Once a project has been initiated and is moving forward it's important to plan the project. Probably a tie for most important documents with regards to project management are the Project Scope Document and the Work Breakdown Structure. There are several components to the scope document which serves to "set the stage" for the project and to clarify the goals of the project, the deliverables of the project, and to place limits on the project. The specific elements are: * Project justification * Product scope description * Acceptance criteria * Deliverables * Exclusions from the Scope * Limitations * Assumptions The Work Breakdown Structure is just that, a systematic breakdown of all of the steps involved. I personally like to include a limited work breakdown structure (Affectionately referred to as a WBS) with the project scope for further clarification. This can be the primary phases or tasks of the project together with the subtasks a layer or two deep of extra detail.