Management Plans vs Project Documents

In a few corporate trainings I recently did in the EMEA and APAC regions, there were questions on practices on how to set up the priority schemes, what guidelines should govern when changes and test cases will be approved, etc. The questions further emerged into transforming into agile practices and if these questions are even relevant because agile allows constant change. 

So, I am writing this blog to differentiate the documents used for managing the initiative (project, program, portfolio) from the project artifacts documenting the detailed activities within a project, program, or portfolio. Agile is an approach to deliver on project outcomes based on the level of complication and complexity on the scope being developed. Traditional approaches are not too different and are based on progressive elaboration and rolling wave planning. 

Management Documents

The management documents are used to guide, control, and organize the ways of working within the organization. They are typically broader in scope and deal with overall strategy, resource management, and governance. Given below are some examples of management documents and they are required in both traditional or agile approaches to delivering on projects.

1. Business Case

   • Justifies the initiation of a portfolio, program, or project, outlining the benefits, costs, risks, and strategic alignment.

2. Product Strategy

   • Defines the vision, goals, and roadmap for a product, aligning it with business objectives.

3. Charter

   • Identifies the project/program/portfolio manager authorizing the person to use organizational resources.

4. Benefit Management Plan

   • Describes how and when the benefits of the project will be delivered and measured.

5. Resource Allocation Plans

   • Outline how resources (people, tools, budget) are distributed across various projects.

6. Strategic Planning Documents

   • These involve procurement management plans, quality management plans, 

7. Governance Policies

   • Define the rules, policies, and procedures that govern project management and execution.

8. Risk Management Plans

   • Identify, assess, and plan for potential positive and negative risks at the organizational level along with risk response plans.

9. Performance Appraisal Reports

   • Used to evaluate performance so that these act as a feedback mechanism to continuously validate the business case or alignment to strategic initiatives.

10. Training and Development Plans

    • Detail the training needs and development programs for team members to enhance skills and capabilities.

11. Financial Reports

    • Include budgets, forecasts, and financial performance metrics for the organization.

12. Integrated Project Management Plans

    • Comprehensive plans that integrate various aspects of project management such as scope, schedule, cost, quality, and communications.

Project Documents

Project documents are specific to individual projects and are used to plan, execute, monitor, and close projects. These documents are more dynamic and often updated throughout the project lifecycle.

1. Project Charter

   • A document that formally authorizes the project, outlining its objectives, scope, stakeholders, and high-level schedule.

2. Project Roadmap

   • Visual representation of the project's goals and deliverables over a timeline. This is more detailed than the product roadmap and can be the Gantt Chart, Milestone Chart, etc.

3. Product Backlog

   • A prioritized list of features, enhancements, and fixes that need to be delivered for the product.

4. Sprint Backlog

   • A list of tasks and user stories to be completed in the current sprint.

5. Sprint Planning Documents (Definition of Ready, Release & Sprint Goals)

   • Include just enough plans for what will be delivered in a sprint and how it will be achieved. Recall that product increments can be incremental or unified delivery.
   • Outline the timeline and milestones for delivering product increments to users.

6. User Stories and Acceptance Criteria

   • Describe specific features or functionality from the perspective of an end-user, along with the conditions for acceptance.

7. Burndown Charts

   • Graphical representations showing the amount of work remaining versus time.

8. Logs

   • Summaries of the daily stand-up meetings, including what was done, what will be done, and any impediments.
   • This could be issue logs, change logs, updates to risk register, benefit register, backlog, etc.

9. Lessons Learned and/or Retrospective Reports

   • Documents the outcomes of sprint retrospectives, including what went well, what didn’t, and action items for improvement.

10. Release Documentation

    • System and user documentation
    • Release Notes
    • Updated Product Roadmap
    • Training 

11. Definition of Done (DoD)

    • A clear and concise list of criteria that must be met before a product increment is considered "done."

12. Test Plans and Test Cases

    • Detailed plans and cases outlining how testing will be conducted, what will be tested, and expected outcomes.

Summary

• Management Documents focus on organizational-level planning, governance, strategy, and resource management. Examples include the business case, product strategy, benefit management plan, and integrated project management plans.
• Project Documents are specific to the execution and management of individual projects, covering aspects like scope, schedule, quality, and deliverables. Examples include the project charter, project roadmap, product backlog, and sprint planning documents.

References

Rajagopalan, S. (2020). Five Essential Documents in Project and Program Management. https://agilesriram.blogspot.com/2020/11/five-essential-documents-in-project-and.html