Key Project Documents Every Project Manager Needs

Updated on: 25 November 2022   

Proper project documentation is an integral part of project management. Documenting essential project processes and

information help set up a project in an efficient and easy-to-understand manner, and ultimately ensure its success.

In this post, we will look at why project documentation is important and go over the essential and other useful project documents
that are created throughout the life cycle of a project. All templates provided are customizable; click on them to start editing.  Use
the menu below to navigate easily.

Project Initiation 

 Project Plan 
 Project Charter 
 Business Requirements Document
 Statement of Work 

Project Planning

 Project Proposal 
 Team Charter 
 Project Budget
 Project Communications Plan
 Project Schedule
 Work Breakdown Structure
 Risk Register
 Project Scope Statement
 Stakeholder Register
 Project Organizational Chart 

Project Execution & Closure

 Project Status Report

 Project Closure 
 Lessons Learned
What Is Project Documentation?
Project documentation entails creating and maintaining project management documents throughout the different phases of the
project life cycle. These project documents allow the project manager to adequately manage, control and deliver the project. 

Importance of Project Documentation

Documenting important details of the project thus helps you and the team verify that the ideas being implemented actually make
sense. Project documentation simplifies clarifying project expectations and goals, breaking down the deliverables into
manageable tasks, managing resources, and keeping all stakeholders on the same page.  

In addition, it also helps with,  

 Retaining knowledge collected over the course of past projects, which allows to streamline onboarding new employees or
new project team members.
 Increasing clarity and transparency of the team workflows allowing for better cross-functional team alignment.

Top 10 Essential Project Documents 

Following are the essential project management documents that should be created during each phase of the project lifecycle. 

Project Plan 

The project management plan – or project plan – is a comprehensive document that outlines how the project is executed,
monitored, and controlled. It may include baselines, subsidiary management plans, and other planning documents. It highlights
vital project information such as deadlines, assignments, and key milestones and is usually represented in the form of a Gantt
chart. 
 Project Plan Template (Click
on the template to edit it online)

Project Charter 
The project charter is a short document that explains what a project entails. It describes what the project goals are, who is
involved and their responsibilities, and the stakeholders, and defines the authority of the project manager.  It is created in line
with the business case for the project as described by the project sponsor.
Business Requirements Document

The business requirement document explains the business solution for a project based on business or customer needs and
requirements. It describes the purpose of the project, the business solution it provides, features and functionalities, as well as
the project timeline. It synthesizes input from stakeholders and analysis of the current business situation to provide a technology-
neutral description of what the product should do.
online)

Project Budget

The project budget is the total estimated cost of  a project. It includes a detailed estimate of all costs, such as labor costs,
material procurement costs and operating costs,that are likely to be incurred during the completion of project tasks over each
phase of a project. It helps with establishing expenditure expectations and with getting project approval from stakeholders,
ensuring funds are ready at the right time, and measuring performance.

Cost Breakdown
Structure (Click on the template to edit it online)

Project Schedule

A project schedule is your project’s timeline, it consists of all the sequenced tasks, activities, and milestones that need to be
completed in a certain timeframe. Creating a project schedule is a way of communicating all the tasks that are needed to be
performed, while clarifying what resources are needed, and under what time frame.
 Project Schedule (Click on the
template to edit it online)

Risk Register

The risk register, which is also referred to as a risk log, is a document that contains information about identified risks such as the
nature of the risk, the level of risk, who is responsible for it, and the preventative measures, and corrective action in place. It
serves as a brainstorming framework to establish risks and as a database of possible and potential risks and mitigation
measures for them.
 Risk Register Template (Click on
the template to edit it online)

Project Scope Statement

A project scope statement describes the work that needs to be done to deliver the project outputs on time and within the budget.
The project scope statement document outlines what is being delivered (within scope), what is not being delivered (out of
scope), assumptions to clarify the deliverables, and high-level requirements. 
on the template to edit it online)

Project Communications Plan

A project communication plan is a guideline of what, when, and how key project information will be shared at key intervals with
invested stakeholders. It includes what kind of information will be distributed, to whom, and how often they will be updated.
Project Status Report

The project status report is a document that outlines the project’s overall progress against the projected project plan. It helps
keep all project stakeholders informed about the high-level information such as milestones, work accomplished, risks, and
roadblocks.
oject Status Report (Click on the template to edit it online)

Project Closure 

The project closure report is a  document that formalizes the closure of the project. While it helps determine whether or not a
project was successful, it provides confirmation that the criteria for customer acceptance have been met and requests sign-off
from the Project Sponsor to close the project.
Project Closure Template (Click on the template to edit it online)

Other Useful Project Management Documents 

While the documents we’ve listed above are essential to ensure project success, there are multiple other project documents that
will further contribute to accelerating its successful completion.

Statement of Work 

A statement of work is a document that describes the requirements of a project. It serves as an agreement between a client and
an agency or service provider and defines the entire scope of work involved for a vendor, project deliverables, costs, and
timeline.
Statement of Work Template (Click on the template to edit it online)

Project Proposal 

The project proposal is a document that lists down all aspects of a project including its background, vision, goals, tasks,
requirements, owners, associated risks, etc. Its purpose is to provide a summary of the project details and rally support for the
project idea from stakeholders.
template to edit it online)

Team Charter 

A team charter basically explains how a team plans to get its work done. It focuses on why the team exists, the objectives the
team is designed to accomplish, and how it is going to achieve them. The purpose of the team charter is to get everyone on the
same page and keep them focused.
Team Charter Template (Click on the template to edit it online)

Work Breakdown Structure

The work breakdown structure is a diagram that helps break down large projects into smaller and more manageable parts which
contain the project deliverables that it will complete. It divides project deliverables into sub-deliverables and work packages
which define the work, duration, and costs for the tasks that need to be carried out.

Work Breakdown Structure (Click on the template to edit it online)

Stakeholder Register 

The stakeholder register is a document that details information about the stakeholders of a project. This contains their names,
contact details, the role they play in the project, their power over making project decisions, and their needs, concerns, and
expectations. It serves as the basis for team formation, assigning roles and responsibilities, defining success criteria, and
planning stakeholder communication.
Stakeholder Register (Click on the template to edit it online)

Project Organizational Chart 

A project organizational chart is a visual representation of the team members and the roles they play in a given project. It
illustrates the hierarchy and the reporting relationships between the team members. They help with allocating resources,
clarifying responsibilities, and setting expectations regarding the effort required from each individual.
Project Organizational Chart (Click on the template to edit it online)

Lessons Learned

A lesson learned report can be used to document all the key challenges, risks, uncertainties, and blockers you have come
across during a project along with the timely solutions you have implemented. Lesson learned reports are designed to guide you
as you work toward achieving the desired outcomes, so it helps you and others who will work on a similar project in the future to
avoid the hardships and easily achieve the expected outcome.
Lessons Learned Report (Click on the template to edit it online)