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Creating a project charter (following the PMI standard) is one of the first two things you should accomplish during the initiating phase of the project lifecycle. Identifying your stakeholders is another task that needs to be recognized during that phase. Here are four steps for success.
The charter helps answer the questions: Why are you starting the project? How will the project start? What are the parameters? And how will it be executed?
Here are four tips to help you create your project charter:
- Define the why
- Spend time defining the project’s scope
- Gain buy-in from your stakeholders
- Keep it brief, yet whole
- The goal is to give your team or anyone reading the charter a high-level overview of the project. Another goal is to set expectations on paper regarding scope, budget, major milestones, goals, constraints, assumptions, and any known risks.
Define the why
Answer the question: Why are you starting this project? To kick off the charter, start by adding 1 – 2 short paragraphs with background information. This will help clear any doubt and provide context for why this project now exists.Spend time defining the project’s scope
One of a project manager’s worst nightmares is scope creep. As a project manager, you’re tasked with juggling the triple constraints of time, cost, and scope, ultimately impacting the quality of work. If one of the triple constraints slips, the other two are compromised somehow. Determining the scope and what is out of scope in a separate statement is just as important. This helps create a clear message and, hopefully, circumvent scope creep.
PMWorld360 Professional Template
Download the Professional Project Charter Template
Build better project status reports by starting with a well-defined project charter. Clearly document project objectives, business justification, scope, stakeholders, milestones, governance, assumptions, constraints, and success criteria using a professionally designed template based on project management best practices.
✔ Fillable PDF format
✔ PMWorld360 professional design
✔ Executive project summary
✔ Scope & objectives sections
✔ Stakeholders & governance
✔ Ready to use immediately
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