IT Project Documentation In 2025:
13 Basic Documents

Documentation serves two crucial purposes. Firstly, to ensure that project requirements are met, and secondly, to provide traceability by recording completed tasks, who completed them, and when. However, it can be challenging to determine where to begin with this process.

Project documentation records key project details and produces the documents required to implement it successfully.

This documentation is created by a project manager to manage, control and deliver the project value. Each project must have documentation stored either on the client’s or the company’s side.

It may also include system documentation that captures architectural, technical, and configuration details for long-term maintenance and support.

The list of documents varies by each project, but the essential three functions of documentation substantiate it:

• To make sure that project requirements are fulfilled;
• To establish traceability concerning what has been done, who has done it, and when; and
• To create better visibility of processes and potential security issues.

Understanding the importance of documentation in IT projects is vital to long-term success. Here are some practical benefits:

• Faster new employee onboarding. Good project documentation gives new team members access to all the knowledge that has been collected throughout projects, both past and ongoing. New team members can immediately understand previous decisions and find relevant information without relying on long email threads, looking through outdated search results, or repeatedly asking teammates.
• Better cross-team alignment. Comprehensive IT project management documents provide a clear and transparent understanding of everyone’s work, preventing scattered decision-making and discussions through email and chat. This, in turn, reduces meeting time and the likelihood of duplicated work. ​​Such alignment is especially important when working with hybrid teams distributed across different locations.
• More effective knowledge sharing. The knowledge and understanding gained from a previous project can be applied to new projects as valuable insights and lessons learned. Capturing and sharing this knowledge can help you develop new best practices, prevent repeated mistakes, and continuously improve your team’s performance. Incorporating project retrospectives into the documentation process further reinforces this continuous improvement cycle.
• Improved client relationship management. With proper documentation, teams can ensure that clients are always informed of the project’s progress, upcoming project milestones, and any issues that arise. This helps in maintaining trust and transparency throughout the project lifecycle.

The following project documentation list outlines the 13 essential documents your team should prepare for efficient execution and accountability.

Project Initiation

During the first few meetings, all known information that a Client (and/or Product Owner) possesses must be collected and stored within standardized documents. This is the period when the primary business case and need are initially defined.

• Project Charter

  • The project overview statement, also known as the project charter, contains the fundamental planning elements of a project and serves as the basis for the project.
  • A project charter is a formally issued document by the project initiator or sponsor that formally authorizes the existence of a project and empowers the project manager to apply organizational resources to project activities.
  • The project charter often includes the business case, project goals, high-level requirements, key stakeholders, project constraints, and the timeline for project deliverables.

• Statement Of Work (SOW)

  • A SOW is made at the outset of a project and outlines everything that needs to go into your project, including the business case.
  • The statement of work is a legally binding document that captures and defines all the aspects of the execution of the project scope of work. It contains the activities, deliverables, and timetable for the project. It’s a highly detailed work contract that defines the terms and conditions agreed upon between parties and lays the groundwork for the project plan. It is often referenced throughout the project to ensure the agreed scope is being followed.
  • However, some industries are moving towards leaner, less formalized documentation processes, especially in Agile environments. The detailed, often legally binding SOW might be less common in Agile projects where more flexibility and iterative processes are encouraged.

• Non-Disclosure Agreement

  A legally enforceable agreement that creates a private relationship and maintains confidentiality is called an NDA (non-disclosure agreement). The parties signing the agreement agree that sensitive information they may obtain will not be made available to others.

  • A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) recognizes a confidential association between two or more entities and safeguards the information they exchange from being disclosed to external parties.
  • This type of agreement is commonly used as a prerequisite before companies engage in discussions regarding possible collaborations.
  • Stakeholders on both sides are often required to sign NDAs to protect confidential business information.
  • A confidentiality agreement is another term that can be used to refer to an NDA.
  • There are two main types of non-disclosure agreements: mutual and non-mutual.

• Master Service Agreement (MSA)

  MSA is a contract made between two or more parties in which they all agree to the terms used to govern any future agreements or future transactions.

