Page 100 - Project+

For the exam, remember that the project sponsor is the person who
authorizes and approves the project charter. The project manager or the person
who requested the project is typically the one who writes the project charter and
makes certain it’s distributed to all the key stakeholders, but the sponsor is the one
who approves it.

Organizational standards may drive the specific format of the project charter and the
information it contains. As a project manager, you should check with the PMO to
determine whether there is a template or a required format for the project charter.

The following are the key elements that should be included in your project charter.
Chapter 1 talked about the purpose or justification for the project. This is documented
in the business case and can easily be copied into the project charter. The next section
will cover the remaining elements.

Purpose or justification for the project

Project goals and objectives

Project description

Key deliverables

High-level list of requirements

High-level milestones

High-level budget

High-level assumptions

High-level constraints

High-level risks

Name of the project manager and their authority level

Name of the sponsor

Criteria for project approval

Goals and Objectives

The charter documents the high-level goals and objectives of the project. A project
charter needs to include a clear statement as to what end result the project will
produce and how success will be measured. Goals and objectives must be clear and
stated in such a manner that the end result is easily measured against the objective.
Instead of stating “Build a new highway,” the goal should include measurable
outcomes like “Build a new highway between City A and City B that has three lanes in

both directions by June 30.”

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