Project Management 101 teaches you that in order to organize and communicate effectively, documents are a key. There are three things to keep in mind as a Project Manager, especially if you are new to the job, when it comes to your documentation.
Do Not Reinvent the Wheel. Do not create your own documents. Download and use templates to save time and energy. Along with the array of templates offered by Microsoft Word, there are many Web sites offering document templates for everything needed to do your job. Scope Statements, Milestone Lists, Weekly Status Reports, Project Closures, the list goes on and on. Do your research.- Make It Your Own. Once you find the templates that will work for you, change them to make them your own with company logos, contact information, font style tweaks, etc. Then save them as your own templates in one folder for future use. This is a huge timesaver!
- Collaborate and Distribute. If you work on a team, send your templates to your teammates for their input and edits. Put these templates in place, if you have the power, as the standard for your all of your projects. Your teammates will also save time by saving them themselves. Accessing the correct documents quickly by the team is efficient and effective.
Project Management encompasses many tasks, so alleviating a little work for yourself and for your team will be greatly appreciated in the long run and make your projects run smoother.
Originally published on Experts Pages on 6/1/13
