Develop Project Charter
The project charter is the document that officially authorizes a project. It marks the transition from idea to execution.
Purpose
- 🔓 Authorizes the project to begin.
- 📋 Assesses feasibility at a high level.
- 🎯 Aligns with strategic goals.
- 💰 Prevents premature investment before approval.
Key Roles
- Project Manager (PM): Creates the charter.
- Sponsor: Signs off to approve and authorize.
Tip: On the exam, assume the PM gets formal authority from the signed project charter.
What’s Inside the Charter?
- 🎯 High-level objectives
- 📦 Preliminary scope statement
- 📋 High-level requirements
- ⚠️ Initial risks & issues
- ⏳ Constraints & assumptions
- ✅ Success criteria
- 🧭 Alignment with business strategy
Outputs / Artifacts
- 📘 Project Charter – Signed document authorizing the project
- 📓 Assumption Log – Records evolving assumptions
- 👥 Stakeholder List – Identifies key people and roles
Tools & Techniques
- 💬 Interviews, Focus Groups, Brainstorming
- 🤝 Conflict Resolution & Facilitation
- 📆 Meeting Management
Agile / Hybrid Considerations
- ♻️ Embraces uncertainty in requirements.
- 🧑💻 Product Owner may replace formal change board.
- ⚙️ Governance is adapted to flexibility and iteration.
Note: The charter should be stable enough not to change often. If it does, revalidate the project's viability.
Quick Recap
- 🚀 The charter kicks off the project officially.
- 📋 It influences all project constraints.
- 🔍 Assumptions from the charter evolve into detailed planning.