Project documentation is a vital component of effective project management. It is the process of recording the key project details and producing documents required to implement it successfully. Project documentation includes project proposals, project charter, project plans, project status reports, among others. These would further consist of project reports, layout and engineering drawings, datasheets, records of meetings, construction plans and specifications.
Some of the ways to ensure project documentation is adequate and available to all stakeholders are:
Organize all documentation in one place.
Make it easy to access and search.
Keep it lightweight and concise.
Maintain updated information and make it available for collaborative sharing.
Challenges to effective project management
Many of the challenges that project management teams face are largely document-centric. Efficient records management is essential to keep projects on track for timely completion and without budget overruns.
Document digitization: The key to effective project management
Digitizing project files and making them available in a DMS helps mitigate these challenges. The benefits of digitizing project management documents include:
Digitization improves collaboration
A frequent complaint from stakeholders is that they do not receive enough information about the project at the right time. Digitization improves communication by giving the project manager tools to provide information more quickly and adjusted to the recipient’s needs. Finding and sharing information and collaborating with other team members becomes easier.
Document digitization reduces cost
The administration of the project becomes cheaper once you have a central digital repository of updated project documentation. Project plans and work results are held in a shared digital environment. Information can be processed and used more effectively, which also makes project reporting more efficient.
Faster response to new requirements
The truth is—requirements change! And they lead to new priorities and changes in resource allocations. The project manager must make rapid changes to accommodate new requirements without affecting timelines and budget. When project documentation is available in digitized formats in real-time, changes can be communicated quickly, and decisions can be executed promptly without compromising compliance requirements and project standards. PDMPL provides document digitization support for multiple teams to enable collaboration and provide validated, real-time information on a day-to-day basis to all project personnel. PDMPL offers onsite document scanning services (suitable for highly sensitive files) and offsite for bulk scanning of paper documents. We have the expertise and equipment to handle any format or size of paper documents, from cash receipts to maps and plans.