What to write down.
WHAT IS WORTH DOCUMENTING
The project definition The plan Decisions and their reasons Changes to scope Risks and issues Acceptance of deliverables The closing review
WHY DECISIONS AND REASONS
They are questioned months later by people who were not there.
WHAT NOT TO DOCUMENT
Everything.
WHY
Documentation nobody reads consumes time and creates false confidence.
WHAT TO KEEP SHORT
Status reports Meeting notes
WHAT TO KEEP THOROUGH
Anything contractual Anything about acceptance Anything about changes to cost or scope
WHY THOSE
They are what disputes turn on.
WHAT A DECISION RECORD SHOULD CONTAIN
What was decided When By whom Why What alternatives were considered
HOW LONG
A few lines.
WHERE TO KEEP DOCUMENTATION
One place, accessible to everyone involved.
WHY ONE PLACE
Documents scattered across email and devices are lost.
WHAT TO NAME CLEARLY
Versions, with dates.
WHY
Working from an old version is a common and costly error.
WHAT TO DO AT CLOSE
Archive it, findable.
WHY
The next similar project starts from it.
