Is the documentation increases the efforts or reduces the efforts in a project and project management?
Frank Leslie Pinto Senior Project Manager| Manipal Technologies LimitedMangalore, Karnataka, India
Recently I come across a situation where the client mentioned in the initial stage of the development that he doesn't want the team to spend time on document and following stringent processes to produce the cost effective solution.
I tried to convince him the importance of processes and the documentation in effective project management and how it will contribute to the project's success.
If you were facing the similar situation what is your opinion on this? Saving Changes...
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Deepesh RammoorthyICT Project Manager ( PMP®AgilePM®Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®))| Australian Red Cross Blood ServiceTarneit, Vic, Australia
Have a discussion with your client and get their agreement on the bare minimum documentation that should be produced from your point of view for the project and explain why it is important that you should produce such documentation.
Some documents like User Requirements Specifications, Design Specification, Project Schedule, Project Risk and Issue Log , Project Management Plan , Operational Handover are all indicators of project progress, are indicators of what you are committed to delivering and are non -negotiable . If you try and cut costs here, you will not be able to provide a quality product . These may be as lean or as detailed as mutually agreed by both parties but they must exist .
If I were you , I would not engage in a contract with the client if they were not prepared for me to produce these documents and seek their sign off on the same.
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1 reply by Frank Leslie Pinto
Mar 18, 2019 12:55 PM
Frank Leslie Pinto
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I agree with you Deepest. Thank you for sharing by our insight on this !
Saving Changes...
Eric SimmsSenior Program ManagerBaltimore, Maryland, United States
Clients who detest documentation and processes have usually had a bad experience dealing with PMs who have spent an inordinate amount of time on them, instead of on the project itself.
I suggest you ask your client if he has worked with PMs like this in the past. If he says yes, then assure him that you won't act as they did. Saving Changes...
Although some people might say that requirements management is not the role of the PM, how much documentation is in fact required is critical to effective project management. A certain amount is required for the fundamental integrity of managing a project, and meet a defined need in a specified length of time. On the other hand, many people have their cautionary tales of PMs who want to use every tool in their kit whether or not it's value added.
The required level of PM oversight and associated documentation is very dependent on the environment. Within my own organization, I have much more flexibility as to how I execute my projects because most disagreements are Us. vs. Us. If something goes wrong, we can only blame ourselves. When working with external customers however, some will find anything they can to try and exert leverage. In that case, having specific contractual items documented very clearly is critical to avoid working in a world of ambiguous expectations.
While a client may complain that they are wasting money on unnecessary documentation, they may also use vague requirements as an opportunity to leverage a PM into accepting work not originally planned. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Basically, you have project documentation (project charter for example) and product documentation. Time related to project documentation is included into the time of project management but stakeholders could spend some time to get the project manager some information to create it. The key is risk. More visible when considering product documentation. For example, the product is for scratch or it will evolve? If the product will evolve, where people will find information about the product to make it evolve?. Saving Changes...
I believe this is a very important question. I have seen both sides of the spectrum with respect to project documentation. I've seen very successful projects executed with minimum documentation and others that have failed with very detailed documentation. We are actually trying to come to grips with this now internally as there are literally dozens upon dozens of project documents required within our organization. Much of is created and then unfortunately sits on the shelf. What is produced must absolutely be relevant and bring added value. In my opinion, documentation for the sake of documentation is one of the Achilles heel of "modern" project management. Saving Changes...
Frank Leslie Pinto Senior Project Manager| Manipal Technologies LimitedMangalore, Karnataka, India
Mar 17, 2019 10:36 PM
Replying to Deepesh Rammoorthy
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Have a discussion with your client and get their agreement on the bare minimum documentation that should be produced from your point of view for the project and explain why it is important that you should produce such documentation.
Some documents like User Requirements Specifications, Design Specification, Project Schedule, Project Risk and Issue Log , Project Management Plan , Operational Handover are all indicators of project progress, are indicators of what you are committed to delivering and are non -negotiable . If you try and cut costs here, you will not be able to provide a quality product . These may be as lean or as detailed as mutually agreed by both parties but they must exist .
If I were you , I would not engage in a contract with the client if they were not prepared for me to produce these documents and seek their sign off on the same.
I agree with you Deepest. Thank you for sharing by our insight on this ! Saving Changes...
