Summary
Providing context in a few sentences that completely describe the project.Problem Statement
Overview of opportunities or problems that are driving the project.Mission
A mission statement associated with the project.Vision
What the future looks like when the project is delivered.Goals
Specifically, what the project aims to achieve.Key Success Factors
How the project will be evaluated.Assumptions
The facts and interpretations on which the project is based.Dependencies
An outline of initial dependencies. In many cases, dependencies are covered as assumptions.Constraints
Limitations and restrictions such as resources and time.Decisions
A list of relevant decisions that have been made to date. Can be included as assumptions.Alternatives Considered
Document alternatives to decisions that were considered with a rationale for choices. This helps the future to understand the context of the project as it answers questions such as "why didn't they ..."Risks
An initial list of identified risks. Project risk management is an ongoing activity that can begin with the project charter.Scope
What is known about the scope at the time the project charter is delivered. This typically changes with requirements.Out-of-Scope
Explicitly state things that will not be delivered by the project to prevent unjustified assumptions.Budget
A budget outline.Stakeholders
A list of stakeholders and a an org chart for the project team.Roles & Responsibilities
A list of stakeholders mapped to roles with each stakeholder either responsible, accountable, consulted or informed.Facilities and Resources
Facilities and resources required by the project.Standards & Methodologies
A mention of project management methodologies and standards that apply to the project.Governance
Governance structures and principles.Milestones
An outline of milestones such as phases, stages, deliverables and decision gates.Deliverables
A description of deliverables.Estimates
Preliminary estimates if available. Include a disclaimer that estimates are likely to change upon further analysis and scope changes.Glossary
Definition of any non-standard terminology used by the project.| Overview: Project Charter | ||
Type | ||
Definition (1) | A document that defines a project. | |
Definition (2) | A terms of reference for a project. | |
Value | The foundational source document for a project. | |
Notes | It should be noted that projects typically change significantly over time with emerging goals, approaches and requirements that end up differing significantly from a project charter. As such, a project charter captures what is known about a project at the start. | |
Related Concepts | ||
