Drafting a project charter is an integral process of the initiation phase. It is the document that officially authorizes the beginning of a project. The initiator will benefit from prioritizing the document's contents rather than the specifications of its form. For such cases, using a project charter template is ideal. This blog will explore four different project management charter templates with varying purposes to optimize your project progress.
What Is A Project Charter Template?
A project charter template is a tool designed to help organize project information in one place for the perusal of project managers, sponsors, and executives. Teams can use a template to outline a project's purpose, approve investment from stakeholders, and convince all parties involved of the project's needs.
Using a project charter template can be a helpful tool when creating your project charter. Instead of worrying about how to structure the document, a template provides a pre-made format that can be customized to fit your specific project needs. This way, you can focus more on the content rather than stressing over the form.
What Makes A Good Project Charter Template?
A well-structured charter ensures all parties involved are kept up to date with the project’s goals, scope, timeline, budget, and stakeholders. It will also provide a clear picture of a project’s strategic alignment with company expectations. Using a project charter template streamlines this process. With a document outlining all required information, it becomes easier to keep track of different moving parts. The primary purpose of a project charter is to give a project manager the authority to utilize organizational resources for a project’s activities. A template, therefore, ensures valuable time is not spent on recollecting what information to include.
The following are a few features of a suitable project charter format:
Provides A Comprehensive Scope
A good template will allow managers to define and organize project objectives using SMART goals, i.e., specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound. This format will ensure each objective is well thought out. A section defining success is also encouraged, as it allows everyone to understand how their progress will be measured.
Entails Well-defined Project Objectives
Your template should identify key stakeholders to ensure that all relevant information is presented clearly. This term encompasses the project sponsor, team, and anyone involved in decision-making. Stakeholders should have designated roles to guarantee open communication channels and hearty involvement. Defining reporting lines is a recommended addition.
Provides Clarity On Goals, Responsibilities, And Expected Results
Your template should identify key stakeholders to ensure that all relevant information is presented clearly. This term encompasses the project sponsor, team, and anyone involved in decision-making. Stakeholders should have designated roles to guarantee open communication channels and hearty involvement. Defining reporting lines is a recommended addition.
A project charter template can include a responsibility assignment matrix to clarify responsibilities. A RACI chart (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed) defines the scope of ownership for all stakeholders involved, ensuring there is no duplicate effort.
Along with success criteria, it is also essential to define expected results. This way, the project’s value proposition can be aligned with the overarching goals of the organization.
Offers Customization
Your project charter template should be flexible and flexible for changes. Although it is responsible for providing a structure, a charter must be adaptable to modifications to your project’s needs. Adding or removing specific parts, depending on complexity, should be an actionable practice. On the same note, your template should be user-friendly and customizable.
What Are The Key Project Charter Elements?
The following are some elements that should typically be found in a project charter to make it as effective as possible.
This section of your charter should include:
Project Information
- A Project Title - The name of your project
- A Project Description – An overview of project objectives and goals
- Project Dates – A projected project timeline, start and end dates
- Project Sponsor – Names of financial or strategic investors
Project Team
- Project Manager – Name of the person responsible for overseeing project execution
- Project Team Member – List of people working on the project and their assigned roles
Objectives And Goals
- Objectives – Steps needed to execute the project and achieve goals
- Goals – Set and define end results using the SMART method
Project Scope
- Deliverables – An overview of what needs to be accomplished
- Out-of-Scope – Clearly state what is not included in your project scope to avoid scope creep
Project Deliverables
- Description – A list of all deliverables with details such as formatting and due dates
Success Criteria
- Criteria – Create a rubric by which success and progress will be measured
Stakeholders
- Key Stakeholders – Names of all personnel involved in the project progress, i.e., project sponsor, manager, team members etc.
- Roles – Clearly state their responsibilities and the role they play in project execution
Constraints
- Dependencies – Anything the project’s success depends on
- Constraints – Limitations that the team will need to work around
Budget
- Estimate – An in-depth estimate of the overall budget required for equipment, personnel, and raw materials
- Resource Constraint – Identify any constraints in the availability of resources
Risks
- Issues - Address all concerns and possible risks that could delay or derail the project
- Mitigation Strategies – Outline steps that can be taken to prevent or mitigate risks and concerns
Approval
- Signatures – An area for relevant stakeholders to give their approval of the project charter
Project Charter Examples
Even though they serve the same purpose, a project charter can also be of varying types. Depending upon its purpose, the template may need to be adjusted. Below are a few variations of project charters.
