Planning·Project management
Project Charter template
A project charter workshop is a great way to get the whole team aligned around goals before you get started on a new initiative
Current situation — Where are we now?
Why is this project important?
Success metrics
Constraints
Project goal:
Initial objectives — What will we achieve in the first sprint?
Risks
Assumptions
①
②
⑥
⑦
③
④
⑤
⑧
Think about what someone coming to the project for the first time might need to know
Use this space to set the context for the rest of the conversation
What might affect how you deliver this project?
Use this section to note anything that you think is probably true, but might need some testing or clarification
Think about the way your organization works, the needs of stakeholders and any other partners, and the time and budget you have available
What might cause this project to fail?
Honesty is the best policy here
Try to avoid vanity metrics here
If it’s helpful, try to identify both lead and lag measures of success
Quantitative metrics are best, but qualitative measures work fine here too, especially for more experimental projects
Add project goal here once you’ve completed the rest of the exercise
Be realistic, but ambitious – this is your chance to set the project off to a good start
Be honest about why the project matters – it’ll help get everyone on board
About this template

For this exercise, it can be helpful to get your team members to do a bit of homework in advance so that you can run a snappy workshop.

The stack sidebar makes this easy to do. Create a board using this template, and send the link around a few days in advance.

To use this template during the workshop, follow the steps in order. Time suggestions are for a 2 hour session, but you should adapt them to suit the project you’re planning and the number of people in the meeting.

  1. Describe the current situation (10 mins) – set the context for the rest of the conversation
  2. Define why the project is important (15 mins) – this helps to get everyone on board
  3. Assumptions (30 mins for the next three sections) – what do you believe to be true that’s a necessary condition for the project to succeed
  4. Constraints – about the way your organization works, the needs of stakeholders and any other partners, and the time and budget you have available
  5. Risks – be honest about what might cause the project to fail
  6. Initial objectives (30 mins) – what will you achieve in the first sprint (or month or whatever is appropriate)?
  7. Success metrics (25 mins) – try to identify lead and lag measures
  8. Project goal (10 mins) – finally, come up with a one-liner to summarize your project
Updates
Last updated 6 months ago