What are common project documentation pitfalls to avoid?

In my experience, it's always about being clear on what are we trying to convey in the documentation. Avoid vague and marketing terms when it comes to Project Documents as they often lead to multiple different intepretations to different individuals. Personally, I'm not a fan of "etc" in project documentations as it can be intepreted as "anything under the sun"

As documentation can often be seen as a low value task during a project, it may not be included in the critical task list whose accomplishment marks the final completion of the project. Do not let it become an afterthought, from the beginning ensure it is seen as a valuable component of the project. Second, measure documentation (as appropriate) as a deliverable throughout the project. Do not let documentation be the last task completed for two reasons. One, quality will suffer and two, when the project has a cost overrun (which they often do) and documentation is the only task left, it will lose to cost cutting efforts.

I find that identifying a few (2/3) key topics, upfront and clearly defining each and their interdependencies, will help with the documentation flow. As noted, avoid acronyms and vague, open-ended examples. What is the objective, provide detail (in consistent format), summarize (for non-technical deliverables).

My opinion is that the first step is to determine the audience(s) of the docs. This will lay down the necessary content, details and structuring. This will enable the audience to efficiently use it. The top challenges/pitfalls according to my experience: Templates: design the types of docs and provide template. Teamwork (multiple persons work on the same document) -> use shared storage and/or source control, never send as email attachment. Versioning: use versioning system (eg in file name), and consequent track changes (accept all after version increase). Updating: this is the hardest part. Avoid info duplication and structure the documentation properly. Keep the low level info close to the code. Use references instead of copy/citation.

3 Cs to follow: Clarity - Documentation should be clear and simple. There should be definite what and why that needs to be covered. This will guarantee that it will be read. Consistent - Making collaboration essential will ensure that the information that is documented is accurate and up to date. Think collaboration through sharepoint, google docs, confluence Communication - Set a cadence of setting up a workflow and notifications for reviews and approvals. Cadences should also be set for sending an abbreviated version to the stakeholders as required. Following the 3Cs will ensure that the 2 Cs : confusion and conflict are avoided/minimized.

Common project documentation pitfalls to avoid include the significant issue of "Lack of updates." This occurs when documentation becomes outdated, rendering it unreliable for current project needs. Regularly revisiting and revising documents is crucial to ensure accuracy and alignment with the evolving project landscape. Failure to address this pitfall can lead to misinformed decisions, wasted efforts, and potential project setbacks. Proactive documentation maintenance is key to keeping stakeholders well-informed and maintaining the document's relevance throughout the project lifecycle.

In the absence of established standards and procedures for document creation, review, and storage, the act of updating documentation can present challenges and perplexity. Divergent project teams may adopt diverse tools, formats, and styles, leading to discordance and redundancy. To address these issues, my past experience involved implementing a structured timetable for the regular review and update of documentation, be it on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly schedule. It was crucial to clearly assign roles and responsibilities for these updates, specifying the duties of authors, reviewers, and approvers.

Keeping the documentation in sync as the project progresses is crucial. Lack of updated documentation could lead to either not using it or having different versions floating around. Employing a proper documentation framework and a process around it is a must. Version control , traceability are solved problems. Ensuring updated documentation as a deliverable that needs to be signed off by all stakeholders at each release / milestone could ensure the relevance, usage and adoption of documentation.

Configuration control thru' a software tool and involvement of configuration control board/ committee formed to take decisions are required. Only then updates can be monitored and recorded.

documentation reflects knowledge by being lightweight, focused on the needs of the team and stakeholders, and flexible enough to adapt to changing requirements and priorities. This helps teams to stay focused on delivering value, rather than getting bogged down in documentation.

Lack of alignment is a key project documentation pitfall. When team members and stakeholders aren't on the same page, misunderstandings arise, leading to delays. To avoid this, prioritize regular communication, define clear project goals, and update documentation collaboratively. Alignment not only improves documentation quality but also fosters a unified team vision for project success

I agree that alignment is key. And building off of the documents beforehand is so important. References to signed business opportunities, project charter and scope documents validate that you remain charging forward with what you were set out to accomplish. With a structured framework and methodology that should use all of those as inputs to the next set of documentation through closure.

Lack of alignment is a key pitfall, starting with the foundation of speaking the same language. Without common definitions - when Department A refers to X, does it mean the same to Department B - there is no shared language or understanding. This results in people thinking they're agreeing to something, but having no foundation of understanding. Project documentation should start with a dictionary of terms and expectation, including a problem statement, scope, and expected value. Ironically, it can be said that documenting basics takes too much time, but discovering misunderstandings at the end of the project requires much more. Document outstanding questions and the decisions made to set up shared understanding and collaboration.

