NPL Document Library- Project Documentation
In the formal business language of project management, there is a concept known as 'bus-proofing'. Among technical communities, it's called 'raptor proofing' based on the 1993 Classic Jurassic park.
Think of it like this. If the only person who knows how to do a task ends up in a situation like this
...and the only other person who could possibly figure things out is a little busy...
So we ask ourselves, how is the project going to endure if Lex gets eaten?
No matter how improbable it is to be eaten by genetically engineered dinosaur-like creatures, struck and killed by an asteroid, or drive a bus of a cliff, the lesson remains- document, back up, and train a project understudy's or two.
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Writing documents about how to do your project, as well as a keeping a text document that details any problem solving trial and error logs, is vital to the continuity of a smooth-running lab.
Basic Documentation should:
Describe the project
Answer the basics- 'Who What When Where and Why'.
Explain any roadblocks you hit, and how you got around them.
Identify current bottlenecks.
Outline the resources
Detail the process
Start with any set-up or preparation you've found helpful.
Readers of your document should be able to follow your process in concise start-to-finish order.
Use numbered or bullet-ed outlines, which improve clarity and can help reduce the impact of pages of text.
Summary
If you are writing an personnel exit document, explain where you left off.
If you are writing the project completion document, please include statistics like project duration, goals met, persons involved and any other ending statements you'd like to make.