4.1 Develop Project Charter
Get formal sign-off that the project exists and names who is running it.
Initiating / Integration · ← PMBOK reference · See it on the map
Why it matters
Without this, nobody outside your own head has agreed the project is real, so any spending or staffing decision you make can be second-guessed or reversed.
What done looks like
A sponsor has signed a charter naming the project, its purpose, and its manager.
First time tip
Keep the charter to a single page. A charter that reads like a plan invites line-by-line renegotiation instead of a quick yes.
What you need (Inputs)
- Business Case
- Benefits Management Plan
- Agreements Initial
- Enterprise Environmental Factors
- Organizational Process Assets
How you do it (Tools & Techniques)
What you get (Outputs)
Worked example
A small nonprofit wants its aging branch library renovated before the next school year. The director drafts a one-page charter naming the goal, a rough budget ceiling, and herself as project manager, and the board chair signs it at the next meeting — the renovation is now an authorized project, not a wish.
Common pitfalls
- Writing a full plan instead of a charter, so the sponsor has to negotiate line items to get a yes.
- Letting work start before anyone with authority has actually signed off.
- Naming a project manager nobody with budget authority agreed to.
How driftless helps
- Meetings can be run here.
- Assumption Log can be created in the wizard.