A project charter clearly defines the project and outlines the necessary details for the project to reach its goals. A well-documented project charter can be a project manager’s secret weapon to success.
The charter is the formal way that the project’s goals, values, benefits, and details are captured. You can think of the charter as the compass for your project since you will use it throughout the life cycle of the project. Many stakeholders will look to your project charter to ensure that you are indeed aligned with strategic goals and set up for achieving the desired end goal. Since the project charter carries so much importance, it is important to incorporate the right amount of detail while omitting miscellaneous elements.
Project charters will vary but usually include some combination of the following key information: introduction/project summary goals/objectives business case/benefits and costs project team scope success criteria major requirements or key deliverables budget schedule/timeline or milestones constraints and assumptions risks OKRs approvals
