Project log

There are three types of documents (management products) in PRINCE2:

• Reports: There are different instances of each report, and once an instance is created, it remains fixed forever. For example, you may have a highlight report every month. There’s one highlight report for February 2025, and it always stays fixed.
• Project log: Items categorized as project log are dynamic records that always change. An issue register, for example, may be updated multiple times per day to enter new issues or update the status and information of the existing ones.
• Baselines: When it comes to important documents that create a foundation and common understanding for the project, we need them to have a change control process, because they help us meet expectations. When they should be updated, they will be carefully versioned, and then certain people need to approve it. When approved, the new version will replace the old one and everyone would use the new version. This type of document is called baseline in PRINCE2.

The following are the records in PRINCE2:

• Daily log
• Issue register
• Lessons log
• Quality register
• Risk register
• Product register

Purpose

The project log describes how a project will capture, manage, and maintain records of key activities, events, and updates throughout its lifecycle. It sets out the techniques, standards, responsibilities, and resources required to ensure that both formal registers and informal logs are maintained consistently.

The purpose of the project log is to capture the continually changing records of issues, lessons, products, quality, risk, and other formal/informal actions or events. The project log is dynamic in that it contains the current and historic record of project activities and progress.

This approach ensures that:

• All project information, both structured and unstructured, is captured in one place.
• Progress can be tracked, reported, and reviewed effectively.
• Decisions are supported by accurate and up-to-date records.
• Lessons learned are captured and made available for future projects.

It covers areas such as:

• Formal registers (e.g., issues, risks, products, quality)
• Informal logs and notes of project events
• Methods for updating and maintaining records
• Roles and responsibilities for managing the project log

Life cycle

The project log is created and maintained throughout the project, aligning with PRINCE2’s processes:

1. Starting up a project (SU) – The project manager or project support sets up the initial structure of the project log, ensuring space for all relevant registers and logs. Initial entries may include early-stage risks, issues, or background notes.
2. Initiating a project (IP) – The project log is baselined as part of the project initiation documentation. All formal registers (issue, lessons, product, quality, risk) are created and linked within the log structure.
3. Controlling a stage (CS) – The project log is actively updated as new issues, risks, quality events, lessons, and product changes occur. Informal notes, decisions, and day-to-day actions are captured in the daily log section.
4. Managing product delivery (MP) – Team managers and work package leads provide updates to be recorded in the project log, especially for product progress, risks, and quality status.
5. Managing a stage boundary (SB) – The project manager reviews the entire project log to ensure all registers and logs are up to date before reporting to the project board.
6. Closing a project (CP) – The project log becomes the historical record of the project, ensuring all lessons, registers, and logs are archived for organisational learning.

Tips

The following tips help you improve your project log:

• Keep it centralised – All key project logs and registers should be accessible from the same location for consistency.
• Update regularly – Treat the project log as a living document, updated in real time or as close to events as possible.
• Use consistent identifiers – Unique IDs help cross-reference items across different registers.
• Balance formal and informal records – Capture both structured register entries and informal notes that may prove valuable later.
• Leverage for reporting – The project log provides ready-made input for highlight reports, stage reports, and lessons learned documents.

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Written by Frank Turley.

If you have questions or doubts after using this wiki, you can ask for help on the Facebook or LinkedIn study groups.