Tag: Project Charter

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Create a Project Charter in Project Management

Young man creating a project charter

The project charter is a critical element of the project management process.  The charter is one of the first steps in initiating a project.  It is the tool allowing you to gain “buy in” on the project and its goals. Given its purpose, the charter should have minimum jargon and be easy to read.

 

Creating a Project Charter

  1. What Is a Project Charter?
  2. What Are the Benefits of Using a Charter?
  3. What to Include in A Project Charter

 

What Is a Project Charter?

The project charter is a document created by the project manager (along with the resources available). It is issued by the project’s sponsor and authorizes the project, giving the project manager authority to do their work. The charter is a high level description of , a target that must be met.The project has to be plans the project to reach that target.

 

Contained in the charter are the high-level scope and direction for the project, as well as other constraints and objectives that a project must meet in order to build that scope and be  considered a success. The information in the charter is the basis of the more detailed project management plan used to keep everyone focused on what needs to be achieved throughout the life of the project.

 

What Are the Benefits of Using a Charter?

A project charter provides the basis for the project manager and the team to know what problem they will solve or opportunity they will  take advantage of for their organization. Beyond that, a project charter provides the following benefits:

 

  • Formally authorizes the project to continue
  • Gives the project manager authority to spend money and commit resources on behalf of the organization
  • Provides the high-level project  requirements
  • Links the project to the ongoing work for the organization

 

What to Include In a Project Charter

Following are a list of items you should have in your project charter:

 

  1. A high-level description of the project. It should include the business case with the financial or other basis justifying the project.
  2. Establishment of a clear view of the initiative’s organizational value by addressing the business case and maintaining focus on meeting project objectives.
  3. dentification of  pre-assigned resources that may influence how the project will be planned. Some projects come with constraints on the number, location, or type of resources.
  4. identification of the key stakeholders who will affect or be affected by the project or product, as well as their known requirements.
  5. High level documentation of the major deliverables and the end result of the project as part of the product description.
  6. The intended end results of the project.
  7. Any known project constraints, such as time cost, scope, quality, resources, communications, risk, or stakeholder expectations. These may limit how the project is delivered.
  8. Known organizational, team or stakeholder assumptions.These will be tested , during planning, and updated throughout the project.
  9. Finally, the charter should describe project objectives in measurable terms, along with how the project will be evaluated for success or failure, who will sign off where necessary, and the authority level assigned to the project manager.

 

A charter including all this allows for the development of a project management plan that thoroughly defines the project, defines “done” and helps ensure a clear picture of what constitutes the end of the project.A

 

A Charter’s Big Impact on Your Project

Keep in mind that the project charter serves as a definition of how success of the project and the project manager will be measured. Therefore, without a charter, a project’s success, efficiency, and effectiveness are often difficult to measure.

 

If you are looking for additional resources about a project charter or other project management techniques,  get RMC’s Project Management Fundamentals book.  Our online book breaks down the tools and techniques every successful project manager should know and use in a predictive project environment.

 

Given its purpose and original (management) audience, the project charter should have a minimum of jargon, to be easy to read. It is a critical element of the project management process,  and is one of the outputs of project initiating .  It is essential to gaining buy in on the project and its goals.

 

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Breaking Down the Project Charter

Two business women working on a project charter on the computer

Projects are most successful when there is written and approved authority for the project manager to plan and organize work. A project charter should be created by the project manager from input gathered from the sponsor(s) and the key stakeholders.

The project charter includes documentation of the project’s goals and the definition of the high-level project and product descriptions. The project manager uses the project charter throughout the project to make certain the business case and the project objectives can be met. Therefore, the charter becomes the mandate allowing you to gain “buy in” on the project and its goals. Given its purpose, the charter should have minimum jargon and be easy to read. There are additional benefits of the project charter.

The project charter should be broad enough that it does not need to change as the project progresses. Any change to the project charter should call in to question whether the project should continue.

Elements of a Project Charter

As we walk through the elements you will need to create a project charter, these sections are not exact as a charter should be tailored to meet the needs of the business and project.  Use these components to get you started.

Project Title and Description: The project title and description define What is the Project.

Project Manager Assigned and Authority Level:Includes the name and title of the project manager.  It answers the question, “To what extent can the assigned PM make decisions?” For example, can the project manager approve budget changes, change the schedule, and approve staffing assignments? Keep in mind that when the project is underway is not a good time to find answers and make such decisions!

Business Case: The business case should answer the business need for doing a project. It describes how the project links to the organization’s high level strategic goals. How will the project bring value to the business? On what financial or another basis can we justify doing this project? Understanding the business case will impact the way the project is managed and outlining it in the project charter is essential.

Resources Preassigned:  Have team members or other resources been assigned by management? How many or which resources will be provided? These preassigned resources must be considered when estimating and planning.

Stakeholders: Stakeholders are any people or organizations whose interests may be positively or negatively impacted by the project or the product of the project.  To help identify stakeholders, for the project charter, ask “Who will affect or be affected by this project, as known to date?” It includes all employees by department as well as outside representatives. Identifying all stakeholders early in planning may avoid costly changes later in the project.

Stakeholder Requirements as Known: What high-level requirements related to both the project and the product scope. Note that stakeholder requirements define decisions about the business needs, goals and objectives from the perspective of their role in the business. Further work to clarify and finalize requirements will come later.

High-Level Product Description/Key Deliverables:  The project charter defines what specific product deliverables are wanted, and what will be the result of the project? A measure of project success is that all the deliverables are met.

