Create project artifacts
Enablers
- Determine the requirements for managing project artifacts. (ECO 2.12.1)
- Validate that the project information is kept up to date and accessible. (ECO 2.12.2)
- Continually assess effectiveness of the management of the project artifacts. (ECO 2.12.3)
Deliverables, and Tools
Project Artifact Characteristics
A project artifact is any document related to the management of a project. The project team will create and maintain many artifacts during the life of the project, to allow reconstruction of the history of the project and to benefit other projects.
- Artifacts are normally living documents, and are formally updated to reflect changes in project requirements and scope.
Project Artifact Characteristics
Project artifacts include:
- Acceptance Criteria
- Assumptions
- Business Case
- Change Requests
- Constraints
- Lessons learned
- Minutes of status meetings
- Project Charter
- PowerPoint slide decks
- Requirements
- Scope
- Scope Baseline
- Subsidiary project management plans
Artifacts unique to agile projects:
- Product Backlog
- Product Increment
- Product Roadmap
- Product Vision Statement
- Release Plan
- Sprint Backlog
Configuration Management
Configuration management is a tool used to manage changes to a product or service being produced as well as changes to any of the project documents.
Configuration management is used to:
- Control product iterations.
- Ensure that product specifications are current.
- Control the steps for reviewing and approving product prototypes, testing standards, and drawings or blueprints.
Configuration Management
Configuration management focuses on the following:
- What work products need to be managed.
- How these products will be created, stored, revised, documented, and archived.
- The processes and the authorization levels for doing so.
- The naming schemes for different types of revisions.
- Release management for products which will be released incrementally.
A configuration management system * is a collection of procedures used to track project artifacts and monitor and control changes to these artifacts.
Project Artifact Management
An effective archive management system includes these provisions:
- A way to produce and control documents without unnecessary administrative overhead.
- Standardized formats and templates.
- A structured process for the review and approval of documents.
- Version control and security.
- Timely distribution of documents.
Guidelines to Continually Assess the Effectiveness of Management of Project Artifacts
- Use an appropriate degree of configuration management for your project.
- Follow any organizational procedures regarding project management documentation.
- Develop an archive management system that is of appropriate size and complexity for your project. Pay particular attention to these issues:
- Types of documents needed and their purpose.
- Templates to facilitate document creation.
- Authors, reviewers, and approvers of documents.
- Implement version control of documents, so you will be able to reconstruct changes and revert to an earlier version if necessary.