What should be included in a project diary?

A project diary serves as a comprehensive record of the project's progress, challenges, and decisions made throughout its duration. Including daily updates on all aspects of the project allows for a detailed account of the work being completed, the resources being utilized, and the interactions occurring among team members and stakeholders. This level of detail can help track progress against timelines, document issues as they arise, and provide a reference point for future activities.

By recording daily updates, project managers can maintain a clear historical narrative that aids in identifying trends, understanding project dynamics, and supporting decision-making processes. Such thorough documentation can also be useful for accountability and for reflecting on the project’s evolution over time.

While input from various stakeholders and feedback from clients are valuable, they are more effectively included in a project diary as part of these daily updates rather than standing alone. Major project milestones, while important for tracking progress at a high level, do not offer the same level of detail regarding the day-to-day operations and ongoing issues that a comprehensive daily update provides.