Add in as much detail as you have, or include a reference to a document where readers can find out more about expected benefits. Write a paragraph about the general benefits you are expecting to deliver as part of the project. You can also include constraints that will shape the project’s scope. You can include the high-level vision as well as the detailed list of objectives. The point of including objectives here is to make sure everyone has clarity on what it is the project is setting out to achieve. Some projects don’t kick off with a business case, so if you haven’t got anything else to go on, talk to the project sponsor. These will probably be listed in the business case if you have one. Include a list of the project objectives.
You can explain the reasons why the project has been initiated although there is a separate opportunity to go deeper into benefits later, so keep this section to the context and business drivers for the project. Include a few paragraphs about what the project is for and what problem it is trying to solve.
As an introduction, here’s an overview of the main components of a project charter. It’s part of the formal activity of planning a project, and we cover chartering in more detail in our Project Management Fundamentals training course.
You may also have a charter for your PMO that covers the scope of that team’s work. ‘Charter’ is a term used to outline any type of activity, for example to explain what a team does.
The project charter serves to document some basic things about the project so everyone has a common understanding of the work that is about to begin. The exact length of the document depends on what the project is and how much you need to write to adequately explain why the project is being done and what is being delivered. It takes the information from the business case or proposal and turns it into an actionable first plan that gives everyone clarity about what’s going to happen and why. A project charter is a short-ish document that describes your project and gives the project team the authority to proceed with the work.