Document Comparison
The charter is the constitution: it authorises the project and defines its boundaries. The project plan is the operating manual: it details how to execute within those boundaries. You cannot write the plan without the charter.
Updated 11 April 2026
| Dimension | Project Charter | Project Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Authorise the project and define boundaries | Detail how to execute within those boundaries |
| Timing | Created before the team is assembled (Week 0-2) | Created after the charter is approved (Week 2-8) |
| Author | Project manager (drafted), sponsor (approved) | Project manager with input from the project team |
| Length | 1 to 5 pages | 10 to 50+ pages (varies by methodology) |
| Audience | Sponsor, steering committee, key stakeholders | Project team, functional leads, resource managers |
| Scope detail | Boundary-level: what is in and what is out | Task-level: WBS, work packages, activity sequences |
| Schedule detail | Key milestones only (3 to 5 dates) | Full Gantt chart with dependencies, critical path, float |
| Budget detail | Range estimate with contingency percentage | Detailed cost breakdown by phase, resource, and vendor |
| Risk detail | Top 3-5 risks with P x I score and one-line response | 15-30+ risks with owners, triggers, response plans, budgets |
| Team detail | Decision authority (sponsor, PM, steering committee) | Full RACI matrix, resource allocation, org chart |
| Change frequency | Rarely changed (baseline document) | Updated regularly (weekly or at phase gates) |
| What it answers | Should we do this? What are the boundaries? | How do we do this? Who does what by when? |
Week 0-1
Charter drafting
PM + Sponsor
Week 1-2
Charter review and approval
Stakeholders
Week 2
Charter approved, team assembled
Sponsor
Week 2-3
Kickoff meeting, requirements gathering
PM + Team
Week 3-6
Detailed planning (WBS, schedule, budget)
PM + Team
Week 6-8
Plan review and baseline approval
Stakeholders
Week 8+
Execution begins
Full team
A project plan without a charter is a plan without constraints. The team does not know what is in scope, what the budget limits are, or what success looks like. Planning without these constraints produces a plan that will be rewritten after the first stakeholder review.
The charter authorises the PM to assemble the team. Without a charter, the PM has no authority to pull resources from other departments. Planning with a half-formed team produces a half-formed plan.
Charters presented separately from project plans have an 89% first-pass approval rate. Combined charter-plan documents have a 61% rate. The reason: stakeholders cannot distinguish between 'Do we approve this project?' and 'Do we approve this plan?' They conflate boundary approval with method approval.
The charter defines the boundaries. The plan fills in the detail. But between the plan and execution, you need two more documents: