PROJECT CHARTER

<PROJECT NAME>

COMPANY NAME
STREET ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP CODE

DATE
Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.....................................................................................................................2
PROJECT PURPOSE/JUSTIFICATION....................................................................................................2
Business Need/Case....................................................................................................................................................2
Business Objectives....................................................................................................................................................2
PROJECT DESCRIPTION.....................................................................................................................2
Project Objectives and Success Criteria.....................................................................................................................3
Requirements..............................................................................................................................................................3
Constraints..................................................................................................................................................................3
Assumptions................................................................................................................................................................4
Preliminary Scope Statement......................................................................................................................................4
RISKS................................................................................................................................................4
PROJECT DELIVERABLES..................................................................................................................5
SUMMARY MILESTONE SCHEDULE...................................................................................................5
SUMMARY BUDGET..........................................................................................................................5
PROJECT APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS...............................................................................................6
PROJECT MANAGER.........................................................................................................................6
AUTHORIZATION...............................................................................................................................7

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The executive summary should be a high-level summary of what issues or problems the project
was created to correct. Typically, the executive summary also provides the background
information and general statements regarding the project’s purpose or justification which will be
covered in more detail in the appropriate section(s) of the charter.

PROJECT PURPOSE/JUSTIFICATION
This section describes the purpose and justification of the project in the form of business case
and objectives. The business case should provide the reasoning behind the need for this project
as it relates to a function of the business.

Business Need/Case
Discuss the logic for the Business Need/Case (market demand, organizational need, customer
request, technological advance, legal requirement, ecological impacts, social need, etc). This
section should also include the intended effects of the business case (i.e. cost savings, process
improvement, new product development, etc).

Business Objectives
This section should list the Business Objectives for the project which should support the
organizational strategic plan.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This section provides a high-level description of the project. This description should not contain
too much detail but should provide general information about what the project is, how it will be
done, and what it is intended to accomplish. As the project moves forward the details will be
developed, but for the project charter, high-level information is what should be provided.

Project Objectives and Success Criteria

Objectives should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound.
The project manager must be able to track these objectives in order to determine if the project
is on the path to success. Vague, confusing, and unrealistic objectives make it difficult to
measure progress and success.

Requirements
The project team should develop a list of all high-level project requirements. These
requirements are clear guidelines within which the project must conform and may be a result
of input from the project sponsor, customer, stakeholders, or the project team.

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 Constraints
Constraints are restrictions or limitations that the project manager must deal with pertaining
to people, money, time, or equipment. It is the project manager’s role to balance these
constraints with available resources in order to ensure project success.

Assumptions
The project team must identify the assumptions they will be working under as the project
goes forward. These assumptions are what the project manager/team expect to have or be
made available without anyone specifically stating so.

Preliminary Scope Statement

The preliminary scope statement is a general paragraph which highlights what the project
will include, any high-level resource or requirement descriptions, and what will constitute
completion of the project. This preliminary scope statement is exactly that: preliminary. All
of this information will be expanded upon in greater detail as the project moves forward and
undergoes progressive elaboration.

RISKS
All projects have some form of risk attached. This section should provide a list of high-level
risks that the project team has determined apply to this project.

PROJECT DELIVERABLES
This section should list all of the deliverables that the customer, project sponsor, or stakeholders
require upon the successful completion of the project. Every effort must be made to ensure this
list includes all deliverables and project sponsor approval must be required for adding additional
deliverables in order to avoid scope creep.

SUMMARY MILESTONE SCHEDULE

This section provides an estimated schedule of all high-level project milestones. It is understood
that this is an estimate and will surely change as the project moves forward and the tasks and
milestones and their associated requirements are more clearly defined.

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 Summary Milestone Schedule – List key project milestones relative to project start.
Project Milestone Target Date
(mm/dd/yyyy)
 Project Start 01/01/20xx
 Complete Solution Design 01/21/20xx
 Acquire Hardware and Software 01/26/20xx
 Complete Solution Simulation with New Hardware/Software 03/01/20xx
 Complete Solution Simulation and Testing 04/01/20xx
 Deploy Solution 05/01/20xx
 Project Complete 05/15/20xx

SUMMARY BUDGET
The summary budget should contain general cost components and their planned costs. As the
project moves forward these costs may change as all tasks and requirements become clearer.
Any changes must be communicated by the project manager.

Summary Budget – List component project costs

Project Component Component Cost





Total

PROJECT APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS

The organization must understand when the project has reached a successful completion. These
criteria must be clear and should be accepted by whoever will sign-off on the project’s closeout.
Once signed-off by the authorized person, the project is deemed approved and is successful as
long as it has met all of the agreed upon requirements.

PROJECT MANAGER
This section explicitly states who is assigned as the PM, their responsibility, and authority level.
Depending on the organization and scope of the project, the project manager may have varying
levels of responsibility and authority for personnel, project expenditures, and scheduling.

4
AUTHORIZATION
This section provides the names and authorization, once signed, for the project to move forward
in accordance with the information contained in this charter.

Approved by the Project Sponsor:

___________________________________________ Date:____________________
<Project Sponsor>
<Project Sponsor Title>