Draft a Project Charter

Structured charter → project bounds + stakeholder agreement + success criteria before detailed planning. Doc: scope + RACI + milestones + initial risk register. Agile/classic/hybrid.

Use When

• New project kickoff
• Formalize scope after informal start
• Align stakeholders before detailed planning
• Reference doc for scope decisions during execution
• Transition from discovery/ideation → active work

In

• Required: Project name + brief desc
• Required: Primary stakeholder/sponsor
• Optional: Existing docs (proposals, briefs, emails)
• Optional: Known constraints (budget, deadline, team size)
• Optional: Methodology pref (agile, classic, hybrid)

Do

Step 1: Gather Context + Template

Read existing docs (proposals, emails, briefs) → understand background. ID core problem/opportunity. Create charter file w/ structured template → populate subsequent steps.

File: PROJECT-CHARTER-[PROJECT-NAME].md:

# Project Charter: [Project Name]
## Document ID: PC-[PROJECT]-[YYYY]-[NNN]

### 1. Problem Statement
[2-3 sentences describing the problem or opportunity this project addresses]

### 2. Project Purpose
[What the project will achieve and why it matters]

### 3. Scope
#### In Scope
- [Deliverable 1]
- [Deliverable 2]

#### Out of Scope
- [Exclusion 1]
- [Exclusion 2]

### 4. Deliverables
| # | Deliverable | Acceptance Criteria | Target Date |
|---|------------|---------------------|-------------|
| 1 | | | |

### 5. Stakeholders & RACI
| Stakeholder | Role | D1 | D2 | D3 |
|-------------|------|----|----|-----|
| | | | | |

*R=Responsible, A=Accountable, C=Consulted, I=Informed*

### 6. Success Criteria
| # | Criterion | Measure | Target |
|---|-----------|---------|--------|
| 1 | | | |

### 7. Milestones
| Milestone | Target Date | Dependencies |
|-----------|-------------|--------------|
| | | |

### 8. Risk Register
| ID | Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Severity | Mitigation | Owner |
|----|------|------------|--------|----------|------------|-------|
| R1 | | | | | | |

*Likelihood/Impact: Low, Medium, High*
*Severity = Likelihood × Impact*

### 9. Assumptions and Constraints
#### Assumptions
- [Key assumption 1]

#### Constraints
- [Key constraint 1]

### 10. Approval
| Role | Name | Date |
|------|------|------|
| Sponsor | | |
| Project Lead | | |

Fill doc ID → PC-[PROJECT]-[YYYY]-[NNN] (e.g., PC-WEBSITE-2026-001). Problem statement (2-3 sentences): current situation + gap + impact. Purpose (1 para): what will be achieved.

→ Charter file: doc ID + problem + purpose filled. Problem specific + measurable gap.

If err: context unclear → QUESTIONS section at top for sponsor. Existing docs conflict → OPEN ISSUES + flag for stakeholder resolution.

Step 2: Scope Boundaries

Explicit in-scope + out-of-scope. Write 3-5 in-scope deliverables + specific acceptance criteria each. Write 3-5 out-of-scope → prevent creep. Populate Deliverables table: deliverable + criteria + target date.

→ Scope balanced. Deliverables 3-5 w/ specific testable criteria. Dates realistic + sequenced.

If err: vague deliverables → break into sub-deliverables w/ concrete outputs. Criteria missing → ask "How would we demonstrate this is complete?". No dates → TBD, flag for milestone session.

Step 3: Stakeholders + RACI

List all affected/contributing/decision-authority individuals + org role. RACI matrix per stakeholder × deliverable:

• R (Responsible): does work
• A (Accountable): final decision authority (one A per deliverable)
• C (Consulted): input before decisions
• I (Informed): updated on progress

Each deliverable → exactly one A + ≥ one R.

→ Stakeholders 5-10 + roles. One A per deliverable column. No missing R / multiple As. Sponsor = A for final approval.

If err: list incomplete → cross-ref org chart + discovery meeting attendees. Multiple As → escalate to sponsor for clarification. No R → flag unassigned + resource allocation.

Step 4: Success Criteria + Milestones

3-5 measurable criteria SMART (Specific + Measurable + Achievable + Relevant + Time-bound). Each → quantifiable measure + target. 4-6 key milestones = major stages/completions + target dates + deps on prior milestones.

→ Criteria 3-5 w/ specific measures (e.g., "Uptime" = "% availability" target "99.5%"). Milestones logical + realistic. Deps clear.

If err: criteria vague ("improve quality") → rewrite as measurable outcomes + baseline + target. Dates unrealistic → work backward from final deadline w/ durations + buffers. Circular deps → restructure sequence or split conflicting.

Step 5: Initial Risk Register

5-10 risks. Per risk: likelihood (L/M/H) + impact (L/M/H) → severity. Specific mitigation + assigned owner. ≥1 per category: scope, schedule, resource, technical, external.

→ Register 5-10 across scope + schedule + resource + technical + external. Each w/ L + I + severity. Mitigations actionable + specific. Each has owner.

If err: incomplete → review scope + deps + stakeholders + assumptions for failure points. Generic mitigations ("monitor closely") → specify: what monitored, how often, what triggers action. No owner → assign project lead temp + escalate to sponsor.

Check

• Charter file created w/ doc ID
• Problem specific + measurable
• Scope has in + out-of-scope
• RACI covers all deliverables
• Criteria SMART
• ≥5 risks w/ mitigations
• Milestones w/ target dates
• Approval section included

Traps

• Scope w/o bounds: In-scope w/o out-of-scope → creep. Always define what NOT doing.
• Vague criteria: "Improve perf" unmeasurable. Tie each to number + baseline + target.
• Missing stakeholders: Overlooked ones surface late + derail. Cross-ref org charts + prior comms.
• Risk register as checkbox: Risks w/o actionable mitigations = false confidence. Each needs specific response.
• Over-detailed charter: Charter = compass, not map. 2-4 pages. Detailed planning later.

→

• create-work-breakdown-structure — decompose deliverables → work packages
• manage-backlog — charter scope → prioritized backlog
• plan-sprint — first sprint from deliverables
• generate-status-report — report vs milestones
• conduct-retrospective — review assumptions after execution