A junior or intermediate project managers once asked me if I needed to write a detailed project charter? 

 My advice – write a simple one. 

  

To go in detail, first we need to distinguish the difference between a business case and a project charter.    

Business Case 

A Business Case is a document that justifies the rationale for undertaking an initiative or project.  It provides the benefits and risks.  it justifies the funds and resources required to undertake that project or initiative.  It is written by the executive sponsors or stakeholders  

Project Charter 

 A project charter, on the other hand, is a document that stakeholders use to authorize the undertaking of the project or initiative, giving the Project Manager the authority to execute the project and resources, including funds to complete the project.  It is written by the project manager. 

In practical experience 

 From my experience, I try to write a project charter at 2 – 3 pages long or max 5 pages, if there is not a mandate from the Project Manager Office (PMO) to fill a 20-page document.  Sometimes, a project charter written in the form of a project kickoff deck is sufficient.  

 The fact is when a business case is written, the stakeholders already researched what they are looking for and have justified it in length.  The project charter merely frames the scope and deliverables, which they already know.   

 In many cases, the business stakeholders might not write the business case themselves.  They will hire a project manager to also write it.  For new project managers coming into the industry, practice your business case writing skills as this will be a job requirement.   

 A Kickoff deck will do 

In many cases, the project charter might be replaced by a simple kickoff deck.  In creating a kickoff deck, make sure you copy and simplify the info from the business case.  Remember the stakeholders already know about the business case and the project.   

  • Frame the project in a roadmap (in graph),  
  • Scope of work in work breakdown structure  
  • Project deliverables and milestones properly 
  • Make sure you create a milestone chart with dates 
  • The roadmap page, WBS and milestone chart will be your most important tools to present to your stakeholders as your project progresses   

In terms of project finances, express the monthly burn rate and the cumulative cost as the project proceeds.   

Once you are ready, organize a kickoff meeting, present, then ask for an email reply for Approval.   

 Your real project management work starts only after you get the project approved and funds allocated from Finance. 

Happy project chartering! 

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