Project Charter Templates

Project charters define how a team will collaborate to achieve its goals. Below are a few examples of headings in typical project charters.

 

Project Charter Elements - from USDA template

  • Purpose of the charter

  • Project objective

  • Summary Scope Statement

  • Project Authority

  • Project Manager

  • Roles and Responsibilities

  • Project Constraints

  • Project Assumptions

  • Preliminary Schedule and Cost Estimates



Project Charter Elements - from Business Justification template
Section 1. Project Overview
1.1 Problem Statement
1.2 Project Description
1.3 Project Goals and Objectives
1.4 Project Scope
1.5 Critical Success Factors
1.6 Assumptions
1.7 Constraints
Section 2. Project Authority and Milestones
2.1 Funding Authority
2.2 Project Oversight Authority
2.3 Major Project Milestones
Section 3. Project Organization
3.1 Project Structure
3.2 Roles and Responsibilities
3.3 Responsibility Matrix
3.4 Project Facilities and Resources
Section 4. Points of Contact
Section 5. Glossary
Section 6. Revision History
Section 7. Appendices


Project Charter Elements - from Key Consulting template
  1. Mission
  2. Objectives
  3. Deliverables
  4. Stakeholders
  5. Roles and Responsibilities
  6. High-Level Work Breakdown Structure
  7. Assumptions
  8. Communications
  9. Risks
  10. Documentation
  11. Boundaries
  12. Decision Making Process
  13. Signatures



Project Charter Elements - from Microsoft template
1 PROJECT CHARTER PURPOSE
2 PROJECT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
3 PROJECT OVERVIEW
4 PROJECT SCOPE
4.1 Goals and Objectives
4.2 Departmental Statements of Work (SOW)
4.3 Organizational Impacts
4.4 Project Deliverables
4.5 Deliverables Out of Scope
4.6 Project Estimated Costs & Duration
5 PROJECT CONDITIONS
5.1 Project Assumptions
5.2 Project Issues
5.3 Project Risks
5.4 Project Constraints
6 PROJECT STRUCTURE APPROACH
7 PROJECT TEAM ORGANIZATION PLANS
8 PROJECT REFERENCES
9 APPROVALS
10 APPENDICES
10.1 Document Guidelines
10.2 Project Charter Document Sections Omitted

 

A quick template to follow for drafting a project plan in one meeting (from anecdote.com.au)

  1. Project Name
  2. Team Members - Name, contacts and roles if applicable.
  3. Purpose - Why should we do this project?
  4. Outcome - What would a good outcome look like?
  5. Brainstorming - Get your ideas out.
  6. Organize - How will the project get done? What are the components, sequences and priorities?
  7. Next Steps - What are the immediate next actions and who will do them?

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