Creating a Project Charter

The quickest way to create project charters: [after creating 25+ charters in the last 3 years] I view the project initiation as a compass, not just a formality. Then, I begin with the end in mind. This method: -Aligns stakeholders -Sets clear objectives -Maps out project boundaries -Identifies potential risks -Establishes authority and accountability Here's each step of my charter creation: 1. Objective Define the core purpose: -Why is this project essential? -What business problem does it address? -Articulate the expected outcome: -Desired end state after project completion -Key performance indicators to measure 2. Scope Detail out project boundaries: -Inclusions: What's part of the project? -Exclusions: What's out of scope? Establish the deliverables: -Tangible outputs -Milestones to reach -Stakeholders Identify key players: -Who will benefit from this project? -Who has influence over its outcome? 3. Outline roles and responsibilities: -Who’s doing what? -Who holds which authority? 4. Risks & Assumptions Highlight potential pitfalls: -What might derail the project? -Assumptions made and their validation Plan for contingencies: -Risk mitigation strategies -Backup plans 5. Resources Allocate essentials: -Budgetary constraints -Required tools and technology -Team members and their skillsets 6. Timeline Breakdown of project lifecycle: -Start and end dates -Major phase completion dates -Dependencies between tasks 7. Communication Define the communication plan: -Who gets updated and when? -Preferred communication channels 8. Approval Establish authority: -Who signs off on project decisions? -Acceptance criteria for deliverables Outline the revision process: -Feedback loop -Change request protocol 9. Documentation & Archiving Detail out the documentation process: -Where are project files stored? -How to access historical data Establish a post-project review plan: -Lessons learned -Feedback collection -Continuous improvement Follow this charter framework to kick-start your projects with clarity and purpose. What are your project charter best practices?  Leave a reply in the comment section.

Collaborations benefit from pre-mortems, or moments in which we identify potential risks or barriers we’ll encounter BEFORE the work begins. In a 1989 study, researchers measured the effectiveness of imagining that an event has already occurred. Participants imagined themselves in the future, at the end date of an event (such as a project deadline). They were asked to imagine that the event ended either poorly (for example, the project had not been completed and was over budget) or well (for example, the project was completed on time and under budget). Using that frame, the participants then had to identify reasons for the event’s imagined failure or success. The exercise of imagining that an event has already occurred increased both the number and quality of reasons participants provided for the final result. That is: Hindsight (even imaginary hindsight!) can help us identify causes of an event more readily rather than trying to predict what might happen. That’s because looking back at events that have already happened (or are imagined to have happened) triggers WHY questions. By comparison, trying to predict future events tends to trigger less useful WHAT questions. I use these insights in my work with leadership teams so that the members create guardrails that can prevent problems before they start. I like to formalize group norms as “team charters”: a written agreement negotiated among members at an initial planning session that specifies how they will work together. The process of crafting a team charter encourages members to ponder over their collective mission and objectives; recognize individual strengths, weaknesses, and work styles; delineate roles and responsibilities of members; and establish the team’s decision-making process and distribution of accountability. The resulting document, if done right, will help minimize dysfunction within the collaboration. Establishing ground rules at the outset not only sets expectations but ensures that everyone is aware of these expectations. When the team gets stuck or run into difficulties, the members can use resets to review and modify the rules as appropriate. Super helpful, I find. #collaboration #teamCharter #leadership

I've watched so many hours wasted because nobody talked about the basics upfront. A few years ago, I made the mistake of assuming everyone had the same idea of what "done" meant. By the time we found out, we had done three iterations, with much frustration on all sides. That's when I saw the value of using team charters. It’s like a relationship contract for your work team. You sit down together and hash out the stuff that usually stays unspoken: What are we actually trying to accomplish here?  How do we like to communicate?  What drives us crazy?  What does good work look like to us? The beauty of that isn't in the document itself. It’s more in the conversations you have creating it.  Suddenly everyone's speaking the same language. One of the best parts?  When someone new joins, they get the playbook.  Instead of trying to decode unwritten rules for six months. And the charter isn't set in stone. We update it when things change. Since none of us are perfect at team communication, we need tools like charters to help us get aligned. When was the last time your team had an honest conversation about how you want to work together?

