Adequate documentation is the backbone of good management practices for federal grants. Every aspect of a HOPWA project – from procurement and grant making, to service delivery and the management of finances - must be well documented.
Documentation serves as the evidence that grantees and sponsors spent federal funds properly. Without good documentation, it is impossible
to tell if HOPWA dollars were well spent. HOPWA grantees and project sponsors are expected to maintain
all HOPWA-related program and financial records for four years after the completion of a grant. This includes all client files,
personnel records, and financial documentation. Poor record keeping and insufficient documentation lie at the heart of
most grant management problems and HUD monitoring findings. These oversight training modules return again and again
to the issue of good documentation: What is it? How do you know when you see it? What types and quality of documents are you looking for?
Grantee and project sponsor project documents “tell the story” of what is going on in the community and with HOPWA participants
through the use of HOPWA resources. That “story” needs to show that activities are done in accord with local community planning and goals
and with HOPWA regulations, and that participants were assisted in an effective manner.
The slogan “Document, document, document...and then organize” sums up how to approach good project record keeping.