Most projects don't start with a blank page. They start with a kickoff call, a few emails and a set of meeting notes that everyone agreed with at the time. The charter's job is to turn that into one document the sponsor can sign.
By AutoPMO team ·
Start with what was decided, not what was said
Read your notes once and mark only three kinds of lines: decisions, commitments and open questions. A decision is something the group agreed ("launch in the first quarter"). A commitment has an owner and a date ("Finance confirms the budget by Friday"). An open question is anything still being argued.
Decisions become the charter. Commitments become milestones and owners. Open questions become risks or items for the sponsor to settle before approval.
Fill the sections in this order
- Objectives. Write two or three outcomes the project must achieve, each one measurable. If the notes only say "improve onboarding", ask what number should change.
- Scope. List what is in, then list what is out. The out list prevents more arguments later than anything else in the charter.
- Deliverables and milestones. Name the things the project will hand over and the dates that matter. Use the commitments you marked.
- Budget. State the approved amount, or the amount you are asking the sponsor to approve.
- Risks. Turn each open question into a risk with an owner.
- Stakeholders. Name the sponsor, the decision makers and the people who need to be kept informed.
- Approval. Leave a place for the sponsor to sign and date it.
Keep it short enough to read
A charter that runs to many pages rarely gets read before it is signed. Aim for something the sponsor can review in one sitting. Detail belongs in the plan; the charter only has to say why the project exists, what it will deliver and who is accountable.
Check it with the people in the room
Before you send it for approval, share the draft with the people who were in the meetings. Ask one question: is anything here different from what we agreed? Fixing a misunderstanding now is cheaper than fixing it after the work starts.
A faster first draft
Our free project charter template walks through each section with guidance. In AutoPMO, you can turn your project documents into a draft charter, from executive summary to work breakdown, ready for you to edit. Upload your meeting notes and brief, generate the draft, then review every section before you share it.