What Is a Project Charter? | Definition & How AI Helps

A project charter is a document that outlines the scope, objectives, participants, manager, and deliverables of a project. You create it at the very beginning of a project to make sure that everyone involved is on the same page.

Writing a project charter can be tedious and time-consuming, but it’s a fundamental step in project management. Thankfully, QuillBot’s free AI project charter creator helps you create a clear, concise charter faster and more efficiently, so you can get to work sooner.

What is a project charter?

A project charter—also called a “project statement” or “project definition”—formalizes the existence of a project and identifies its scope, objectives, and participants. It also allocates the resources necessary for project completion.

In terms of participants, a project charter defines the project manager and their authority, the roles and responsibilities of those working on the project, the key stakeholders, and the project sponsors. The project sponsor generally signs off on the project charter, which gives the project manager the green light to get started.

A project charter serves as a foundation stone for the project going forward. It aligns expectations, facilitates communication, empowers project managers, and fosters effective and efficient decision-making and resource management.

How to write a project charter

To write a project charter, you’ll most likely need input from other participants, so think of it as a collaborative document. Outline the why, the what, and the who of the project.

Follow these steps to write a project charter:

1. Write a project overview: Briefly describe the project and its purpose, making sure to explain how it supports your organization’s goals. Also, give your charter a title.
2. Outline objectives and success criteria: State the project’s objectives and how you will measure whether you achieve them or not.
3. Set the scope: Your scope statement defines what falls within the project and what falls outside of it. You should also define any deliverables (work you must deliver at the end of the project) and any exclusions (elements that fall outside the project’s scope).
4. Specify stakeholders and team: Explain who will be involved in the project, like key project stakeholders, executive stakeholders, the project sponsor, and the overall project team. Keep in mind that stakeholders can be people working on the project or people who will be impacted by its results.
5. Establish a timeline: Set a high-level schedule for your project and define milestones and key dates.
6. Allocate resources and budget: Create a high-level budget that estimates the financial resources you need and outline non-financial resources (e.g., employee time) that will be allocated to the project.
7. Write a risk management plan: Identify potential risks and doubts and how they could affect the project’s success. You should also outline assumptions you’re making about the project. From there, create a risk management plan to help the team work more clearly towards success.
8. Create communications protocols: Define how and where to communicate about the project. Specify channels, frequency, and methods of communication.
9. Set the charter up for approval: Leave a space at the end of the document for formal authorization of the project from relevant stakeholders, sponsors, and governing organizations.
10. Proofread and edit your charter: Errors in your charter can create confusion and reduce credibility. Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to make sure it’s error-free.

Once you’ve written and reviewed your project charter, send it on for approval, and when the relevant parties sign off on it, you’re set to get started.

Using an AI project charter generator

Write a prompt that tells the AI project charter generator about your project so that it can draft the best possible project charter for you. The more specific you are, the better the AI output will be.

To write a good prompt, ask yourself:

• What’s the project about?
• Why is this project important to you, your team, your organization, etc.?
• What is the project trying to accomplish? What problem does it solve?
• How will you measure if it is successful or not?
• Who will be involved in the project?
• When should the project be done by?
• What resources are available to you?
• What limitations do you have?
• Who is the target audience of your charter?

Frequently asked questions about AI project charter generator

In which phase of a project plan is a project charter created and approved?

A project charter is created and approved in the initial phase of a project plan. The charter formalizes the existence of a project and identifies its scope, objectives, and participants.

For help creating a project charter, use QuillBot’s free AI project charter maker.

What’s a simple project charter template?

A simple project charter template is:

• Overview
• Objectives and success criteria
• Scope
• Stakeholders and team
• Timeline
• Resources and budget
• Risk management plan
• Communications protocols
• Space to approve and sign

Format your charter so each section has a clear header, and keep the content concise and top-level. Or, use QuillBot’s free AI project charter generator to create your project charter instantly.