While there is some debate regarding the ISO 9000 cliché promoting documentation, I believe it is certainly relevant to project management. The cliché simply says:
Say what you do,
Do what you say,
And prove it with documentation.
Typical project documentation such as the Scope Statement or SOW describes what the project will do and Monitor and Control processes ensures the project accomplishes its goals. But where do you document performance and the decisions made by the project team?
Project logs provide visual verification that an idea or concern was heard and discussed. They serve as communication tools and tangible evidence the issue was addressed. Additionally, logs should be used to document critical project decisions and information.
Here are a few suggestions:
- Change Log (Past)
- Issues Log (Present)
- Risk Log (Future)
- PM Decision Log
- Lessons Learned
Logs are useful tools, but don’t go overboard and create a paperwork nightmare.