Managing Project Documents

Amila Hendahewa, PMP

28th April 2011
1
Content

Definitions
Document Life Cycle
Document classification
Advantages of project documentation
Disadvantages of documenting
Impact of poor document management
Selecting the optimum set of documents
Document management as a strategic tool
Tools & technologies
Summary

Managing Project Documents 2

Some Definitions (AIIM )

Document
Recorded information or an object which can be treated as a unit"
E.g. Paper, Picture, Email, Sound, Movie, Fax

Document Management
The use of a computer system and software to store, manage and track electronic documents
and electronic images of paper based information captured through the use of a document
scanner.

Enterprise Content Management (ECM)

Is the strategies, methods and tools used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver content
and documents related to organizational processes.

Records Management
The field of management responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation,
receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records, including the processes for capturing and
maintaining evidence of and information about business activities and transactions in the form of
records.

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Document Life Cycle

Create
Create Capture
Capture Process
Process Archive
Archive Dispose
Dispose

Exception
Exception

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How many documents / document types will
be used in a typical project ?

Managing Project Documents 5

 Project charter Cost estimates
Project management plan Contracts
Scope statement Quality management plan
System requirements Progress reports
specification Change requests
WBS UAT
Project schedule Issue log
Activity list Procurement documents
Resource calendars Agreements
Risk register Meeting minutes

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A simple project document classification

In terms of the lifespan and usage of project information, there are 4

main scenarios.

Permanent Temporary

Permanent documentation
discussion papers, Temporary documentation that is
as a deliverable from the
draft documents, an external"Help" information,
deliverable from the
External project interim progress User
project but has noManuals,
value once
Deliverable reports Training Materials,
the project has been completed
Forms

Permanent documentation
ideas, issues, Temporary documentation which
to support the working
control, maintenance is only for internal
"Design
For Internal papers of the
and enhancement communication Specifications,
Usage system Database Definitions,
source code, process
diagrams

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Not all documents are the same

external deliverables need to be of high quality,

whereas internal documents may be informal and
incomplete.

permanent documentation will need to be updated as

circumstances change, but temporary documentation
will usually be left unchanged.

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Advantages of project documents

As a means of proof (If it is not in black and white, then it really

was not said)
As a point of reference for any clarifications the team may face
Will minimize the possibility for different interpretations
Is the primary medium for communicating
It can minimize rework / errors (e.g. SRS)
Allows for standardization of projects
For future reference lessons learned

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Disadvantages of documenting in projects

Considered as too administrative / bureaucratic

Additional time and effort spent increased project
cost
Considered by team members as non-value-adding
Ambiguity who will create / own which document?

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Impact of poor document management

More time spent on finding documents

Confusions and conflicts
Rework
Loss of information
Lack of visibility
Strategic disadvantage

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The key is to select the optimum set of
documents for a project
Small Projects Medium size projects Large Projects
SRS Project charter Project charter
Design Document Inception Report Inception Report
Project Schedule SRS SRS
Issue List Project Schedule Project Schedule
UAT Design Document Design Document
Deployment Plan Deployment Plan
Partial UAT Partial UAT
UAT UAT
Technical specifications
Vendor Contracts
Test Cases

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Document Management as a key
differentiator
Document management is an often less considered discipline
The manner in which project documents are managed by project
managers can either be the driving force behind a projects success
or a bottleneck.
Project managers need to balance their time between administrative
work such as documentation and core activities such as managing
the project team and stakeholders.
Having an effective document management system will help project
managers to minimize the time spent on documentation.
Your document management strategy could make your organization
different in delivering projects

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Tools & Technologies that will help project
managers on managing project documents
Document Types & Templates
Versioning
Check in Check Out
Co-authoring
In Place Records management
Document Sets
Unique document ID
Document Capture & Archiving
Manage emails
Alerts
Offline Support
Mobile access

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Document types & templates
Standardization / Ability to manage (update) from a central place
Ability to run rules / workflows based on the template
Ability to enforce relevant metadata

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Versioning
Manual versioning
Separate file for each
version (Different file
names)

Automated versioning
Single file (same file
name)
Track history
View and compare
Restore at any time

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Check in Check Out

Avoid confusion while editing documents

Control version numbers and metadata
Find out who is currently editing a document
Draft documents

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Co-authoring

Managing Project Documents 18

In Place Records Management
Ability to declare a document as a record in the same location
Instead of moving the document to a specific Records Center
The file stays where it is so the users can still find it
Ability to implement rules once declared as a record
Ability to declare documents as records either manually or
automatically. (e.g. six months after the last time that a document
is modified, the document becomes a record)

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 Document Sets

Ability to group different document types as one entity

Ability to share same metadata (more consistent)
Ability to version all documents as a whole
Ability to download the whole document set together

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 Unique / Permanent Document ID
When content is reorganised, hyperlinks emailed that point to a
document will become invalid.
Solution - Ability to assign a unique document ID that will not change
when a document is moved.
http://sitecollection1/_layouts/DocIdRedir.aspx?ID=MKHYF5V6GAFS-1-1

My Document

MKHYF5V6GAFS-1-1

JohnD
JohnD

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Document Capture & Archiving

Converting paper documents in to electronic format is

an integral part of any DMS.
Especially used for contract documents.
The ability to quickly retrieve a scanned document
(full text search)
It can save lot of time and cost for the project team.
Can extend in to Forms processing, workflows etc..

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 Managing emails (and attachments !)
Ability to save e-mail messages
in to the DMS (drag-and-drop or
a 'save on send)
Share document links instead of
attachments
Link email headers as metadata
to documents metadata.

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Alerts

Is a very useful tool for everyone

Email or SMS
Send alert when
All changes, new item added, deleted, edited
Frequency - Immediately, daily, weekly
Contains a hyperlink to the relevant document

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Off-line Support

Ability to work remotely / offline is a critical

requirement for modern day projects
Enables team members to collaborate and be
productive even when theyre not connected

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Mobile Access

Exponential growth of mobile device

usage
Ability to access / view as well as
create / capture documents from
mobile devices

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Managing project documents in cloud

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Summary

A document is not only a printed paper

Importance of documenting - If it is not in black and white, then it
really was not said
Lack of focus on document management as a knowledge area
Proper document management could be a strategic differentiator
for your organization.
Not all documents are the same. Selecting the right set of
documents is crucial for project success.
There are many tools available that can help save lot of time and
effort for project managers e.g. Co-authoring

Managing Project Documents 28

Thank you

Questions?

E : amila@sanje.com
W : www.sanje.com / www.TechOneGlobal.com

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References

PMBOK
AIIM (Association for Information and Image Management)
Managing the project document - By Neil Stolovitsky
Get your project's documentation right the first time - By
Jason P. Charvat
The ePMbook - Simon Wallace
Practical Project and Process Documentation By
Neil S. Potter and Mary E. Sakry

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