v. Nov. 18, 2015
Project Charter
Project Name
Department Name
PROJECT INFORMATION
Sponsor Name & Title
Sponsor Contact Information
Project Manager Name
Project Manager Contact Information
Project Charter Version
Version #
Date
(MM/DD/YYYY)
Comments
(Draft, Signed, Revised etc.)
PROJECT CHARTER: Project Name
Page 1 of 8
Instructions for the Project Charter Template
PROJECT NAME:
Project Name
DEPARTMENT/UNIT:
Department or Unit Sponsoring Project
PREPARED BY:
Typically the Project Manager
DOCUMENT PURPOSE
The Project Charter documents the formal conversation between the Project Sponsor and the Project Manager/Team, including
identifying metrics of success for the project. Once approved, the Project Charter communicates the current agreement between the
Project Sponsor and the Project Team throughout the lifecycle of a project. The Charter provides a high-level overview of the project
including the definition of project success, and project resource (people and funds) requirements.
Requests and additions to the project scope are considered “out-of-scope” for the current project. When a scope change is required,
document a change request that includes an impact analysis of project cost, resources, schedule, and risk. The Project Sponsor then
formally approves the scope change request.
The project manager will retain additional documents that provide detail on the management of the project, including a communications
plan, an issues log, a risk log, a change management plan, a budget, and a work schedule.
REVIEW & APPROVAL
(The Project Sponsor’s signature indicates approval of the Project Charter and acceptance of the Sponsor’s responsibilities identified
in the Project Charter. The Project Sponsor’s signature also authorizes the Project Manager and Team to use the identified resources
to proceed with the detailed planning and execution of the project, using this charter as guide.)
Project Sponsor(s) Name
Signature
Date
PURPOSE & GOALS
(Describe the current challenges and opportunities that the project is addressing. In your response, please be sure to answer the
following four questions:
• What problems will be addressed by the project?
• What goals will be achieved by the project?
• What benefits will the project deliver and which constituencies will receive these benefits?
• How does the project align with the strategic priorities of the campus, college, school, or unit?)
SCOPE
(Describe the scope of the project. The scope defines the boundaries where the project begins and ends. The scope describes what
will be delivered including where, when, and how. It describes the services, functions, systems, solutions, or tangible products that
are approved by the Sponsor(s) to be created during the course of the project, as well as the business process impacts.
PROJECT CHARTER: Project Name
Page 2 of 8
OUT OF SCOPE
(List any deliverables including services, functions, systems, solutions, or tangible products that the sponsor has determined to be
outside of the project’s scope. It may include specific deliverables to be created during a future project.)
MEASURES OF SUCCESS
(Describe what success looks like for the project. How will the Sponsor(s), Functional Owner and Technical Owner know that the
products and services created by the project have addressed the problems, delivered the needed benefits to members of the
community, and achieved the goals that are described in the Purpose section of this Charter?)
#
Description of the Measure of Success
How
Measured
Deadline to
Achieve the
Measure of
Success
Is this measurement designed to
determine if specific project goals
described in the Project’s Purpose
section have been achieved? If yes,
which goals?
1
2
3
4
PROJECT CONSTRAINTS & ASSUMPTIONS
(List the known and anticipated constraints, and the initial assumptions for the project.)
#
Description
1
2
3
4
PROJECT CHARTER: Project Name
Page 3 of 8
FINANCE DESCRIPTION
(Provide a high-level overview of the financial resources required to complete the project and operate the products and services
created by it. This includes the project expense, funding sources, estimated revenue and saving goals, and ongoing operational
expenses.)
Project Expenses & Funding
(Describe the project expenses and funding sources needed to successfully complete the project.
Do not include the operational expenses, which should be entered in the Operating Expenses and Lifetime section.)
Project Expenses
Describe the expenses required to
complete the project including all labor.
Expense Description
Amount
Timing of Expense
(e.g. FY2016)
$
$
$
$
Total Project Cost
(What is the total estimated cost to complete the project? The total cost should equal
the sum of the project expenses.)
$
Project Funding
(What are the sources of funding to
conduct the project? For each funding
source, indicate the amount of funding that
will be provided. If the funding source is a
loan, indicate this in the Notes column.)
Source of Funding
Amount of
Funding
Notes
$
$
$
$
Total Provided Project Funding.
(Should equal the sum of the Project Funding amounts described above.)
$
Project Loan
(If the Project Funding section includes a
loan as a funding source, please describe
the terms of the loan.)
Name of Loan Provider
Loan
Amount
Duration to Pay
Back the Loan
Other Loan
Conditions
Revenue and Saving Goals
(Describe all the revenue and savings that will be produced by the products and services created by the project.)
