“Can you update this spreadsheet?”
It sounds like a simple request. You open the file, change the figures, save it and get on with your next task.
A few days later, the project manager asks why the monthly report still contains the old figures. You explain that you updated the spreadsheet on Tuesday. They explain that you were supposed to tell the project controls team when it was ready.
Nobody mentioned that part. The spreadsheet was updated, but the information still didn’t reach the people who needed it.
Problem: People Are Updating Project Documents Without Understanding Their Use
The task is clear but the purpose is not
Project teams produce and update a lot of documents. Spreadsheets, schedules, drawings, reports, registers, procedures and meeting minutes all need attention.
However, the person doing the work may only be told which document to update and when it is due. They may not know why the information is needed, who will use it, or what happens after they have finished.
That makes it difficult to judge what matters. A missing date might look unimportant to the person entering information, but it could be the date someone else needs to book an inspection or arrange a delivery.
Without that context, people have to guess. Sometimes they guess correctly. Sometimes they complete exactly what they were asked to do, but the project still doesn’t get the result it needs.
Different people have different expectations
Consider a spreadsheet used to track equipment deliveries. The project administrator updates it, the site supervisor uses it to plan installation, and the project manager uses it to report progress.
The administrator might think an expected delivery date is enough. The supervisor needs to know whether that date is confirmed. The project manager needs to know whether a delay affects a milestone.
They are looking at the same spreadsheet, but using it for different purposes.
There may also be several people changing it. Someone updates the delivery dates while someone else changes the layout in a separate copy. Neither knows what the other is doing. When the copies are combined, information gets lost or overwritten.
Nobody knows which information to trust
Problems become worse when related documents show different information.
The delivery spreadsheet shows one date, the project schedule shows another, and the supplier’s latest email gives a third. Which one should the team use?
People may choose whichever document they saw most recently, or whichever answer suits their immediate task. A recently edited spreadsheet can also look more authoritative than an approved document, even when it is only a working forecast.
The result can be incorrect reporting, unnecessary purchases, missed activities and rework. The documents exist, but their purpose and relationship to each other are unclear.
Solution: Explain the Purpose and the Whole Document Task
When updating project documents, your team needs to understand who uses the information, why it is needed and what to do when the update is complete
When you ask someone to create, update or review a document, explain enough of the process for them to complete the task properly.
I would clarify the purpose, users, editing responsibilities, priority over other documents, and what must happen when the work is complete. For a simple spreadsheet, a few clear instructions may be enough. More important documents may need a formal review and issue process.
Explain what the document is used for
Start with why the document exists. What work, decision or record does it support?
“Update the delivery spreadsheet” describes an activity. “Update the confirmed delivery dates so the site supervisor can plan next week’s installation work” explains the reason for it.
That extra explanation helps the person recognise which information needs checking. They can distinguish a supplier’s confirmed commitment from an estimate, and raise a concern if a date is missing.
Ask the users what they actually need. A report that looks good to its author may still be difficult for the recipient to use. The Australian Government’s Style Manual for writing government documents is specific that you must Understand who you are writing for and why.
If nobody can explain why a document is being maintained, investigate. It may support an audit, contractual obligation or future handover. It may also be an old report that nobody needs anymore. Find out before continuing the work or deciding to stop it.
Identify who will read it and what they need to do
Be specific about the users. “For the project team” may be too broad to help someone prepare useful information.
A sponsor may need a short summary and a clear decision request. An engineer may need calculations and assumptions. An accounts officer may need an approved amount, purchase order number and evidence that the work was completed.
These requirements affect both the content and the format. A PDF may be suitable for an issued report, but inconvenient if the recipient needs to sort hundreds of equipment records or import dates into another system.
Confirm access as well. Can the recipient open the link, use the software and see the relevant attachments? A document stored correctly is still of little practical use to someone who cannot access it.
The writer should also make sure to put the information most readers need near the start. Supporting detail can follow in later sections or appendices.
Clarify who owns it and who may change it
Give each important document an identifiable owner. This is the person or role responsible for keeping it useful and making sure the update process works.
Then explain who supplies information, who enters changes, who checks them and who authorises release. These can be different people. Permission to edit a spreadsheet does not automatically give someone authority to approve a budget change recorded in it.
Where several people contribute, define their areas of responsibility. For example, an administrator could enter supplier confirmations, an engineer could update technical requirements, and the project manager could approve changes affecting project commitments.
Coordinate editing through the agreed system. If people work on separate copies, identify who combines the changes and checks the final version. Avoid having two managers independently arrange for different copies to be formatted and issued (I have seen that happen so many times, resulting in diverging document versions).
You also need to name a replacement or escalation contact for important documents when the owner is away. So the process can continue to work during leave or a change of staff.
Explain which document or system takes precedence
Your original instructions should also explain the document’s priority relative to other sources. This means authority when information conflicts, as well as the urgency of the task.
Different sources may be authoritative for different things. For example, an approved budget record could establish the authorised funding, while a forecast spreadsheet estimates what the project will actually spend. Those figures may legitimately differ.