Most failed projects never lacked a plan — they lacked agreement. A project charter isn’t paperwork. It’s the invisible contract that aligns every stakeholder before chaos starts. It defines: - Why this project exists (purpose) - Who owns what (accountability) - How success will be measured (outcomes) I’ve seen teams skip this step because “we need to start fast. ” They end up starting twice — once to build, once to fix. But too often, teams skip this step because “ we need to start fast. ” The truth? They end up starting twice — once to build, once to fix. If you want to lead with clarity, start with alignment. Your first deliverable isn’t the Gantt chart — it’s shared understanding. Here are 3 ways to make your project charter actually work: ✅ 1. Make it outcome-driven, not output-driven. Most charters focus on what will be delivered — timelines, budgets, tasks. Shift to why it matters. Define the problem it solves and what success looks like in behavior or adoption. - Instead of “Deliver new CRM,” say “Increase user adoption by 25% within 3 months.” ✅ 2. Co-create, don’t delegate. A charter written for stakeholders dies fast. A charter written with stakeholders lives. Run a short alignment session before writing — get your sponsor, users, and leads to co-own the “why” and the “how.” - The goal: fewer sign-offs, more buy-in. ✅ 3. Keep it human-readable. If people can’t skim it, they won’t follow it. Use one page, plain language, and visuals (timeline, ownership chart, success metrics). A charter is not a report — it’s a roadmap for humans. - Ask yourself: “Could my team summarize this in 30 seconds?” If not, simplify. Because in the end — a good charter isn’t about process. It’s about clarity, ownership, and trust. 📈 Start with alignment. Delivery gets easier from there. #ProjectManagement #WGU #PMP #Leadership #ProjectCharter #Delivery

I’m currently in week three of my new role. Right now, I’m in observation mode—listening, learning, and "Forming." But I know what’s coming. Experienced leaders recognize Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. Right now, we are at the beginning. But as I start to express a point of view and recommend changes to how we work, we will inevitably hit the "Storming" phase. My goal isn't to avoid the storm. It’s to ensure it’s a passing sprinkle rather than a monsoon. To help us through, I’m aligning my leadership team now around three specific layers of our future Playbook: 1. The Charter This is our "contract" with ourselves and our partners. We are defining our swim lanes and our prioritization process. Whether you are in Sales, RevOps, Product Marketing, or Product, the Charter ensures you know exactly how to work with Enablement and what to expect from us. 2. The Operating Model This is our internal roadmap. It maps our current maturity against our future state. It’s the "how" behind our "what," ensuring we are organized to scale. 3. The Frameworks These are our repeatable tools—like our Readiness Guides and Diagnostic Frameworks. They provide the consistency and logic that allow us to move from "figuring it out" to "executing with excellence." I’ve seen this play out in the past. If you don't align on the Charter during the "Forming" stage, the "Storming" stage becomes much more destructive. We’re building the foundation today so we can get to "Performing" faster tomorrow.

Before You Start Any Project, You Need a Proper Project Charter One common mistake I’ve seen business owners make is jumping straight into project execution; assigning tasks, setting deadlines, and creating deliverables — without a clear foundation. That’s where a Project Charter comes in. A Project Charter is a foundational document that outlines what the project is about, why it exists, and how it will be executed. It serves as your project’s roadmap — giving clarity to both you and your team before work begins. Even for teams using an Agile approach, flexibility still needs structure. Your project charter provides that structure, defining boundaries while allowing room to adapt as priorities and client needs evolve. Here are 5 key steps involved in creating a strong Project Charter: 1️⃣ Project Initiation & Background Review; Define the purpose of the project — why it’s important, what problem it solves, or what opportunity it unlocks. 2️⃣ Define Project Objectives & Scope; Clearly outline what the project intends to achieve, including goals, deliverables, and what’s not included (to prevent scope creep). 3️⃣ Identify Key Stakeholders & Roles; List all major stakeholders, their roles, and responsibilities. This ensures everyone knows who’s accountable and how they’ll contribute. 4️⃣ Establish Deliverables, Timeline & Budget; Map out expected results, milestones, estimated costs, and the overall project schedule. For Agile teams, this can include iterative goals or sprint timelines that evolve as the project progresses. 5️⃣ Approval & Sign-Off by the Project Sponsor Secure formal approval from leadership or the project sponsor — this gives your team the green light to move into execution with confidence. A Project Charter doesn’t restrict agility rather it provides a clear direction for decision-making, even in changing conditions. If you’re managing multiple projects or launching a new one soon, take the time to create this document, or let an expert help you structure it the right way. It’s the first step toward clarity, adaptability, and successful delivery.

I have watched so many hours wasted in businesses because nobody talked about the basics upfront. A few years ago I saw this play out with a founder I was working with. They assumed everyone on their team had the same idea of what "done" looked like. By the time they found out that was not true, they had been through three rounds of rework, a lot of frustration, and a team that was quietly losing trust in each other. The problem was not capability. It was clarity. That is when I started seeing the real value of something most small teams skip entirely: a team charter. Think of it as a relationship contract for how your team actually works together. You sit down and hash out what you are trying to accomplish, how you like to communicate, and what good work actually looks like to each person in the room. The magic is not in the document. It is in the conversation you have creating it. Suddenly everyone is speaking the same language. Assumptions get replaced with agreements. When someone new joins, they get the playbook instead of spending six months trying to decode unwritten rules. A good charter usually comes down to two things most teams never say out loud: ↳ What does "done" actually mean here? ↳ What slows us down and drives us quietly crazy? Answer those honestly and you will clear more friction than any process tool ever will. The charter is not set in stone either. It evolves as the team does. When was the last time your team had an honest conversation about how you actually want to work together? 📌 If the answer is "never" or "I can't remember," that's usually where the friction lives. 

