Documentation StandardsNeed documentation standards for
an information management project and want some practical suggestions
to ensure rapid project delivery?
I have sometimes seen project documentation described as artifacts.  Artifact is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “ a product of human art or workmanship” or “a product of pre-historic or aboriginal workmanship as distinguished from a similar object naturally made” Umm...Perhaps the people who call project documents “artifacts" have been working on the same project so long that documentation is ancient at project close? Project documentation standards, it’s all about communications Think of the days when we had two or three person teams and the user was part of the team—Communication was easy and we had less need for a lot of formal documentation standards. Now, think of an IT shop with several thousand people scattered around the globe. Project documentation is designed to bridge the communications gap. It is critical to the success of any project and needs to be managed to ensure that each piece of documentation meets its objectives. The following describes some of the key documentation standards required to ensure project success. Business Case This important document is essentially a contract between the business owner, who is paying for the project, and the IT departments, who will develop, implement and operate the solution. Approval of the business case signifies that:
This builds on the business case and is an agreement between the project manager, the IT owner and business owner. It provides more planning information than the business case. Approval of the project plan signifies that:
The project manager uses the requirements specification to update the project plan and schedule. If the expected cost or schedule is substantially different than the business case cost projections, then the requirements need to be reviewed to ensure that they are really in scope. This is one of the most critical project documentation components. If the financial projections are significantly different from the business case, then the business case may need to be updated and approved, or, the requirements may need to be “down-sized”. When the requirements are documented and approved, the architecture and design/development team should be able to commence work without having to ask a many business related questions. The requirements specification is an agreement between the end users, the business owner, the IT owner and the project manager. Approval of the requirements specification signifies that:
The Architecture document is another key component of project documentation standards. It serves as a communications link between the architecture and design team, the requirements analysis team and the user team. This critical document is the last chance to make modifications to the project schedule and/or cost. An approved architecture document is the basis for development work. Any changes after this is approved have to be treated as a change request because they are not included in the approved project plan. Approval of the architecture document signifies that:
These critical documents serve as a communications link between the design team, the development team and the integration test team. Approval of the design specifications signifies that:
Individual developers complete unit testing and unit test results demonstrate that code performs to specification. Unit test results form part of the code review. Approval of unit test results signifies that the designer agrees that:
The test plan is vital. It is an agreement between the business owner, the IT owner, the project manager and the technical lead. Approval of the test plan signifies that:
This document is part of the test plan and serves as formal confirmation that testing is complete. Approval of the exit criteria signifies that all stakeholders agree that the solution is ready to move to production. Release plan The release plan serves as a communications link between the project team and the production support team. It identifies each configuration item that will move into the production environment. It also includes all of the documentation needed to maintain and operate the solution. It is a commitment between the release manager, the IT owner and the operations/production support team. Approval of the release plan signifies:
Documentation standards ensure effective communication among and between project team members. Each piece of documentation is designed for a specific purpose. Project documentation needs to be managed to ensure that each piece of documentation meets objectives. Tight control of this process will reduce project time loss due to miscommunication.
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