How to Create an Effective Project Charter

Creating a project charter can feel daunting, but we’ve collected some tips to make it easier. Experts suggest using templates, keeping language concise, and using the charter in your kickoff meeting.

• Use a Template: One of the best ways to ensure that you include all the key elements in your charter is to use a template. You can create one from scratch, or adapt a free project charter template to make it your own. 

• “Templates help contain all the essential aspects of your project in one place. You can even include links to more detailed files, like risk assessment, communication or responsibility matrices, and detailed project estimates,” explains Nick Vashkevich, Head of Services at Akveo.
• Make It Visual: Use graphs and visual aids when possible to make the content easier to understand at a glance. Use Gantt charts to create project timelines and pie charts to display budget breakdowns, so people can visualize what you need to complete your project.
• Use Collaborative Planning Tools: Many project management software solutions have built-in communication and planning tools to help your team organize information and discuss the charter as you build it.
• Use Clear Language and Be Specific: Be as specific and clear as possible when adding information to the charter, to make it easy to understand.
  
  “Remember that the project charter is vital to the project’s completion. If you write your project charter irresponsibly or don’t stick to it, you will experience much confusion during the project realization phase. Negligence towards this document can result in funding and project loss,” explains Vashkevich.
• Collaborate with Project Sponsors: 

• 
  To ensure approval, write your project charter in collaboration with the person sponsoring the project. Mary Beth Imbarrato, the author of The Project Roadmap: Your Hands-On Guide to Initiating, Planning, Executing, and Completing Projects, says a project manager should not begin to create a charter without direct input from the project sponsor.
• Encourage Consistency: When you create a project charter, approach the process the same way every time. “Introduce a policy where a project charter is required for every project,” suggests Imbarrato. “Consider establishing a Slack channel where everyone in your organization uploads their project charters for review by other team members across the organization.”
• Keep It Brief: A project charter is more likely to be read and understood if you keep it brief and straightforward. “Don't exceed one page. I have seen project charters that are several pages long, and no one reads them. It should be clearly written and brief — enough so someone can read it quickly to learn the project objective, problems the project will solve, and the strategic goal this project is tied to,” explains Imbarrato.
• Answer Every Question: “Do not use phrases like ‘TBD’ or ‘unknown’ in your project charter,” says Imbarrato. “If you do not have answers for the questions, get them. If you cannot get answers to these questions, then stop the project. If the project cannot be clearly defined, it should not be initiated. You cannot plow down a path of working on a project when you can't define it. That is inefficient, frustrating, and demoralizing for the team.”
• Include the Charter in the Kickoff Meeting: Once your project charter has been approved, schedule your project kickoff meeting. “One of the first agenda items for that meeting should be the review of the project charter,” says Imbarrato. “That is a great opportunity to discuss the objective, how the team will contribute to meet that objective, and any other information about the goals of the project.”