Project Charter Template

A project charter describes an entire project, from its objectives to how the project is to be carried out and the project’s stakeholders. Use our Project Charter Template to guide you through the creation of your project charter document.

A project charter, also known as a business case, project definition, or project statement, is a brief document indicating the scope, objectives, and participants of a project.

Project charters have been around for as long as the concept of work. The Egyptians, for instance, used a form of a project charter to create the pyramids. The Greeks used a project charter to erect the Parthenon.

Granted the project charters created by the latter do not match today’s regarding complexity and sophistication. But a project charter of some form was created to foresee a project to completion.

A Project charter document is to be issued by the project initiator or sponsor, to formally authorize the existence of the project, and provide authority to apply organizational resources to the project activities.

Studies show that 70% of projects fail. 3/4 of this failure is attributed to senior management not getting involved, to foresee the project to completion. Other causes include:

• A lack of communication,
• Poorly defined project scope,
• Inadequate management of risk,
• No use of formal methods or strategies,
• Inaccurate time and effort estimates,
• Failure to identify key assumptions

This template has been designed with the above in mind, to guide you, as the user, away from common project pitfalls. For instance, this template has a strong focus on gaining input from senior executives and upper management – with this, statistically speaking, being the most significant cause for project failure.

How to use this checklist

At the beginning of this checklist, you will be presented with a set of specialized questions given as form fields. You are required to populate each form field with your data.

Other features included in this template are:

• Stop tasks – To ensure task order.
• Dynamic due dates – To make sure your initiative is reviewed on time.
• Role assignment – To delegate tasks within your team ensuring your supervisors are appropriately assigned to the review tasks.
• Approvals – so the relevant manager can give the go-head or rejection on specific tasks, adding comments for any changes to be made.

In this Project Charter Template, you will be presented with the following form fields for which you are required to populate with your specific data. More information for each form field is provided via linkage to our help pages:

• Long text
• Short text
• Date
• Approvals
• File upload form field
• Role assignment
• Members form field
• Send email
• Dropdown menu

Let’s start by recording important information for this checklist.

This is a stop task, meaning you cannot progress in this template until the required form fields are populated.

Your details

Project manager details

Executive sponsor details

Business details

Project details

Review the general information to ensure it is correct. This information will be sent to the project manager for approval. Approval is a stop task meaning progression in this template cannot occur until approval has been obtained.

General information for {{form.Project_name}}

Project manager: {{form.Manager_name}}

• Phone: {{form.Manager’s_phone_number}}
• Email: {{form.Manager’s_email}}

Executive sponsor: {{form.Executive_sponsor’s_name}}

• Phone: {{form.Executive_sponsor’s_name}}
• Email: {{form.Executive_sponsor’s_email}}

The project scope section will need managerial approval to move forward in this process.

Define the situation/problem/opportunity in one sentence. This sentence needs to communicate the purpose of the project.

Next, determine the project goals and vision.

Define the project’s in-scope and out-scope.

The scope statement delineates what is in scope (the work required).

• In-scope refers to the boundaries and requirements of the project. It is all elements that the team plans to address, as well as the work needed to complete it.
• Out-scope is anything that does not fall within the required functionalities and specifications documented in the scope statement.

Determine your project objectives/deliverables.

Project objectives described the desired result of a project. Objectives need to be both tangible, measurable, achievable, realistic, and in-line with the project budget and quality standards.

Detail the assumptions for your project.

A project assumption is a factor in the planning process that is considered to be true, real, or certain often without any proof or demonstration.

Detail project risks and dependencies.

A risk is an event or condition that is likely to happen, which can impact at least one of the project objectives. Risks can happen due to many factors.

A project dependency is a task or activity that is reliant on another. Sometimes referred to as inter-dependencies.

The resources requirements section will need managerial approval to move forward in this process.

Detail the resources needed for the completion of the project.

Project resources include people, capital, and/or material goods required for successful project execution.

Use the members form field provided to detail the people to be involved in the project.

Next, detail the project’s start and end dates, the project’s budget, and any other resources required.

The high-level milestone and timeline section will need managerial approval to move forward in this process.

