In project management, an artifact is a document or other tangible item created and used during a project to help manage it – for example a plan, a log, a register, a backlog or a report. Artifacts capture information and make it shareable across the team and stakeholders.
The PMBOK Guide (8th edition) groups the many things a project produces as artifacts, spanning categories such as plans, baselines, logs and registers. Thinking in terms of artifacts helps a team choose the minimum useful documentation for its context rather than producing paperwork for its own sake.
Related: register, log, baseline.
Last updated: 4 July 2026 · By Tom, PMP-certified since 2004