Key Elements of a Powerful Agile Team Charter 📌 1. Purpose What contribution does the team make? How do we create impact? 📌 2. Team Type & Responsibilities What areas of the solution are we responsible for? What’s our role within the broader organization? 📌 3. Working Agreements How do we collaborate to create a positive, productive environment? (This is crucial for fostering trust and ownership.) 📌 4. Success Measures What are our key indicators of success? How do we track progress? 📌 5. Definition of Done What criteria must be met for work to be accepted? (This prevents ambiguity and rework.) 📌 6. Key Interactions Which teams do we need to work closely with? 📌 7. Key Stakeholders Who are our key stakeholders, and how will we keep them informed? 📌 8. Team Members Who’s on the team? What are their roles and responsibilities? 📌 9. Distinctive Competencies What are we uniquely good at? What can we help others with? 📌 10. Team Events When and how do we meet, plan, and inspect progress? Agile Success Begins with Alignment A team without a charter is like a ship without a compass It may move, but without direction. Setting up an Agile Team Charter isn’t a one-time activity; it should evolve as the team grows, faces challenges, and learns. Does your team have a charter? If so, how has it helped? If not, what’s stopping you from creating one? Let’s discuss!

Most teams have unspoken rules. The best teams write them down. Many teams operate under vague assumptions about how they should work together. They assume everyone shares the same expectations. But assumptions breed confusion. And confusion breeds conflict. The solution is clarity. A Team Charter is a written agreement on why we exist as a team, what we value most, and how we'll live out those values through daily actions. In other words, our purpose, our values, and our norms. This was the focus of our sixth and final session of the Optimizing High-Performance Teams program with Andrea Albright and the Walmart International Growth Team. We've covered psychological safety, empathy, feedback, difficult conversations, and collective personality. Session 6 brought it all together. First, we tackled Purpose. We all know Walmart's purpose. Walmart exists to help people save money and live better. The question for the growth team was: What is your specific contribution to that purpose? “We exist to ______ so Walmart can help people save money and live better.” Next came Values, the qualities necessary to live out our purpose. All teams at Walmart share the same core RISE values (Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence). But each team also has its own micro-culture defined by values that are unique to them. So we spent time discussing and identifying the additional values beyond RISE that are at our core and therefore warrant a spot in our charter. Then we integrated the individual team members. Teammates shared their personal "User Manuals" from the previous session. Everyone shared their personality scores, their strengths, weaknesses, stress response, tips for communicating and collaborating with them, and specific growth challenges they’re working on. The goal was to surface patterns and raw material for the final piece of the Team Charter. That final piece was Team Norms. Values are what we believe. Norms are what we do to bring those values to life through daily action. The team built specific expectations around psychological safety, empathy, relationship-building, delivering (and receiving) constructive feedback, difficult conversations, managing conflict, communicating, collaborating, holding one another accountable, making decisions, and celebrating wins. The big takeaway from this session is that a Team Charter is one of the best psychological safety tools we have. Clarity creates safety. When expectations are written down and agreed upon, difficult conversations become easier. You're not attacking a person. You're pointing to a document that we all co-created. Doug McMillon once said, "I believe if we continue to be inspired by our purpose and authentically live our values, we will make a positive difference in the world for a long time to come." This is exactly what building a Team Charter is about. #TeamCharter #Leadership #HighPerformanceTeams #PsychologicalSafety #Purpose #Values #Norms

If you're a HR & people leader struggling with communication, silo’s, and collaboration.. here's why 'team charters' could be your best friend... 💡 👇 Firstly, any of these resonate? 💭 📣 Poor comms between Exec & business 📣 No context on decision-making 📣 Misalignment on expectations across teams 📣 Information is scattered, not accessible, slowing things down 📣 Silo’s are created, fuelling a culture of secrecy and frustration This is a big, big area to fix, so there's not one single solution, but one that we reference a lot at Open Org which is quick & simple is the idea of team charters 📃 ⏩ TL;DR .. a living, breathing team-level document that shows the rest of the business: 🎯 Your team's mission 🎯 What your team does, & doesn't do 🎯 Who's in your team (& their roles) 🎯 Your team's goals & accountabilities 🎯 Your team's in-flight projects & workstream 🎯 How your team communicates (e.g. when & where we work) Things this can help with... 🧠 Educating others about your roles 🧠 Helping others understand how best to contact & work with you 🧠 Team accountability, through open sharing of goals & work 🧠 Less duplication of work 🧠 Encouraging input & ideas on WIP It's such a great way of working more in the open, rather than in silo's. 📚 A few useful resources that might help... 👉 Example: PostHog's People Team Page is amazing. https://lnkd.in/edT7STuC 👉 Template: Miro have two nice templates on their Miroverse https://lnkd.in/eCNSxajG https://lnkd.in/e6bijKdV 👉 We build a little playbook to help people teams with this too, which could be adapted for other teams... https://lnkd.in/eUCs9pxD Good luck! DM if you want a ☕ to go a little deeper on this!