Essential Elements of a Project Binder

Late in December 2011, one of my good friends and coworker told me that I should start a blog. "You have so much to offer, and you should share it with others," he said. Now, having done my PhD with a dissertation on Leadership and Project Management, I know of the principles of servant leadership. I volunteered in many places to share my knowledge and mentored a few people too. But my friend's statement made me think. While there may be many others more qualified than me to share knowledge, if one person thought I have something to share with the world, why should I not? After all, I will never know who will benefit from what I share whether that is meaningful, relevant, and useful! 

Based on discussions with this friend, I started this first blog article on what makes up an essential project binder. Otherwise, elements of a good project plan which is beyond a Project Schedule! One has to incorporate additional thoughts depending upon the size and complexity of the project, visibility of the project in the company, and the nature of the industry. Nevertheless, the following 10 elements apply.

1. Project Charter (Typically 1-2 pages)
2. Scope Statement (Typically 1-2 sentences)
3. Assumptions (What is expected to be true) and Constraints (What are known to be true)
4. Risks
1. Types of Risk
2. Probability and Impact Scale
3. Risk Exposure Ranking
4. Contingency Reserve
5. Response Strategy
6. Treatment Plans for critical risks
5. High Level Requirements
1. List of Deliverables
2. Delivery Milestones
3. Funding Considerations
4. Approval Considerations
6. Project Plan
1. SOW or any related agreements
2. Stakeholders List
3. Resource List
4. Team Charter 
5. Conflict Management Considerations
6. Definition of Done
7. WBS (to the extent known with more clarity for the first few milestone)
8. Major (Funding Related) & Minor (Deliverable Focused) Milestones
9. Basis of Estimates (Cost and Schedule)
10. Approval considerations for change management
7. Communication
1. Management Communication
2. Team Communication
3. Progress Metrics Evaluation Cadence
4. Issues Log
8. Acceptance
1. Quality Definitions
2. Testing and Triage Considerations
3. Acceptance Criteria
9. Project Review
1. Incremental Lessons Learned (WoW Factors)
2. Final Lessons Learned (With Team, Management, and Client)
10. Recognition
1. Team Member Recognition 
2. Client Recognition

Hope this is a good start for anyone embarking on their project management journey! Let me know if I missed anything.