Project Termination Process T810

Blog: Biz-Performance, David Brown

T810 – File/Archive Materials, Correspondence etc

DEFINITION

File and / or archive materials, correspondence, documents etc.

SUMMARY

All project records must be filed, archived or destroyed. In some cases, documents may need to be duplicated as both the new “owner” of the system plus KPMG may require copies. Ensure electronic copies are kept of documents which may be useful in the future.

PATH PLANNING GUIDANCE

This process is optional. It is used where materials are not simply handed over to a new “owner” of the system.

DEPENDENCIES

Prerequisites (Finish-Finish):

tasks in all previous segments

Dependent procedures (Finish-Finish):

(end of project)

RECEIVABLES

all project correspondence, documents and other materials that are not included in other permanent formal deliverables.

DELIVERABLES

approach documented as part of the Demobilization Plan IP
documentation filed or archived

TOOLS

(none)

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF TASKS

Types of documentation

At the end of a project, there will be a large volume of documentation.

Formal deliverables will have been issued to the appropriate parties. These may have been incorporated into:

Owners Manuals – i.e. collated sets of deliverables which describe the design of the system as implemented; they are the permanent documentation for the system and should be kept up to date as process or system designs are subsequently changed.
Work Books – i.e. collated sets of deliverables from the project describing the way the project was conducted and the logic behind design decisions; they do not have any real relevance to the future of the system but act as a historic record of the way the system was built and the rationale behind the decisions.

These items are dealt with in Process T850 – Collate / prepare Work Books and Owner’s Manual.

The major deliverables will have been issued and filed as described above. In the current process, all the other minor project documentation is dealt with. This process deals with such items as:

project correspondence,
routine progress reports
tracking data, e.g. time-sheets, interim progress data
drafts of documents,
supporting documents, e.g. graphics, analysis diagrams, design diagrams
presentation materials
issues forms, lists and control logs
change forms, lists and control logs
non-permanent vendor documentation, e.g. bug fix notifications

Note that these materials might be in both printed and electronic formats.

Defining the approach

The approach to archiving these materials will depend upon the circumstances of the project and the wishes of the client organisation. This should be considered and an approach agreed with the client organisation and other participants. The project team should establish the:

requirements for retention of materials, filing and archiving,
options available
recommended approach and
details of recommended approach.

This may be presented in the form of an Implementation Paper. It may be combined with other aspects of project termination in the Demobilization Plan IP.

Requirements

Some of the specific needs and issues might include:

Consultant will want to retain sufficient working papers to show how the work was undertaken and to demonstrate that the project was conducted properly.
In general, planning and tracking information should be retained in case there are queries regarding the work performed. It may, however, be archived if not otherwise required.
The client organisation will normally require access to all correspondence with external organisations, and may prefer to retain access to all correspondence and materials.
Documents which might be used as the basis of subsequent documents are best kept in electronic formats.
All parties may have legitimate concerns regarding confidentiality. It should be agreed which types of information should not be disclosed to external parties, and which are sufficiently confidential that copies of documents should not be held. In general, requests for confidentiality should be respected whether or not they are agreed or legally binding.
There is not normally any problem concerning copyright, but it may be necessary to establish the legal rights that the various parties have to specific materials. In general, all parties are likely to agree to use the materials freely subject to confidentiality needs and agreements. In a few cases this will have been stipulated specifically in the initial contracts. If problems are anticipated, it is best to address these points in the initial proposal or contract before the work commences.
Documents and materials should not be held unnecessarily – they may be destroyed or archived as appropriate.

Options

Options will usually involve a combination of:

retaining documents,
duplicating materials,
filing materials,
archiving, and
destroying unwanted items.

There may be options to retain materials in electronic format – if so, care should be taken to ensure that appropriate storage methods are used to guard against data loss or corruption.

Recommendations and detailed approach

Details of the preferred approach should be recommended and agreed with the client organisation. The detail should identify the actions to be taken and the persons responsible.

These actions will be undertaken before finally winding up the project team.