12 Free Project Documentation Templates: Project Documents Made Easy

Most people brush off project documentation as meaningless paperwork. In reality, companies waste close to 12 percent of their resources if they don’t have solid project management and documentation. 

Effective documentation clearly defines project goals and milestones, establishes realistic timelines, lists the final deliverables, and enables performance tracking through relevant metrics. 

It can be the difference between a failure and a successful project. So it’s time for you to get started. 

We’ve put together a set of 12 project documentation templates to do the heavy lifting on your behalf.

Jump to a template:

• Project charter template
• Project scope template
• Project plan template
• Project schedule template
• Work breakdown structure maker
• Standard operating procedures template
• Project communication plan template
• Change management plan template
• Project management plan template
• Project documentation template
• Project handover template
• IT documentation template

TL;DR: Project documentation templates

• 12 essential project documentation templates are provided to streamline planning and track progress.
• Project documentation benefits include streamlining planning, maximizing collaboration, and encouraging transparent communication.
• Best practices for project documentation include consistent planning, user-friendly writing, and using a project documentation tool.

What is project documentation?

Project documentation includes a collection of documents for different aspects of the project, like budgets, goal-setting, performance tracking, risk management and more. 

These documents ensure everything goes as planned and reduce the risk of budget overruns, changes in direction and conflicts. 

Successful documentation brings transparency into the work and centralizes all project information. This lowers the chances of anything going off track and gives teams the resources to handle any unexpected hiccups. 

12 project documentation templates

Project managers can document any information they consider crucial to a project.

While there’s no fixed set of documents, we’ve created a list of 12 must-have project documentation templates for any project. 

Project charter template

‎A project charter outlines a preliminary layout of the project, listing the:

• Objectives.
• Stakeholders.
• Budget.
• Timelines.
• Deliverables. 

A team charter validates the new project and gives project managers a formal nod to start planning.

Since a charter is created at the start of a project, it doesn't cover much ground. Instead, it serves as a starting point where all stakeholders agree to kick off the project with an end goal and timeline for finishing it.

👉 ‎Try this ‎team charter template for free.

Project scope template

‎The project scope statement offers a high-level overview of the project, covering its:

• Scope of work.
• Goals.
• Metrics.
• Deliverables.
• Risks and challenges.
• Milestones.
• Timelines.
• Roadmap. 

Besides the essential details, a project scope statement also highlights what isn’t in the project to prevent scope creep — where some stakeholders demand extra work beyond the original plan of action.

👉 ‎Try this project scope template for free.

Project plan template

Whether you are a seasoned project manager or just starting out, this project plan template provides a step-by-step approach to creating a solid project plan. Use this project plan template to:

• Outline project goals.
• Define tasks, deliverables and requirements.
• Allocate resources.
• Establish timelines.
• Achieve successful project outcomes.

 👉 ‎Try this project plan template for free.

Project schedule template

‎Use this project schedule template to streamline the planning process:

• Ensure that all tasks and milestones are organized logically and efficiently.
• Clearly define project deliverables and requirements.
• Set realistic deadlines.
• Allocate resources effectively.
• Track progress throughout the project lifecycle.

👉 ‎Try this simple project schedule template for free.

Work breakdown structure maker

Think of a work breakdown structure (WBS)as a step-by-step guide for any project. A WBS is a crucial part of project documentation to delegate responsibilities to all internal stakeholders and improve teamwork.‎

Use Scribe's work breakdown structure maker to:

• Divide the overall project scope into smaller milestones.
• Provide concrete short-term tasks and deliverables needed to complete the project. 
• Visually present the information in an easy-to-understand format.

👉 ‎Try Scribe's work breakdown structure maker tool for free.

SOP template

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are important because they define the best way to perform an action or task. Companies create SOPs for all routine processes to improve consistency and productivity.

Use this SOP template to:

• Capture your screen as you work.
• Auto-generate interactive guides for any process, complete with annotated screenshots and text. 
• Build standardized project processes.

👉 ‎Try this SOP template for free.

Project communication plan template

Tailor this communication plan template to develop a comprehensive plan to keep all project stakeholders informed and engaged:

• Develop a clear and concise communication plan for any project.
• Identify key stakeholders and the best ways to communicate.
• Keep stakeholders informed on key milestones.

👉 ‎Try this communication plan template for free.

Change management plan template

Use this change management plan template to outline the processes, procedures and resources required to make changes to a project.

👉 ‎Try this change management plan template for free.

Project management plan template

Build a detailed roadmap to execute, monitor and control even the most complicated project with this project management plan template:

• Project overview.
• Scope of work.
• Project schedule and timelines.
• Project budget.
• Resource management.
• Risk management plan.
• Project communication plan.
• Quality management.
• Change management.
• Project monitoring and control.
• Project documentation.
• Project closure.

👉 ‎Try this project management plan for free.

Project documentation template

‎Streamline documentation with our customizable project documentation template:

• Establish a centralized repository for project information.
• Document project goals, objectives, deliverables, and requirements.
• Create a project schedule with milestones and timelines.
• Assign tasks and responsibilities to team members.
• Identify project risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Track project progress and report on key metrics.
• Ensure compliance with regulations and standards.
• Facilitate communication among project stakeholders.
• Provide a record of the project for future reference and lessons learned.

👉 ‎Try this project documentation template for free.

