Project management templates
Kick-offs, plans, status reports, risks, RACI, change requests and project closure. 38 free templates, 12 of them longer notes. Open one to fill in the blanks and copy it.
Project documents
The core project notes.
- Project charter Note Why the project exists. Project: [Project] Sponsor: [Sponsor] Manager: [Manager] Purpose Objectives - Scope In: Out: Milestones…
- Project plan Note Phases and dates. Phase 1: [Phase 1] - [ ] Phase 2 - [ ] Phase 3 - [ ] Key dates | Milestone | Date | Owner | | | | | | | | |
- RACI matrix Note Who does what. | Task | Responsible | Accountable | Consulted | Informed | | | | | | | | | | | | |
- Risk register Note Track risks. | Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Owner | Mitigation | | | | | | | | | | | | |
- Issue log Note Track issues. | # | Issue | Raised | Owner | Status | | | | | | | | 1 | | [today] | | Open |
- Decision log Note Record decisions. | Date | Decision | Why | Decided by | | | | | | | [today] | | | |
- Lessons learned Note After a project. What went well - What to improve - Recommendations -
- Stakeholder register Note People with a stake. | Name | Role | Interest | Influence | How to engage | | | | | | | | | | | | |
- Work breakdown Note Break the work down. - [Deliverable 1] - - - [Deliverable 2] - - [Deliverable 3] -
- Communication plan Note Who hears what, when. | Audience | What | How | How often | Owner | | | | | | | | | | | | |
- Project closure report Note Close formally. Project: [Project] Closed: [today] Objectives met - Budget vs actual Open items handed over - Sign-off
- Weekly project log Note Running log. Week of [today] Done: Next: Risks:
Status reports
Keep stakeholders informed.
- Status report email Snippet RAG status. Project: [Project] Status: 🟢 On track Done this week - Next week - Risks and issues - Decisions needed -
- Executive summary Snippet Three lines for leaders. [Project] is on track. [Headline]. Ask: [Ask].
- Milestone reached Snippet Celebrates a milestone. Hi all, We hit [Milestone] on [today]! [What it means]. Next milestone: [Next] on [Next date]. Thanks, team.
- Delay notice Snippet Honest schedule change. Hi [Sponsor], [Deliverable] will be late by [Delay]. Cause: [Cause]. Impact: [Impact]. Recovery plan:…
- Budget alert Snippet Spend is off plan. Hi [Sponsor], We have spent [Spent] of [Budget] with [Percent]% of the work done. Forecast overrun:…
- Monthly steering update Snippet For a steering committee. Steering update, [today] Progress: [Progress] Budget: [Budget status] Top risks: [Risks] Decisions…
- Go-live notice Snippet Launch announcement. Hi all, [System] goes live on [Go-live date]. What changes for you: [Changes]. Support: [Support].
Requests and approvals
Change, scope and resources.
- Change request Snippet Formal change. Change request [Number] Change: [Change] Reason: [Reason] Impact on scope: [Scope] Impact on time: [time…
- Scope creep pushback Snippet Protects scope. Hi [Name], [Request] is outside the agreed scope. We can add it as a change, which moves [Deadline] by…
- Resource request Snippet Asks for people. Hi [Manager], To hit [Milestone] by [today], the project needs [Resource] for [Duration]. Without it,…
- Sign-off request Snippet Asks for approval. Hi [Name], [Deliverable] is ready for sign-off. Please review by [in 3 days] and reply with approval or…
- Dependency request Snippet Asks another team. Hi [Team lead], We depend on [Dependency] from your team by [today] for [Project]. Is that still on track?
- Vendor update request Snippet Chases a supplier. Hi [Vendor], Could you send a status update on [Deliverable] by [in 2 days], including any risks to the [Due…
Kick-off and closure
Start well, finish well.
- Kick-off email Snippet Announces the start. Hi all, [Project] kicks off on [today]. Goal: [Goal]. Your role: [Role]. First meeting: [Meeting]. Project…
- Team roles email Snippet Who owns what. Project roles for [Project]: Sponsor: [Sponsor] Project manager: [PM] Leads: [Leads] Questions go to [PM].
- Project close email Snippet Wraps it up. Hi all, [Project] is officially complete. We delivered [Outcomes]. Thank you for [Thanks]. Lessons learned…
- Handover to operations Snippet Hands over to support. Hi [Ops lead], [System] moves to your team on [today]. Attached: runbooks, open issues and contacts. We will…
- Post-project survey Snippet Asks for team feedback. Hi all, Now that [Project] is done, how did it feel? Five questions, three minutes: [Survey link]
Agile ceremonies
Sprints and stand-ups.
- Sprint goal Snippet Sets the goal. Sprint [Number] goal: [Goal] Committed stories: -
- Sprint review invite Snippet Demo time. Sprint [Number] review. We will demo [Features]. Stakeholders welcome; bring feedback.
- Sprint summary Snippet End of sprint. Sprint [Number] summary Completed: [Done] of [Committed] points Shipped: [Shipped] Carried over: [Carried]…
- User story Snippet Story format. As a [User], I want to [Action] so that [Benefit]. Acceptance criteria: - [ ] - [ ]
- Definition of done Snippet Team agreement. - [ ] Code reviewed - [ ] Tests pass - [ ] Documentation updated - [ ] Product owner accepted - [ ] Deployed…
- Backlog refinement agenda Snippet Groom the backlog. 1. Review top 10 items 2. Clarify acceptance criteria 3. Estimate 4. Split big stories 5. Order by value
- Retro format: start stop continue Snippet Retro prompts. Start: Stop: Continue:
- Kanban policy Snippet Board rules. Work in progress limit: [WIP] per column Pull, do not push Blocked items are flagged red and discussed at…