Project Chartering

A key element of every Institute engagement—and one we recommend to our partners – is the creation of a project charter. A project charter is a written document that serves as both a project management tool and a process. Project charters create vision, describe key elements and milestones and detail the roles and responsibilities of partners and stakeholders for a given project.

The process of creating a project charter builds trust, raises issues and exposes potential problem areas. In addition, a well-conceived project charter brings clarity, which helps gain buy-in from stakeholders.

Key Elements

Charters can be customized to fit project needs, but at a minimum, they should include a description of the vision, goals and objectives of the project. Other elements include:

• Purpose: Clarifies the vision of the project and helps to raise issues, clarify concerns of partners and define critical factors for project success.
• Scope Definition: Establishes exactly what the project will accomplish, reducing the chance of “scope creep” – in which the project becomes much larger than originally intended.
• Communication Plan: Determines who needs what kind of information and how they will get it.  This is a critical tool in keeping partners informed and the project on track.
• Roles and Responsibilities: Describes individual roles within the project and takes the guesswork out of who will do what.
• Governance and Decision-Making: Describes how decisions will be made, building in accountability.