Can the documentation be a burden for the project?

Yes. These are some cases:

If it is not seamlessly integrated with the processes to be monitored, it will hamper them. The adoption of ineffective metrics or the disorganized collection of their results will supply wrong information. This will influence the decision-making process It could reduce the effectiveness of the communication through a lack of human relationships. Furthermore, it could introduce / confirm the concept of a “bureaucratic” irresponsibility. External requirements (e.g. legal, company policies) that are not properly managed by dedicated resources.

Is slower also safer?

Which are the reasons for setting procedures for producing documentation?

The documentation shall support the steady flow of information within the stakeholders. The availability of true, clear and updated information reduces the risks of late delivery and/or under performing products.

These are the sketchy steps forming the project’s life cycle:

1. Requiring / Outlining.
2. Producing / Testing.
3. Verification of the outcomes against requirements.
4. Delivery / implementing / maintaining.

Grossly, in every methodology the project is split into three different phases. The way these phases are distributed does not change the reason for a correct data management .
Data are produced, collected, distributed and stored for future reference (learned lessons).

Planning

Outlining, listing and estimating the required effort to complete the necessary tasks to be undertaken for reaching the business outcome, within the allocated time and budget.

Producing

Carrying through the planned activities. This is the phase when plans meet reality. The ability of the team consists into making tactical changes without loosing the final aim.

Controlling

Register each person activity / position related to the project (including the possession of useful data). This kind of information will be used either for sustaining tasks related to the production or counting the efforts spent.

Introducing Risk Management

The dynamic measurement of gaps, between the forecasts and the accepted results, supplies the data for the evaluation of the risk.

Risk Analysis and management are based on the following factors:

• Possible occurrence of the event in the project’s life.
• Estimated impact of the fact on the business’ outcome.
• Planned actions to reduce the impact of each risk on the production.

During the Risk Analysis, the availability of documentation (created in the planning phase) facilitates both the process of evaluating the chances of risks’ events and its impact on the task’s results. These inputs are available for planning actions destined to mitigate the impact of the risk.

An effective analysis of the production (produced in the controlling phase) offers automatically the basic elements for Risk Management. The difference itself between the planned and expected is the first source of attention toward arising or increasing obstacles to the production and subsequent delivery.

Conclusion

The project’s failure hurts anyone who has worked on it, both on the business side and each team member. Good communication can improve the chances of success.

Setting working procedures is, very often, a task beyond the project manager’s scope. However, it is his/her specific responsibility to maintain a good level of understanding within the team and toward the stakeholders.

“If you don’t like their rules, whose would you use?“