High-Level Assumptions: What do stakeholders believe to be true and reliable for the project, which may not be true? What do we believe to be the case but do not have proof or data for? Assumptions need to be reviewed throughout the project, since an assumption that is proven not to be true may cause changes in scope and other parts of the project management plan.

High-Level Constraints: What factors may limit the team’s ability to deliver the needed result of the project? What boundaries or parameters will the project have to function within?

Measurable Project Objective(s): These are a statement what is expected from the project. These should have metrics and specific values used to measure project success.  Objectives must be measurable to prove project success. And these objectives will depend on the defined priority of the project constraints.

Project Approval Requirements: What items need to be approved for the project, and who will have sign-off authority? What designates success?

Overall Project Risks:A project charter defines the overall opportunities and potential threats that could impact the project? Additional risks, as well as strategies to deal with them, will be documented later in planning.

Project Exit Criteria: What needs must be met so that the project manager will be able to close or terminate the project or phase?

Project Sponsor Authorizing This Project: The project charter requires a signature to give authority and make the project official. Depending on the environment in which your project will be completed, there could be more than one signature on the project charter.

More Project Charter Help

The project charter should contain all the elements described above. They can be abbreviated or elaborated upon depending on the organization’s culture, environment, level of planning, project management maturity, and best practices. It can also depend on the size of the project.

Overall, a successful project begins with a well written project charter that can be used to sell your project, measure progress, is a reference point for avoiding and settling disputes and a guide to keep the projects end solution as the focal point.

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Leadership in Project Management

Young professional in a meeting discussing leadership in project management

For mid-level project managers, the leap from managing schedules and deliverables to truly leading a team is both subtle and profound. Leadership in project management isn’t just about being the most organized person in the room. It’s about influence, trust, vision, and the ability to align diverse people toward a shared outcome—especially when the path is unclear.

In today’s project environments—where teams are cross-functional, often remote, and moving at speed—effective leadership is the cornerstone of sustainable delivery. This isn’t about command and control. It’s about clarity, confidence, and emotional intelligence.

From Project Coordinator to Project Leader

Many project managers reach mid-level after proving they can plan and execute reliably. They’ve learned how to build schedules, manage risk logs, facilitate meetings, and chase down blockers. But leadership begins when the PM moves beyond being the hub of communication and becomes the enabler of outcomes.

Project leaders don’t just keep the trains running. They:

  • Inspire accountability without micromanagement
  • Navigate uncertainty with calm and clarity
  • Make space for team members to step up
  • Translate vision into shared purpose

And perhaps most critically, they earn trust. In project settings, where authority is often borrowed rather than formal, trust is currency.

Leading without direct authority

Most project managers don’t manage their teams in a traditional sense. Developers, analysts, designers, and business stakeholders often report elsewhere. So how do you lead when no one has to follow you?

The answer is relational leadership. That means:

  • Building credibility by delivering consistently
  • Listening more than directing
  • Understanding what motivates each contributor
  • Adapting your communication style to your audience

Influence is built day by day, not declared. When people feel heard, respected, and supported, they begin to lean in—and that’s when leadership sticks.

Vision and Alignment in the Project Context

One of the key differences between a manager and a leader is the ability to connect the dots between tasks and meaning. As a project manager, you may not be setting the overall business vision—but you are responsible for helping your team understand how their work contributes to it.

This looks like:

  • Framing deliverables in the context of organizational goals
  • Translating complex objectives into day-to-day priorities
  • Reinforcing the “why” behind the “what”

When teams understand the purpose behind their work, motivation increases, silos dissolve, and decision-making improves.

Handling conflict and change like a leader

Projects bring people together—and sometimes, people clash. Competing priorities, shifting requirements, and tight timelines can fray nerves. Leadership means staying grounded when the room gets tense.

Good project leaders:

  • Address conflict early, without defensiveness
  • Create psychological safety for dissenting views
  • Focus on solutions, not blame

Change management is another test of leadership. When a scope shift or resource change hits, the best PMs don’t just update the Gantt chart. They re-orient the team with empathy and decisiveness.

Leadership in Agile and Hybrid environments

Leadership doesn’t look the same in every methodology. In Agile or hybrid settings, servant leadership is often the most effective model. Servant leaders:

  • Remove obstacles
  • Champion team autonomy
  • Coach instead of control

In these environments, your leadership might be less about command and more about facilitation—guiding the team through uncertainty and iteration while maintaining alignment with broader goals.

The Emotional Intelligence Edge

Technical proficiency will get you in the door. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is what helps you lead. Project managers with high EQ:

  • Read the room
  • Regulate their own stress
  • Respond with empathy
  • De-escalate tension before it derails progress

For mid-level PMs looking to step into more senior roles, developing emotional intelligence is one of the most valuable long-term investments.

Final Thoughts: Leading Through Delivery

Leadership in project management isn’t a separate skill set from delivery—it is delivery. Because great plans don’t execute themselves. Great teams do. And great teams thrive under leaders who:

  • Set direction without rigidity
  • Foster trust without ego
  • Communicate with clarity and consistency

As a mid-level project manager, the invitation is clear: go beyond managing timelines and become a catalyst for high-performing teams. The best project leaders aren’t just taskmasters—they’re motivators, connectors, and calm voices in complexity. Leadership is not about having all the answers. It’s about creating the conditions where the best answers can emerge. Lead forward.