Project handover template

This project handover template ensures a smooth transition of a project from one team or the party responsible to another. Use it to outline:

• Key project information.
• Roles and responsibilities.
• Step-by-step instructions for tasks.
• Project documents.

👉 ‎Try this project handover template for free.

IT documentation template

If you're looking to create documentation for an IT or software project‎, use this IT documentation template as an easy-to-use framework for documenting:

• IT assets.
• Systems.
• Processes.

👉 ‎Try this IT documentation template for free.

10‎0+ free documentation templates

Try from 100+ free process documentation templates in the Scribe template gallery.

‎Use these templates to:

• Train your teammates.
• Showcase your best practices and procedures.
• Get projects done faster.

... all for half the time in effort.

📌 ‎Related resource: What is Project Documentation? Examples & How to Write Project Documentation

Benefits of project documentation

With so many moving parts in a project, project managers might think documentation is an extra — and unnecessary — step.

But the project documentation process puts everyone on the same page and creates seamless workflows for repeatable success. 

If you're still not sold on the importance of project documentation, here are five project documentation benefits to help you make the right decision.

1. Streamline project planning

Proper documentation simplifies planning from the start. It allows project teams to consolidate inputs from multiple stakeholders and create a solid plan of action to hit desired goals. 

Teams can also work faster by creating an extensive roadmap and a list of deliverables beforehand.  

2. Set your team up for efficiency

Documents like a work breakdown structure and standard operation procedure (SOPs) can clarify every aspect of the project. These documents capture the most important project knowledge to prevent mistakes and enhance the project team’s efficiency. 

3. Track progress and move forward

The right documentation brings greater accountability — so you can objectively assess team performance and find areas of improvement. This allows the team to consistently succeed and keeps the project from derailing off its course.

4. Maximize collaboration and productivity

Documenting critical details prepares the project team to complete the work without any bottlenecks or changes. This allows team members to work more collaboratively with higher productivity and achieve a greater success rate. 

5. Encourage transparent communication

When you properly document every project detail, there’s little to no chance of information getting lost in translation. Documents ensure that all project knowledge — from meetings to SOPs — is available for everyone to view and use at any point. 

5 project documentation best practices

Your project proposal is approved and you're all set to start a massive project with your team — slightly nervous, slightly excited. But before starting with the actual work, you have to create a framework for documenting all the project details.

These five project documentation best practices will help you get started.

1. Plan your project consistently

The most important thing to remember for any project is that the project documentation process isn’t a one-and-done.

It's a consistent requirement for every project phase. So, keep documenting your progress throughout the project in different formats, like work breakdown structure, SOPs, project status reports, and issue logs. 

More importantly, you have to update your project documents regularly based on inputs and feedback from different stakeholders.

And if end-user preferences differ from your original plans, make sure to change the deliverables and modify your documents accordingly. 

2. Keep end-users in mind when writing

Most project documentation ignores the readers’ perspective. For instance, a long and jargon-filled project status report makes it difficult for other stakeholders to understand and share their feedback. 

So, when documenting any detail about the project, keep the end-users in mind and use reader-friendly language and presentation. It’s best to break down large chunks of text into shorter paragraphs and bullet points to improve the document’s scannability. 

3. Create an audit and maintenance plan

To keep your documents updated at all times, design a workflow for constantly auditing and modifying all documents. Ideally, this involves a team-wide survey of 1:1 interviews with specific stakeholders to understand the documents’ accuracy and utility. 

Carefully analyze feedback to chalk out the scope of improvement. Make relevant changes to ensure the documents align with the project goals. 

4. Define version control processes

Tracking old and new versions isn’t easy when you update your documents. Things become even more challenging when multiple people are involved in the project documentation process. 

A correctly laid out version control process streamlines the task of updating any document. It tracks and stores all the versions to display only the latest version for the end readers.

You can create version control guidelines on naming an updated document. Usual naming standards include:

• Decimals with numbers, like 2.0.
• Version names, like Beta and Omega. 
• Alphanumeric codes, like v1, v1.1. 

5. Use a project documentation tool

‎Over the span of a project, you’ll probably realize that critical information is scattered all over your emails, meetings and chats. 

Project documentation tools can curate all this information on a single platform and offer easy accessibility to everyone.  

AI-powered tools like Scribe simplify your project documentation process and create interactive step-by-step instructions in seconds. 

Simply click "Start Capture" and go through your process. When you're done, Scribe will auto-generate a step-by-step guide with text, clicks and annotated screenshots.

Use Scribe Pages to combine your guides, and add images, videos, GIFs, hyperlinks and more, like this one:

‎You can even ask the AI to write project documents for you — just select the Scribes you want to include to make your process document specific to your company's processes and tools.

‎When you’re done, sharing your project documents is simple and quick:

1. Share the link directly via email.
2. Invite team members to your workspace.
3. Copy the embed code for smart embedding.
4. Export to PDF, HTML, Markdown, or Confluence.

Don't just take our word for it. Scribe user Will Stevenson says,

"Scribe is by far the fastest way to create help documentation that I've found. Literally 10x's the speed of manually creating documentation. We love it so much that we recommend it to all of our customers and even embed it in our product."

Conclusion: project documentation templates 

Project documentation isn’t the most exciting part of a manager's responsibility — but it is important.

With so much information floating between stakeholders, putting everything on paper and creating comprehensive documents can seem overwhelming. But it doesn't have to be.

Our 12 project documentation templates will make life easy for you. Sign up for Scribe today and cut your documentation time and efforts by 90 percent!