The project charter is issued by the sponsor to empower the Project Manager with the
authority to begin the project and obtain resources for project activities. The project charter
should include at a minimum the following:
Business need for the project which links the project to the organization's overall
strategy
Stakeholders and their initial requirements
Objectives or quantifiable criteria that must be met for the project to be considered
successful
Definition of what is in scope (at least at a high level), as well as out of scope for the
project
Constraints and assumptions
One of the concerns which may arise is the "Who Made you the Boss" question. The charter
helps identify the organization of the project. Without a charter it would hinder the PM from
being successful in their role. If the project is important to the business, then the additional
time and effort should be put to create the charter. Why risk the additional work with having to
share who you are/what your role is.
