How to Develop an Organizational Charter

An organizational charter is a document that details the objectives, structure and workings of an organization. Any company, group or team can benefit by having one. While it is usually written at the creation of a new organization, it can also be helpful for existing ones. An effective charter will help guide the organization and ensure that its members understand its purpose and stay on track to accomplish it. The following steps will help you write an effective charter, and should be adapted for your organization's specific needs.

Instructions

1. Create a name for the organization and use it as the first section of the charter. Ideally, the name will represent the purpose of the organization.

2. The second section of the charter should be the statement of purpose. It is critical to understand and keep in mind the strategic importance of the organization. Write out the major objectives of the organization in a succinct paragraph.

3. In the third section, write down the key criteria for success of the organization. What specifically will need to happen in order for the organization to be considered a success?

4. In section four, write out the organizational structure. Who are the key members of the organization, and what are their roles and responsibilities? These roles will vary from organization to organization, but some examples include the organization's sponsor, board of directors, finance manager, head writer, marketing director and office manager.

5. The fifth section should outline the applicable background information, including an explanation of the factors leading to the creation of the organization. What other organizations, people, environmental influences, market trends, consumer needs, etc., are and will be influential in the creation and duration of the organization?

6. In the sixth section, detail the scope of the organization's activities. What will the organization do, make, sell, sing, etc.? Also, it is important to specify what is out of scope for the organization. This will help keep the organization appropriately focused in the years ahead.

7. In section seven, write out the processes by which the organization will conduct business. For example, how will the organization implement decisions, changes and partnerships? How will the organization communicate, internally and externally, and what templates, guidelines and quality-control methods will be used? This section will need to be very clear, and should be carefully reviewed and approved by all key stakeholders to ensure the appropriate information is included and accurate.

8. The final section should discuss finances. How much money will be required to begin work as an organization, and how is it being funded? What income will be required, and how will revenues be invested and/or distributed?

Resources

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