Similarly, a working schedule might show a forecast completion date that differs from the contractual completion date. Updating the forecast does not, by itself, change the contractual obligation. Explain these distinctions. Where the contract already defines an order of precedence, follow that arrangement. An internal spreadsheet instruction cannot simply override it.
If information conflicts, tell the team who must resolve it. Do not assume the newest file automatically wins. Record the clarification and arrange the necessary updates or approvals, particularly where the discrepancy affects purchasing, construction or other important commitments.
State exactly what needs updating and when
“Please bring this up to date” can mean different things to different people.
Identify the relevant sections, the source information and the reporting period. Explain any important definitions, such as whether a cost includes commitments, whether an amount includes GST, or whether a date is forecast or confirmed.
For spreadsheets, distinguish input cells from formulas and explain how to show missing information. A blank cell, zero and “not applicable” may have very different meanings. Protect formulas where practical, but still explain what the spreadsheet does.
Set a clear due date and allow time for checking before the information is needed. If the report goes to management on Friday morning, receiving the first update on Friday morning may be too late.
Also clarify workload priority if the person has competing tasks. Knowing who needs the information and when helps them raise a likely delay early. A team who always works closely with each other may know these priorities, but an outsider or replacement person tasked with assisting the team may not.
Tell people what to do when they finish
This is the step that is easy to overlook. Does finishing mean saving the file, submitting it for review, issuing an approved revision, or notifying someone that it is ready?
State where the document must remain, what status it should have and who must be told. If it needs review, identify the reviewer and how the review is requested. “Updated” and “approved for use” should not be treated as the same thing.
For example, the instruction could be: “Save your changes in the existing workbook, mark the update ready for review, and send the project controls officer a link with a short explanation of the changes.”
Only move it to a completed folder if that is part of the agreed process. Moving a live workbook can break links or leave regular users looking in the wrong place.
For significant changes, explain the consequence as well as the edit. “Pump delivery is now two weeks later; please review the installation sequence” gives the recipient something useful to act on.
Keep one controlled working location
Make the current document easy to find and explain which copy people should use. Sending links to the agreed location can reduce the separate copies sitting in inboxes and personal drives.
This is the principle behind having a Single Source of Data. Readers should be able to identify the current information without comparing several versions or attachments with slightly different filenames.
However, retain approved revisions and issued records as required. A live workbook and the snapshot used for last month’s approved report serve different purposes. Both may be needed, provided their status is clear.
Keep the filing process straightforward, as I discussed in Simple Document System. People should know where to work, where issued records belong, and how to find the relevant instructions without searching through unrelated folders.
Put the instructions in the document
Your instructions should remain available after the original email or conversation is forgotten. For a spreadsheet, I suggest adding an “Instructions” or “Read Me” worksheet.
It could contain:
- The purpose of the workbook and the people who use it.
- The owner, contributors and person who checks or approves updates.
- The information sources, definitions and cells that people may change.
- The update frequency, deadline and reporting period.
- The relationship to other documents and how to resolve conflicting information.
- The storage location, revision requirements and completion notification process.
Keep it short enough to use. Link to the relevant procedure or template where more detail is needed, and check that the links work for the intended users.
For a report or register, the same information could sit in a short introductory section or linked guide. Shared arrangements can also be recorded in the Project Management Plan, with document-specific instructions kept alongside the document itself.
Example of a complete spreadsheet instruction
Consider the equipment delivery workbook again. A useful instruction could read:
“This workbook records supplier delivery information for the site supervisor’s weekly planning. The project administrator updates the delivery and confirmation columns from written supplier advice by Wednesday at 2 pm. Keep unconfirmed dates clearly marked as forecasts, and link to the supporting correspondence.
“The engineer maintains the technical information. Do not change the formulas or approved equipment descriptions without checking with the document owner. The project manager reviews delays affecting milestones and arranges any necessary schedule updates.
“Save changes in the existing workbook in the agreed project location. Notify the site supervisor and project manager when the update is ready, identify any changed dates, and flag anything still awaiting confirmation. Do not issue the workbook externally without approval.”
Of course the exact arrangements will differ between projects. The useful part is that the person can see the purpose, boundaries and next step, rather than just a request to edit some cells.
Check the process works and keep it current
Walk the person through the first update if necessary. Ask them to show where they get the information, where they save their work and how the next person knows it is ready.
Then check with that next person. Did they receive the information in time? Was it usable? Did they know whether it was checked or still a draft?
Review the instructions when users, systems or responsibilities change. Include document ownership and outstanding reviews in a Formal Handover Meeting (and associated project handover document) when a project manager is replaced.
Lesson: A Document Task Includes Its Purpose and Next Step
When you ask someone to update a document, make sure they understand who uses it, why it is needed, who else may change it, and which information takes precedence if there is a conflict.
Tell them what to do when they finish. Saving a file may complete the editing, but the task may still require checking, approval, notification or formal issue before anyone can use it.
Keep these instructions with the document where practical. A short instructions worksheet as part of the workbook can prevent repeated questions and help the next person continue the work correctly.
As the project manager, make it easy for your team to get useful information to the right people at the right time.
