Project Charter

A project charter is the foundational document that formally initiates a project and gives the project manager authority to apply organizational resources to project activities. In the Project Management Institute's PMBOK Guide, the charter is the primary output of the "Develop Project Charter" process in the Initiating process group, and it is issued by a sponsor external to the project team — typically an executive, steering committee, or funding body.

Charters are deliberately concise. A typical charter includes:

• Project purpose and justification — the business case or problem being solved.
• Measurable objectives and success criteria — often expressed as SMART goals.
• High-level requirements, scope, and deliverables — what is and is not included.
• Assumptions, constraints, and high-level risks.
• Summary milestone schedule and budget.
• Stakeholder list and the assigned project manager, with their level of authority.
• Sponsor sign-off, which is what actually authorizes the work.

For researchers and policy teams, charters function much like terms of reference (ToR) used by UN panels, parliamentary inquiries, or commissions of inquiry: both establish mandate, scope, and reporting lines before substantive work begins. In think tanks and NGO settings, a charter is often required before a multi-funder research project can draw down budget.

The charter is distinct from a project management plan, which is far more detailed and developed later, and from a statement of work (SOW), which is usually contractual and vendor-facing. Once approved, the charter becomes the reference point for resolving scope disputes: if a proposed task is not traceable to the charter's objectives, it is generally treated as a change request rather than core work.

Charters are typically baselined — meaning changes after approval require formal sponsor re-approval rather than informal team agreement — which is what gives the document its authority throughout the project life cycle.