  Like many other types of contracts, the master service agreement is created to outline generic terms, such as:

  • Business ethics
  • Corporate social responsibility
  • Dispute resolution
  • Geographic location
  • Intellectual property ownership
  • Family access
  • Network access
  • Product warranties
  • Payment terms
  • Venue of law

Project Planning

The main job of the Project Manager at this point is to define all stakeholders who may impact the project in any way. They should also analyze the known scope, divide it into phases, and develop separate stages for project success. It would be nice to have a Business Analyst involved.

A Tech Lead validates the proposed solution within the given resources and constraints. They define the preliminary tech stack, which will be used for development.

It is the right time to agree upon the quality and its measurement. Also, the Definition of Done (DoD) is an essential part of any project phase. The Definition of Done (DOD) provides a checklist that usefully guides pre-implementation activities: discussion, estimation, and design. It limits the cost of rework once a feature has been accepted as “done.” An explicit contract limits the risk of misunderstanding and conflict between the development team and the Client.

To sum up, the steps above, creating a Project/Agile Charter to determine responsibilities and document high-level details is required. The creation of the project plan must include risk assessments, change management procedures, and a clear communication strategy.

Then comes the most challenging and interactive part, project planning, creating PMP (project management plan), and determining the required documents.

The resource planning process is an essential part when it comes to commitment. The team creates a backlog of functional pieces to work with, usually broken down into tasks. The point is to see whether the scope can be completed simultaneously with other tasks.

If any is required, the next important piece falls under procurements or would be more beneficial than custom development.

Key project planning documentation includes:

• Business Requirements Document (BRD)

  This is a complete description of the system to be developed. It contains all interactions users will have with the system and non-functional requirements.

• Stakeholder Management Document

  It establishes clear guidelines for communication among the project stakeholders, management of their expectations, involvement & impact.

• Sprint Planning Document

  The process is represented and documented as a list of items agreed by the team to be completed at the end of the iteration. It could be reflected in the forecast planning.

Project Execution

It is worth stressing the importance of having an alternative plan if unpredictable circumstances occur regarding risk management. This includes preparing risk documentation and using risk analytics to anticipate potential project blockers.

If we work with Agile methodologies, estimating the backlog is easier and quicker, at least for the first iteration (Sprint). If it is not Agile, we are agile and adjust the processes.

In addition to that, it must be clear to a Client that the accumulation of technical debt must be avoided at any cost by using such practices as code refactoring. It must be part of the regular development process.

The complete schedule of deliverables depends on the backlog items’ estimation.

The project budget considers the needs, resources, risks, quality assurance, KPIs, and other costs.

• Change Management Document

  This document states exactly what must be changed, how it might alter any pre-existing plans, existing functionality for your project, and how to plan the mitigation of the disruption that the change could cause to the project creation process.

• Risk Management Document

  This document is used to consider the potential project risks involved and to record the best ways that you can respond to them as a team.

Project Monitoring

Our goal is to quickly adjust, follow the plan, and work with the team effectively leading it. There are quite a few metrics regarding this point, like team-building activities and the level of customer satisfaction, to be measured regularly. It is a common practice to get feedback on the completed work, challenges, and milestones achieved from the Client.

Comparison of KPIs with baselines leads to reacting to changes and reviewing risks to manage contingencies. Periodical confirmation that we are heading in the right direction is a green light to managerial activities and keeping the team motivated.

During the monitoring, the project manager oversees the processes and may create other documents on demand. We use documentation like a stakeholder communication document, project roadmap, and project status report to ensure project work is implemented according to the plan. Feel free to use other documents to keep a project or individual work on track (e.g., OKR).

Project Closure

Before celebrating the completion of a project or phase, it is essential to enter into the closure process to bring everything to a formal close. Recording the lessons learned casually would be helpful, as we may create company policies based on them.

Another informative document contains the credentials for different services we may use while working on the project. Keeping and/or handing over the code clean and safe is our responsibility.

