Project Charter Template

The Project Charter is a project initiation document that’s developed before a project ever begins. It serves two primary purposes: 1) it provides a high-level definition of the project requirements and 2) it formally authorizes the existence of the project. The free project charter template below provides for these two purposes.

Because the project charter is produced before the project begins, often only high-level projects requirements are listed. Where more detailed information is known, it’s set forth in the project management plan. Among other items, the project charter may describe the project scope, deliverables, schedule, budget, resource requirements, risks, constraints and completion criteria.

Besides providing authorization to apply organizational resources to the project, the project charter names the project manager.

Most importantly; however, the project charter sets forth the business objectives and the reasons for undertaking the project. It then links the project to strategic objectives of the organization. In smaller organizations, a project charter may be an informal instruction to begin a project.

Typically, the Project Charter is issued by the project sponsor; however, the project manager should be involved in drafting it.

Like most project management documents, the inputs to a project charter will vary depending on the organization. Most often, the inputs include the project statement of work, the business case, and perhaps a contract.

Since the Project Charter is what initiates the project, it’s the first document that a project manager reviews for identifying stakeholders, gathering project requirements, defining scope, identifying risk and planning budget. If a Project Charter is not used, there still must be some way of obtaining the same information that a project charter would provide. If there is not, it’s the project manager’s responsibility to gather the missing information.

If you would like to learn more about the project charter, checkout our post, Project Charter | Comprehensive Guide. It provides an academic definition of the charter, shares practice experience, and cites authoritative references.