compare your actual progress with the estimated progress.

Prepare For Unseen Situation

Documentation also helps you to prepare yourself for any unseen situation.

Communicate the Progress

Another benefit of keeping documentation in project management is that it helps you to communicate your progress with your team members and also with the stake holders.

Documentation plays a central role in successful completion of the project that is why the project managers highly emphasis on proper development and maintenance of all the documents. These documents can be maintained either in hard or soft copy. Currently, large number of software are available that automatically update all your documents through electronic means.

Project Management and Social Media

The importance of social media in various project managements has been proven already by many experts. The world we are living today is considered flat, multi-cultural, mobile, virtual and global by which the competition between businesses is becoming tighter. This pushes project managers to seek for the most efficient means to express one self and to get projects done.
Social media has a lot to offer for project managers through the use of different tools. Social media does not only connect people with their friends and relatives but as well as a project manager with leaders and some experts. The advantages of social media in project management are certainly undeniable.
The Advantages of Social Media in Project Management
More and more project managers see the need for utilizing social media in achieving success in each of their project management. Here are some of the top most reasons why a project manager should partake in utilizing social media for a successful project management.

1. Build personal and business relationships.

Communication is one of the most important aspects of all project management. Social media plays a role in building connections and relationships between people and business entities including few smart and talented professionals allowing them to have efficient communication that can develop trust and relationships. You can use various virtual connections that can facilitate communication.

2. Develops collaboration that can advance your project management.

Having efficient communication such as today’s virtual connections allow project managers and other members of the team to best collaborate with each other. Collaborations found in various blogs, wiki and other related websites can help you advance your project management.

3. Provide as much helpful information for better project management ideas.

Social media offer endless new ideas and approaches that can help project manager to move the project along. And most of the time, the best ideas are coming from people outside your team or your department mainly because they view the dilemma from a vantage point with no predetermined impression or biases.

4. More improved way of communications.

The traditional way of communication has been changed by social media. You can now communicate from one-to-one, to one-to-many, to many to many. Project management is made easier and better through having wider dissemination of information which can provide quick turnover of feedback, problem resolution and decisions within and outside your department.

5. Improve your project management knowledge, skills and practices apart from reading books.

Reading reliable references is one of the best ways to acquire best ideas and knowledge about project management. But not all best moves that can bring you to successful project management are written in the book. Social media allow experts and professionals to provide experiential-based knowledge that can be applied by any project manager. It offers best project management practices that guarantee satisfying outcomes.
Take advantage of the opportunities through giving your attention with role of social media in your project management. Make use of the social media tools to develop trust and relationships, promote collaboration and advance your knowledge with easy access aside from reading books.