Feasibility Study Template

The feasibility study is used to determine if the proposed project is practical and will meet the needs of the group requesting the project. The study includes analysis to determine the practicality of the project and a formal report detailing the findings and recommendation. A business analyst, consultant, or executive familiar with the proposed solution usually completes the project feasibility template.

Team Contract Template

The team contract is a formal document developed by the project manager describing the project in terms of a team contract, which is then signed by all parties to the project. It solidifies the project and brings the team together.

Project Contact List Template

The project contact list shows all members of the project team, including the sponsor. The list includes contact information, such as phone number, pager number, location, and primary and backup contacts, including their roles on the project.

Project Brief Template

The project brief defines the aimed scope of the project. It is simple to complete and well accepted by project team members. All stakeholders are identified in the project brief.

Project Status Report Template

The project status report highlights project accomplishments since the last reported status. It is used to identify outstanding issues and may include specific action items requiring resolution. The status report should include upcoming activities with their associated dates. Depending on the required report, it may also be necessary to include financial and schedule information such as planned versus actual. The status report should be concise.

Risk Management Plan Template

The risk management plan includes the risk event, the probability of risks, and the consequences of these risks. Recommendations and actions to be taken on the project are included. The risk management plan should be approximately 5 to 15 pages, depending on the project size.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Template

The WBS is the blueprint used to carry out the work. It identifies the actual tasks to be performed and the hierarchal relationships of the tasks. It also defines the task duration and the anticipated resources in the project. Favored by many project managers, the WBS differs from project to project, but the breakdown is usually limited to four levels or fewer.

Project Agenda Template

The project agenda document is used by project staff to plan required project meetings. The agenda sets the direction of the meeting by listing specific agenda items. Each agenda item should have a specific time allocated to it so that all items will be covered.

Project Kickoff Meeting Template

The kickoff meeting document lists the essential requirements for conducting a kickoff meeting. The kickoff meeting allows project stakeholders to gain a better understanding of project objectives, time frames, and resources.

Minutes of a Meeting Template

The minutes should be recorded at all project meetings. Minutes of meetings should be short and concise and state the actions, due dates, and responsibilities by party. The minutes of a meeting should be sent to participants and interested parties within 48 hours of the meeting. A simple e-mail template can be used to summarize the project meeting minutes in bullet format with action items and completion dates; then send the e-mail minutes to your distribution list. Although a small percentage of project/development managers in companies I have worked with actually distribute minutes of the meeting, and forms are an essential part of the project communication process.

Technical Specification Template

A technical specification document is needed because it formalizes the technical details of the project. It should detail the development methodology to be followed for the solution. The technical manager of the project should work in conjunction with subject matter experts (SMEs) or vendors to create the required technical specification documents. There can be more than one technical specification, depending on size and complexity of the project. For example, you could have billing, software, and integration specifications just for one project. The technical specification document can be formal (e.g., for heavyweight methodologies) or informal as a workflow or software code (e.g., for lightweight methodologies).

Provisional Implementation Plan Template

During the initial phases of the project, the provisional implementation plan document should be used to start planning the implementation of the project.

Provisional Back-Out Plan Template

Developing a project back-out plan is rarely considered in many project organizations today because those involved assume the project will succeed. However, only 16.2 percent of projects succeed; thus, 83.8 percent fail. A back-out plan is necessary because the initial project plan may not be successfully launched or it may fail because of technical difficulties. The backup plan, which should describe a safe, alternative route, then takes effect.

Functional Specification Template

The functional specification is a technical document, usually prepared by the development team. It describes the user requirements in technical terms in preparation for system development.

Master Record Index Template Design Phase

This index lists all the documents that are required during the design phase of the project. This is a good way to keep track of the approved documents in each phase you can readily open the project binder and determine which documents were approved and used during the design phase.

Resource Allocation Template