Part 5: The project diary
What is a project diary and how it is maintained to keep track of on-going projects and plan for future projects?
We’ve previously discussed the importance of documentation (e.g., Part 2: Project planning) in the context of the project plan. Another important form of documentation is the Project Diary.
The Project Diary is a self-improvement resource meant to be used throughout the duration of the project; in it, we collect information about project management-related activities. Just like how your lab notebook helps you run future experiments, your project notebook helps you run future projects.
Source: Image by upklyak
The diary serves as:
- A log of activities and achievements.
- A record of time required for project tasks.
- Record of lessons learned while running your project.
- A tracker of the ability or inability of venders/departments to deliver in a timely fashion.
- Causes for delays to or changes to your project.
- Summary of project meetings and project outcomes.
Project diary versus project plan
Your Project Diary can include your Project Plan. The main difference between the Project Plan and the Project Diary is when you write it. Typically, your Project Plan is made in its entirety at the beginning of your project. A Project Diary is updated throughout your entire project and includes more of the day-to-day notes about your project.
Useful tools for keeping a Project Diary include: Microsoft OneNote, Microsoft InkSeine, Google Docs, Evernote or just pen and paper.
- Sidenote! The Open Science Framework (OSF) is a popular website where psychology and the social sciences have been publishing their research documentation and analyses. You can check it out here!
Some things to keep track of in your Project Diary include notes about changes in scheduling, any changes to the original project plan that have been agreed upon by stakeholders, and dates of completion for deliverables along the project path.
Source: Image by upklyak
The most important takeaway is that documentation and keeping a Project Diary is important during all aspects of your project – the beginning, the middle, and even at the end. During the close out of a project you will refer to your Project Diary to reflect on the project as whole. You will save this diary so that if anyone works on the same project (or a similar project) in the future, they will have your detailed notes to use instead of starting from scratch.
Starting your project diary
We have given some suggest platforms and methods for keeping your project diary but ultimately, you should know what will work best for you! An important aspect of keeping a project diary is actually using the project diary and the best way to ensure that you use your project diary and keep it up to date is to make this process as easy as possible.
Instructions: Click on the tabs below to some things to consider.
Instructions: click on the two tabs below to learn more about each of these two terms.
You want a project diary that you can access whenever you need it
If you’re a person who will often have a bookbag, you might opt for the classic paper and pen method with a notebook. However, if you know you’ll always have access to a computer or will have a laptop with you might prefer some of the digital platforms instead.
There are several techniques for managing project schedules. In this section of the module, we are going to look at two: Node/Network diagrams and Gantt charts.
Learning activity 10: Choosing the best platform for you and your project diary
Now let’s do some research!
You may be familiar with some of the previously suggested platforms we suggested for keeping a project diary or you may not. A key aspect when using a platform to keep a project diary is being familiar with the platform so you can optimize it’s use.
Explore some of the suggested platforms for keeping a project diary or find your own. Try them out and answer the following questions in Discord:
Which is your preferred platform?
What are the advantages of this platform?
What are some disadvantages?