Project charter
An internal document that sets out a project’s goals, boundaries, responsibilities and authorisation.
What is a project charter?
An internal project charter records the intended initiative, why it is needed and its goals, boundaries and responsibilities. It may include a budget envelope, important outcomes and the intended timeframe. It forms a basis for authorisation by the responsible role. Its format and detail depend on the organisation and project size.
In a fictional company, the charter describes a service portal, names the sponsor and project manager and bounds the initial implementation. The responsible role confirms which scope and resources are authorised. A general project overview alone does not replace that decision. An internal charter is not automatically a supplier contract either. New findings may require an agreed update; the original authorisation does not cover every later addition.
Sources
Related terms
- Project scopeThe agreed boundary of the outcomes and work a project is intended to include.
- Project summaryA project summary briefly brings together an initiative’s purpose, boundaries, owners and key constraints.
- Project milestoneAn important point or event in a project whose achievement can be established.
- Decision briefA decision brief prepares a specific choice by presenting options, rationale, consequences and unresolved assumptions.
- Product discoveryInvestigating needs, constraints and risky assumptions before settling on a product solution.
- Product OwnerThe person accountable in Scrum for product value, the Product Goal and effective backlog management.
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