Develop a high-level milestone plan.

Use the long-text form field to draft your key events and dates for your project.

A high-level milestone plan identifies and sets important steps in the work and completion of a project, it signifies a change or stage in development. Milestones are powerful components in project management because they show key events and map forward movement in your project plan.

Use the milestone chart templates provided – sources obtained from Office timeline -to detail key project events and dates in a high-level milestone plan.

Note that dates and milestones are subject to change pending final requirements and resource availability.

The project team roles and responsibilities section will need managerial approval to move forward in this process.

Create a document with a detailed overview of your project team, their roles, and responsibilities.

Use the subtask form field below to ensure you have included all required information:

Upload your document using the file upload form field provided below:

The communication strategy section will need managerial approval to move forward in this process.

Detail your communication strategy.

Effective communication is important to ensure the success of your project. Use this section to plan-out your communication strategy. That is, the project communication efforts required, who will deliver communication efforts, when the communication efforts will be delivered and how.

For example:

What:

1. Description/title: Kick-off meeting
2. Description/title: Meeting minutes
3. Description/title: Action items

Who:

1. Provider: Project manager. Recipient: Project team.
2. Provider: Project manager. Recipient: Distribution list.
3. Provider: Project team. Recipient: Project team.

When:

1. Frequency: One time only
2. Frequency: 2 days after meeting by COB
3. Frequency: TBD

How:

1. Format: Meeting. Medium/Distribution on method: Face to face. Conference call.
2. Format: MS word file on a shared drive. Medium/Distribution on method: Email.
3. Format: MS Excel file on a shared drive. Medium/Distribution on method: Face to face. Conference call.

Your project charter information has been summarized below for approval by the project’s executive sponsor.

This approval step is due 1 day before your project charter’s due date.

Note: Please upload the document detailing your project’s team roles and responsibilities again, for review by the executive sponsor.

General information for {{form.Project_name}}

Project manager: {{form.Manager_name}}

• Phone: {{form.Manager’s_phone_number}}
• Email: {{form.Manager’s_email}}

Executive sponsor: {{form.Executive_sponsor’s_name}}

• Phone: {{form.Executive_sponsor’s_name}}
• Email: {{form.Executive_sponsor’s_email}}

Project scope

• Problem/situation: {{form.Situation/problem/opportunity}}

Project vision

{{form.Project_vision}}

Project goals

{{form.Project_goals}}

Project scope

Project in-scope: {{form.In-scope}}

 Project out-scope: {{form.Out-scope}}

Project objectives/deliverables

{{form.Project_objectives/deliverables}}

Project assumptions

{{form.Project_assumptions}}

Project risks and dependencies

{{form.Project_risks}}

{{form.Project_dependencies}}

Resource requirements

Project start date: {{form.Project_start_date_2}}

Project due date: {{form.Project_due_date_2}}

Budget: {{form.Project_budget}}

Other: {{form.Other_requirements}}

High-level milestones and timelines

Key project events and dates: {{form.Key_project_events_and_dates}}

Communication strategy

What (title/description): {{form.What_(title/description)}}

Who – Provider: {{form.Who_-_Provider}}

Who – Recipient: {{form.Who_-_recipient}}

When (frequency): {{form.When_(frequency)}}

How – Format: {{form.How_-_format}}

How – medium/distribution on method: {{form.How_-_medium/distribution_on_method}}

Review and approve the project charter. Consult other relevant personnel if needed.

Executive sponsor sign-off

Senior manager sign-off

Employee manager sign-off

• Project Smart – Meet Your New Best Friend the Project Charter
• Project Management Institute – The Charter Selling Your Project
• 4pm – Project Management Tools
• Maven link – The Top 4 Productivity Obstacles
• Project Smart – 15 Causes of Project Failure
• Wrike – Project Management Guide
• Indeed – Out of Scope vs. In Scope: a Project Manager’s Guide
• Smartsheet – Project Objective Definition
• PM by PM – What are Project Assumptions?
• Team Gnatt – How to Use Milestones in Project Management
• Office Timeline – Milestone Chart
• University of California San Francisco – Project Charter Template
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