After the final client’s feedback is given, we may consider that the phase is fully completed and all information is properly recorded for future reference.

The closing activities usually end up with greetings of successful completion and open ability of the subsequent improvements, updates, and maintaining the Client’s success.

• Sprint Review Document

  This document represents the visual part of the deliverables done during the Sprint. Also, another essential part of the meeting is to receive feedback, which has to be recorded and processed.

• Sprint Retrospective Document

  This document sets out what all have learned from the project as a team. It gives everyone an opportunity to put forward formal suggestions for what might go differently next time.

• Project Support Flow

  This artifact is a guide and sort of after-sales agreement with warranties explaining how to work and process stakeholders’ requests. This can be also included in the SOW or other agreements.

• Project Closure Document

  This document is written to confirm that all invested parties have approved the completed project or phase. In essence, they concur that the project has stayed on schedule and has fulfilled the expectations of all parties involved.

Good documentation takes work. It’s not just about writing stuff down, but making sure the information actually helps the team.

Here are a few proven IT project documentation best practices:

• Start with the essentials. At the beginning of the project, identify the key documents you’ll need. These often include the project charter, scope statement, risk log, and technical specifications. Assign responsibility for each document so that nothing is overlooked. Planning this early helps prevent confusion later.
• Use collaborative tools. Choose platforms like Notion, Google Docs, Confluence, or SharePoint to make documents easy to access and update. Cloud-based tools reduce email clutter and avoid multiple versions of the same file.
• Keep it clear and consistent. Use a simple, readable format. Stick to consistent naming, templates, and section headings. Avoid overly technical language when it’s not necessary, especially for documents shared with clients or non-technical stakeholders. Diagrams, charts, or short summaries can make complex information easier to understand.
• Update regularly. Make documentation part of your routine. Plan updates around major milestones, such as sprint reviews or project checkpoints, so that the information stays accurate and useful.
• Encourage team involvement. Documentation is not a one-person job. Involve developers, testers, product owners, and project managers and subject matter experts. This ensures more complete and accurate content and builds team ownership.
• Integrate it into your workflow. Link documentation to your task management system or include it in your regular project activities. Keeping documentation as part of the day-to-day work ensures that it remains up to date and relevant.
  

AI tools like ChatGPT, Notion AI, and Jira AI are revolutionizing project documentation by automating tasks, enhancing accuracy, and improving efficiency.

• 1. Automation of Tasks: AI can handle repetitive tasks like formatting, organizing data, and generating reports, which saves significant time.
• 2. Smart Drafting: Tools draft initial versions of project charters, risk plans, and reports, allowing teams to focus on customization.
• 3. Risk Analysis: Predictive analytics identify potential risks, flag issues, and suggest solutions for proactive management.
• 4. Knowledge Sharing: AI indexes and categorizes documents, enabling quick retrieval of critical insights from past projects.
• 5. Improved Collaboration: AI generates meeting summaries, tracks tasks, and ensures updated shared documents for better teamwork.
• 6. Continuous Improvement: Data-driven insights from AI help optimize documentation formats and highlight gaps for improvement.

Key Tools:

• Notion AI: Automates organization and task management
• ChatGPT: Drafts and refines documents with contextual accuracy
• Jira AI: Integrates documentation into project tracking

In conclusion, project documentation is an important aspect of any project, providing a record of the project’s scope, plans, progress, and outcomes. It serves as a reference for all stakeholders and helps to ensure effective communication, planning, and control. Good IT project documents should be clear, concise, and comprehensive, and should be easily accessible and up to date. By maintaining effective documentation of a project, project managers can improve project performance and ensure successful outcomes.

Many of the world’s biggest corporations, SMEs, and technology innovators rely on DevCom as a trusted technology partner. Through every stage of the product life cycle, DevCom is a brain-trust dedicated to forward-thinking.

At DevCom, we help businesses navigate the entire project documentation process, from start to finish. Contact us if you are unsure where to begin with your project or need guidance on establishing proper documentation.