Step-by-Step Guide
Eight steps, four hours, one review cycle. Charters presented separately from project plans have an 89% approval rate within two review cycles, compared to 61% for combined documents.
Updated 11 April 2026
Total time: approximately 4 hours for a standard project. Add 1 to 2 hours for large enterprise projects with complex governance.
Meet with your project sponsor. Ask three questions: What triggered this project? What does success look like? What is definitely NOT in scope? Take notes in their language, not PM jargon.
Write four sentences that map to the four charter sections. Sentence 1: The problem (with a number). Sentence 2: What success looks like (with a metric). Sentence 3: What we will and will not do. Sentence 4: Who decides what.
Expand sentence 1 into a paragraph. Include: current state (with metrics), desired state, cost of inaction, and who is affected. Aim for 50 to 150 words. No solutions in the problem statement.
Expand sentence 2 into 3 to 5 SMART criteria. Each criterion needs: a specific metric, a current baseline, a target value, and a deadline. Test each with 'So what?' If the criterion does not connect to a business outcome, rewrite it.
Expand sentence 3 into an in/out table. Use verb phrases, not nouns. Every in-scope item needs a corresponding out-of-scope boundary. Include the reason for each exclusion.
List the top 3 to 5 risks. For each: a one-sentence description, probability (Low/Medium/High), impact (Low/Medium/High), and a one-line charter-level response. Do not write full mitigation plans; that comes in the project plan.
Provide a budget range (not a fixed number at this stage), a duration estimate, and 3 to 5 key milestones. Include contingency (typically 10 to 15% for well-defined scope, 20 to 25% for uncertain scope).
Read the charter as if you are the sponsor seeing it for the first time. Does it answer: What are we doing? Why? What does success look like? What are the boundaries? Check for jargon, ambiguity, and missing metrics.
Total: ~4 hours. This is investment, not overhead. A 4-hour charter saves 40+ hours of scope disputes, rework meetings, and stakeholder re-alignment during execution.
Before writing any section, draft four sentences. Each sentence maps to one of the four core charter sections. If you cannot explain your project in four sentences, you do not understand it well enough to charter it.
IT / Software Example
"Our customer support response time averages 48 hours, costing us $340K in enterprise churn annually. We will reduce it to under 4 hours by deploying an AI-assisted triage system. This project covers the support portal and email channel but does not include phone or chat support. The VP of Customer Success approves scope changes; the PM manages day-to-day decisions."
Marketing Example
"Our website converts at 1.2%, half the industry average. We will increase it to 3.5% within 6 months by redesigning the homepage, pricing page, and signup flow. This project does not include the blog, documentation, or backend infrastructure. The CMO approves creative direction; the PM approves timeline changes under 2 weeks."
Construction Example
"The HVAC system in Building C fails inspection 40% of the time, creating $18K in monthly penalty exposure. We will replace the system with a code-compliant installation by December 2026. This covers HVAC and electrical in Building C only, not Buildings A or B. The Facilities Director approves change orders over $25K; the GC approves under $25K."
Fails
"We need a new CRM system because the current one is outdated."
Passes
"Our current CRM (Salesforce Classic) crashes 3 times per week, causing sales reps to lose an average of 2.4 hours per incident. Over the past quarter, this has resulted in 34 missed follow-ups and an estimated $127K in lost pipeline revenue. Without action, the Q4 sales forecast is at risk."
The pass version includes specific metrics (3 crashes/week, 2.4 hours lost, $127K revenue impact), a time reference, and a cost of inaction.
Fails
"Improve customer satisfaction."
Passes
"Increase Net Promoter Score from 32 to 50 within 6 months of launch, measured by quarterly survey of all customers with 10+ transactions."
The pass version is Specific (NPS), Measurable (32 to 50), Achievable (18-point increase), Relevant (customer satisfaction), and Time-bound (6 months).
Fails
"Mobile app is out of scope."
Passes
"Redesign the responsive web application for desktop and tablet viewports. Do not build a native iOS or Android application because the user research shows 94% of our enterprise users access the platform from desktop browsers."
The pass version uses verb phrases, specifies what IS in scope, and explains the reason for the exclusion with data.
Send the charter 3 to 5 business days before the review meeting
Do not present the charter for the first time in the meeting. Stakeholders need time to read, think, and form questions.
Provide a one-page executive summary for senior stakeholders
The full charter is for the PM and project team. Executives need the elevator pitch, budget, timeline, and top risk.
Set a feedback deadline
State clearly: 'Please submit feedback by [date]. If no feedback is received, the charter will be treated as approved.' This prevents indefinite review cycles.
Include an auto-approve clause
'If the sponsor does not respond within 5 business days of submission, the charter is approved as submitted.' This is standard PMO practice and prevents projects from stalling in review.
Verify each item before sending for review. A charter that passes all 12 checks has a 89% chance of first-pass approval.