Project Charter

 

 

 

 

Project Name:	<Project Name goes here>
Executive Sponsor:
Project Director (Sponsor):
Organization:
Project Manager:
Proposed Project Start Date:
Proposed Project End Date:
Key Contact, Phone #:
Date Submitted:
Date Approved:
Version:
Last Updated:

 

This template is annotated with notes to help authors when filling it out. You may want to delete text that is within <> with appropriate text specific to the project, particularly when you submit a formal form for signatures.

 

 

Contents

 

 

Project Information

Project Charter

 

The purpose of the Project Charter is to formally authorize the start of a new project. Specifically, the charter is intended to authorize the sponsor and project manager to apply resources to develop a Project Initiation Plan (PIP). The Project Initiation Plan will provide the parameters for the project and includes: goals, objectives, success criteria, scope, high level schedule, with key deliverables and milestones, stakeholder roles, risk plan and other management plans for the project, along with resources needed and the project budget and benefits. The Project Initiation Plan will require approval prior to execution of the project.

===========================================================

This Project Charter requests approval for $_______________, funded from the following sources: __________________, which will be used to develop the Project Initiation Plan.

Or

This Charter does not ask for the authority to spend funds at this time to develop the Project Initiation Plan.

<Delete above choice not used>

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*On large, complex projects, phases may need a new charter.

Business Case / Proposed Solution

 

What is the business need that gave rise to this project? Describe the business drivers (i.e. market demand, business need, customer request, technological advance, legal requirement, or social need) that created the problem, opportunity or business requirement. How did the project come about? Provide any other necessary background.

 

Provide a description of the project that includes the key goals and objectives and what the project will deliver and any other high level expectations of the project. Identify if this is part of a larger project or if it has follow on projects.

 

Identify the customers and anticipated consumers of the project and why they will benefit from the project.

 

Product Need / Product Description / Customers

Consistency/Fit with Organizational Strategic Plan

 

Describe how this project and its objectives specifically support the organization’s current strategic plan.

 

Consistency/Fit with Organization’s Strategic Plan

 

Major Alternatives Considered and Why Rejected

 

Explain what would happen if you do nothing. Describe other alternatives that were considered and why they were rejected.

 

	Alternatives considered	Explain why chosen / not chosen
1.	Do Nothing	<The Do Nothing option is to be addressed as an option in every Charter. Ex: Current software is no longer supported and we need to upgrade software for mission critical application.>
2.	<Selected Alternative>
3.	<Other Alternatives considered>

 

If at this stage of the project you have not looked at alternatives or if considering alternatives does not apply, please describe the situation.

 

Alternatives do not apply because:

<Describe the situation: why alternatives do not apply at this time or at all.>

Known Project Constraints

Identify any constraints known about this project that will affect the “Triple Constraints” (budget, schedule, resources) or any other known constraints for this project. If there are no constraints, note that fact.

In order for the project initiation plan to be done successfully please list any known factors that limit the ultimate project’s execution. The most frequent constraint is the project end date. For each constraint listed, be sure to elaborate on how it is limiting the project and how the project would benefit from its removal.

	Project Constraint Type	Description of the Constraint
1.	<Budget Constraint>	<Ex: $100,000 of funds has been identified for this project. No other funding is available. Features that cannot fit into this constraint could be listed as future enhancements.>
2.	<Schedule Constraint>	<Ex: this project must be done by August 15, 2010>
3.	<Resource Constraint>	<Ex: John Smith is the only person who has the skills to complete the work to build this system.>

Estimate for Overall Project

An estimatedcost for the overall project is between ____________ and ____________. The estimated duration is approximately ________ months to ________.

This estimate is based on: <include here the basis of the estimate (e.g. historical information, other organizations that have done a similar project, expert judgment etc.)>

Information for Project Planning (High Level)

High Level Schedule / Milestone’s for Project Planning

Any project milestones or major project activity that will happen during this period of time should be added to the High Level Schedule. The major deliverable for Project Planning (High Level) is the Project Initiation Plan (PIP).

 

Milestone	Start Date	Completion Date
Project Initiation
Develop Project Charter
Evaluate Project Charter
Approve Project Charter
Project Planning (High Level)
Prepare for the Project
Conduct Project Kick – Off Meeting
Develop the Project Initiation Plan
Define the Goal, Specific Objectives, & Success Criteria
Define Project Scope
Develop the High Level Schedule and Document Assumptions
Identify and Document Stakeholder Involvement
Develop the Communication Plan
Establish the Project Budget
Define Governance and Resourcing
Define the Management Approaches
Develop the High Level Risk Plan
Submit the Project Initiation Plan for Approval
Confirm Approval to Proceed- Approved Project Initiation Plan

 

Assumptions that affect the High Level Schedule:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Budget Summary for Project Planning (High Level)

 

Provide below the estimated budget for Project Planning (High Level).

Type of Expense	Cost ($)	Account Number / Funding Source
Staff Expense (internal)
Capital Expense
Operating Expense
Service (external)
Contingency
Total Budget for Project Planning (High Level)

 

Resource Requirements for Project Planning (High Level)

 

Define the make-up of the project resources for the development of the High Level Plan and any other activities that will be done during this period. Include those specific individuals that have been identified and also show those that need ‘To Be Determined’ (TBD).

 

Table 1: List the names of all individuals needed to perform the work described in the Project Charter and whose participation must be approved by the Manager of the Resource

Project Initiation Team Role	No.	Who (if known) or TBD	% Time or Hours	Dates Needed (Date Range)	Name of Manager
<Ex: Business Analysts	1	TBD	30%	MM/DD/YY-MM/DD/YY>
<Ex: Project Manager	1	TBD	50%	MM/DD/YY-MM/DD/YY>
<Ex: Technical Analyst	1	TBD	30%	MM/DD/YY-MM/DD/YY>
<Ex: Subject Matter Experts	5	TBD	10 hrs ea	MM/DD/YY-MM/DD/YY>

 

Resourcing comments, constraints, and/or issues:

Governance for Project Planning (High Level)

Define the governance model for the project planning (high level) phase of the project. A sample is provided below. Include Actual Names

 

 

Signatures

The Sponsor should indicate approval or rejection of the Project Charter by checking the Approve or Reject box. If the Sponsor is rejecting the charter, he/she must indicate the reason in the comments field.

The Sponsor indicates final acceptance of the Project Charter (including securing individual resources) by providing his/her signature in the Project Sponsor Signature box and the approval date in the Date box.

 

Executive Sponsors

Name	Action	Comments	Signature	Date
	Approve:  Reject: 
etc.	Approve:  Reject: 

 

Project Directors and/or Sponsors

Name	Action	Comments	Signature	Date
	Approve:  Reject: 
etc.	Approve:  Reject: 

 

Approvers

Agreement to Secure Required Resources

The Approver is the person(s) or group that has the authority to commit resources for this project. He/she indicates his/her agreement to provide required resources for Project Planning (High Level) by providing his/her Approver Signature and the approval Date.

Name	Action	Comments	Signature	Date
	Approve:  Reject: 
etc.	Approve:  Reject: 