Basic Project Charter Template
A basic template is a great option for project managers who are new to the process. It is a go-to structure if you are starting a project and need a framework that is easy to grasp and applicable to most project types.
- Project Details – Provide a concise title for your project. Add a description that explains what the project aim is
- Business Objectives – State the overarching objectives the project needs to be aligned with and how it will meet set goals
- High-Level Overview – A high-level snapshot of the project’s major components. Summarize project purpose, your business case, resources, budget, and project deliverables
- Stakeholder Requirements – Discuss key requirements and expectations set for stakeholders
- Scope Statement – Describe the project scope and specify what is included and what is not
- Project Success Criteria – Articulate a criterion by which project success will be measured
- Approval Signatures – This is how the project charter is made official. Secure necessary approvals and signatures from all relevant stakeholders
Six Sigma Template
For those leading projects within a Six Sigma or similar framework that prioritizes process optimization and quality control, the following template is ideal:
- Project Charter Title - The title should be clear and project-specific, reflecting the focus of your Six Sigma project
- Problem Statement - Define the critical problem the project aims to address using quantifiable data
- Project Overview - The project overview lays out the main issue, project purpose, goals, and deliverables. Set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) that directly address the problem
- Business Case - Articulate the business need or opportunity for the project
- Project Scope - Detail the project's scope, boundaries, and the processes that will be analyzed
- Project Schedule - Outline the timeline for the project, including key milestones and deadlines. Include the significant milestones and their due dates, helping set the project's pace and direction
- Resources - The resources portion will consist of the project team, support resources and any special needs that the project may require
- Costs - Identify the various cost types and vendor names along with their net cost details
- Benefits and Customers - Include the names of the process owner, project sponsors, customers (end users), and the project's expected benefits
- Risks, Constraints, Assumptions - List the factors that might restrict or hinder the project planning phase. Consider the elements that will have to remain constant for the project to come to completion. Also, list any assumptions made in the planning process
Agile Template
Agile project management is all about flexibility and adaptability. Tailor your project charter template with these elements in mind:
- General Project Information - Describe the high-level intent behind the project. What inspired the project, and what do you hope to achieve
- Agile Project Team Members And Stakeholders - Identify the core project team members and other relevant stakeholders
- Success Criteria - Define what success looks like in terms of deliverables and benefits
- Release Planning - Provide a general timeline for project releases and their core features
- Agile Manifesto Alignment - Explain how the project aligns with Agile values and principles
Detailed Project Charter Template
While each project management niche will have specific add-ons in its project charters, they are all built on the same principle. The purpose of each remains the same: collecting all relevant information in one document for a team member, stakeholder, or project manager to revisit.
The following template, therefore, offers a detailed breakdown of all necessary information. You may use this to try your hand at creating a project management charter.
- Project Details - Mention the project title and a comprehensive description of what your project aims to achieve
- Team - The three main divisions are between the project manager, team members and the stakeholders but can be further divided to show specifications
- Project Overview - Contains all necessary project details such as the objective, project purpose, business case, project deliverables, scope, budget, resources and end-users
- Labor - Specify what kind of labor is required for the task at hand and how much the estimated cost will be
- Benefits - Clarify the types of benefits your project will reap along with their monetary value
- Project Risks - Break down the risks, constraints and assumptions a project manager might face during the project lifecycle
- Project Milestones - Define the project in terms of achievable milestones and provide a timeline for the project management body to follow. This will prevent score creep and will preserve precious resources
- Additional Details - Add details like when the project began and is set to be completed. Write a brief note on the project's success criteria and signatures for approval
- Finally, conclude your project charter document with the information on who prepared it
Ensure Efficient Execution With Project Charter Templates
Project charter templates provide powerful organizational tools for project managers. Since the project charter is a definitive aspect of the initiation phase, using a template sets you on the right track. By providing an optimized slate, templates ensure efficient execution of the charter and the project goals overall.
You can use the options provided above as they are, or you can also use them as jumping-off points. Once you grasp the essentials, drafting your standardized project charter template becomes easier.