It is essentially to design the documents structure as well and as early as possible, in order to avoid overlapping documents or same information present across multiple docs as this will lead not only to lack of alignment but also to lack of updates. The entire structure should be known by the entire project team, though access might not be needed to be granted to everyone everywhere.

Always use standard terminology to be on same page and avoid communication gap and confusion. In case of use acronyms, must define them and reference the same in documents.

Common project documentation pitfalls to avoid include a lack of value, which often stems from insufficient clarity, relevance, or user-friendliness. To mitigate this, prioritize concise and pertinent information, ensuring that documents serve a practical purpose for stakeholders. Avoid unnecessary details, and focus on delivering actionable insights, fostering comprehension, and enhancing overall project understanding. Additionally, regularly update documentation to reflect project evolution, maintaining its relevance and maximizing its value throughout the project lifecycle.

When writing documentation, there are a couple of essential questions the writer should answer before getting started to ensure his work brings value: - What information are we trying to convey? - Which problem will it solve? - What makes it unique? - Who is the audience? With that overall information in mind, the writer can confirm how specific or generic they need to be and ensure that the document will bring value and have an impact on the reader. At the end of the article, the reader should find satisfaction in the time spent consuming the content. It is the writer's direct responsibility to ensure the relevance and future maintenance of the documentation for repetitive consumption. A Yes/No survey about value could go a long way.

In my limited experience I would say that project documentation should be written keeping in mind the end user of the document . The whole purpose is for the document to convey the details of the project to a new person stepping in to understand the same without having to reach out to the previous owners for clarity . If this is not achieved it would result in the purpose not being met .

In my experience most of the time extensive documentation becomes an overhead and often gets out-of-date with respect to the pace of the Project or the changes happening on a day-to-day basis. There should be a right balance between producing a document for recordkeeping or for auditability transparency and its usefulness or the value to the project.

This is the biggest challenge, once a format is decided people keep filling it without considering why they are doing it and how to do it better. They need to do following things: 1. Know the audience well, tailor content for them. 2. Don't assume people know stuff, write everything down. 3. Keep on updating the format based on needs of the team and how mature they are with the process.

It is absolutely essential to use a common platform for documentation & communication with the internal and external customers to avoid any pitfalls in the project documentation.Many times, the project teams knowingly or unknowingly, start side communication with some the client/ internal team members which leads to confusion in the project documentations. This should be completely avoided. Quite often, even the project progress is also informed on a selective basis which leads to bigger confusion in the project reviews.

If the team is distributed or working remotely, I try to ensure that communication and collaboration tools are optimised for remote work and that team members feel connected despite physical distance. By fostering a collaborative environment where communication is open, roles are clear, and tools facilitate teamwork, you can mitigate the challenges posed by a lack of collaboration in a software project.

Based on my experience ReadMe files and Release Notes are very useful to improve Engineering and Business collaboration. Compose Release Notes with version details, key features, notable changes, and impact on users. In ReadMe notes, succinctly explain setup, features, and usage. Include clear headings, maintain simplicity, and provide links for more in-depth information.

From my experience, collaboration strategy i.e. the communication approach is the key disrupter in creating project documentation with value. There are a few steps which are often overlooked in the project documentation process and a PM has to address these steps before the start of the documentation process itself. 1. Identify the stakeholders who will be requiring the documentation and how they are planning to use it and get them to own on how they plan to author, update and manage changes for their respective areas 2. Ensure that the stakeholder engagement and communication plan are in place to engage the stakeholders for project documentation 3. Engage stakeholders on the agreeable documentation standards for compliance and governance

It is the largest disconnect with the simplest fix. Stakeholders should treat the product as a whole, and not just limit themselves to focussing on just their part of work.

Other documentation pitfalls to consider includes: Outdated documentation. Over documentation. Lack of clarity of the project objectives and scope.

Version control is essential for tracking changes in project documentation, providing a systematic approach with clear version numbers and dates. This transparency enhances traceability and ensures the accuracy and integrity of the documents over time. Additionally, version control facilitates seamless collaboration, allowing simultaneous work on different sections and systematic merging of changes, contributing to more efficient workflows.

Think from the perspective of the user of the document. Why should I read it? What information does it give me? Does it go into unnecessary details? Are the details too sketchy? Sometimes, all we need is a fine balance between too much and too little.

A centralized documentation repository, equipped with strong access controls for internal and external stakeholders and an efficient search function, is vital. Powerful search function ensures quick access for team members to locate necessary documentation for reference or to create updated versions in response to changes.

Project documentation suffers from writing, which remains subjective and follows a book type model. Developers use tags in code and in release pipelines, allowing the ability to locate and quickly understand details of the release, the when, the what, and the why of the release. Project documentation should follow a similar model, starting from a concise outline of the primary purpose and content. Using tags, as with software development allows for updates as the documentation grows in content. Keep it simple, and evolve the process. Stop writing books.