Creating a project charter (following the PMI standard) is one of the first two things you should accomplish during the initiating phase of the project lifecycle. Identifying your stakeholders is another task that needs to be recognized during that phase. Here are four steps for success.
The charter helps answer the questions: Why are you starting the project? How will the project start? What are the parameters? And how will it be executed?
Here are four tips to help you create your project charter:
- Define the why
- Spend time defining the project’s scope
- Gain buy-in from your stakeholders
- Keep it brief, yet whole
- The goal is to give your team or anyone reading the charter a high-level overview of the project. Another goal is to set expectations on paper regarding scope, budget, major milestones, goals, constraints, assumptions, and any known risks.
Define the why
Answer the question: Why are you starting this project? To kick off the charter, start by adding 1 – 2 short paragraphs with background information. This will help clear any doubt and provide context for why this project now exists.
Spend time defining the project’s scope
One of a project manager’s worst nightmares is scope creep. As a project manager, you’re tasked with juggling the triple constraints of time, cost, and scope, ultimately impacting the quality of work. If one of the triple constraints slips, the other two are compromised somehow.
Determining the scope and what is out of scope in a separate statement is just as important. This helps create a clear message and, hopefully, circumvent scope creep.
Find out more about project charters and what to include
Download Our Project Charter Template
Gain buy-in from your stakeholders
How you engage your stakeholders will determine how engaged and invested they are throughout the project lifecycle. Bring your key stakeholders into the charter creation process. Let them help you identify some of the assumptions, constraints, risks, and scope statement.
Keep it brief, yet whole
The details lie in the project’s business case and plan. A project charter intends to identify the scope and get your stakeholders on the same page before starting a project. A charter can be a living document to accommodate approved changes; however, it should serve as a single source of truth about the project’s purpose and set course.
These are just some tips to remember when working on your project charter. What are some of your project charter tips?
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