How to Implement a Project Charter

Create a project charter to set your goals in stone.

Project charters are used to authorize the initiation of a project. They are used differently by various organizations, but the main purpose of a charter is to give formal authorization to a project and define key characteristics about the project. The structure for the project charter is typically set up by a project management office or PMO. Key components of a project charter usually include authorization by stakeholders, background information, brief scope description, assumptions, constraints, requirements and key personnel.

Things You'll Need

• Project inputs
• Project documentation
• Word processor

Instructions

Create a Project Charter

1. The first step in implementing and creating a project charter is to gather all relevant inputs associated with the project. This could include contracts, business cases, emails and organizational processes.

2. Decide on the template and key information required to formally establish a project. Project charters are typically written at a high-level and are not as specific as subsequent documentation will be. Remember the purpose of the charter is to give enough detail to give a good sense of what the project will entail and get the project authorized.

3. Use the template and information defined in Step 2 along with professional expertise to write the project charter. Logically group related data together and use the background documentation and inputs to serve as the basis for the project charter. Check the information provided in the project documentation with key stakeholders and make sure the document is useful for the project manager who will be using the charter to initiate the project.

4. Get formal authorization and sign-off on the project charter. Each organization should have key personnel designated to approve new projects and the related project charters. Typically this could be an executive steering committee, a PMO or other authorized individuals. Sign-off is important because it adds legitimacy to the project and enables the project manager to start gathering more requirements and resources for the project.

Tips & Warnings

• Check with your project management office (PMO) for any specific organizational guidelines or templates for writing and implementing a project charter.

References

• I Six Sigma: Project Charters and Business Cases
• Ganthead: Project Charter Template

Resources

• Project Management Institute