Revenue
(What is the estimated annual new revenue
produced by the products and services
created by the project?)
Year 1
FY20__
Year 2
FY20__
Year 3
FY20__
Year 4
FY20__
Year 5
FY20__
Savings
(Describe any savings that the project is
designed to achieve. For each saving goal,
note whether this is a hard or soft savings
and whether this is a one-time or recurring
savings. )
Source of
Savings
Amount of
Savings
Hard or Soft
Savings?
One-time or Recurring Savings?
$
$
$
Annual Operating Expenses & Lifetime (Post Implementation)
Annual Operating Expenses
(What are the annual expenses required to
operate the products and services created
by the project, and how will these expenses
will be funded?)
Expense Description
Amount
Funding Source
$
$
$
$
Total Annual Operating Expenses
(What is the total annual operating expense? Should equal the sum of the annual
operating expenses described above. )
$
Estimated Operating Lifetime
(What is the estimated lifetime in years that the products and services created by the project will be
operated?)
PROJECT CHARTER: Project Name
Page 4 of 8
PROJECT MILESTONES & DELIVERABLES
(List the major project milestones. Describe what will be delivered for each milestone and when it will be delivered.)
Milestone
Deliverables
Date
VENDOR CONTRACTS & DELIVERABLES
(List any vendors that will be used. Describe what will be delivered and when it will be delivered.)
Vendor Name
Deliverable(s)
Date Due
HIGH-LEVEL RISKS
(Identify the high-level project risks and the strategies to prevent them from becoming issues.)
#
Risk Description
Risk Management Strategy
1
2
3
2
PROJECT CHARTER: Project Name
Page 5 of 8
PROJECT COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES
(Describe the project’s communication activities that will be conducted to ensure there is effective project communications among
the Sponsor(s), the members of the project team including the project manager, and other key stakeholders. Note who will
participate in the meetings and receive project documents.
Description of the Communication
Activity
Meeting
Participants
&
Document
Recipients
Frequency of
Communication
Activity
Person
Responsible for
the
Communication
Activity
Distribution
Method
Archive Location
Project Team Meetings
Project
Team
Weekly
Project Manager
Meeting notes
distributed via
the team’s
email list.
Notes stored on
the project’s
CalShare Site
Sponsor Meetings
Sponsor and
Project
Manager
Monthly
Project Manager
Meeting notes
emailed to the
Sponsor.
Notes stored on
the project’s
CalShare Site
Project Status Report
Sponsor &
Project
Team
Monthly
Project Manager
Reports
distributed via
email using
the project
team’s mailing
list and the
Sponsor’s
email address
Reports stored on
the project’s
CalShare Site
Project Planning Document
Including the Charter, Schedule,
Budget, Risk Register, and Risk Plan
Sponsor &
Project
Team
As Needed
Project Manager
Notification of
document
creation and
updates
emailed to the
project team
Reports stored on
the project’s
CalShare Site
CHANGE MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
(Please answer the questions below to identify the change management requirements and activities to help members of the
community transition successfully to using the new services and products created by the project so that the campus, school, college
or unit will achieve lasting benefits from the investment of resources. Identify the training and communications needed for staff
providing operational support for the services and products created by the project.)
Describe the groups that will be impacted
by the services and products created by
the project and how they will be impacted.
If there are particular units or departments
that will be impacted, please identify
them.
Briefly describe the training that is needed
to help the impacted members of the
community transition to use the new
services and products and to adopt new
business processes. Describe both the
training needed for the customers of the
services and products and the staff that
provide operational support.
Briefly describe the kinds of
communication and outreach activities
that are needed to help the impacted
members of the community prepare for
PROJECT CHARTER: Project Name
Page 6 of 8
the transition to use the new services and
projects and to adopt new business
processes. Such activities could include
newsletters, project web sites, town hall
meetings, and presentations to specific
departments or campus groups.
Are there any other change requirements
or activities that need to be conducted to
help the impacted members of the
community transition smoothly and
successfully to achieve the intended and
lasting benefits from the project?
3
PROJECT CHARTER: Project Name
Page 7 of 8
APPENDIX A - PROJECT ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Name the members of the project team.
PROJECT SPONSOR: Provides overall direction, guidance, and funding for the project.
RESPONSIBILITIES include setting the vision and strategic direction, approving the project charter and plan; securing resources for
the project; confirming the project’s goals and objectives; keeping abreast of major project activities; making decisions on
escalated issues; and assisting in the resolution of roadblocks.
NAME
NAME
FUNCTIONAL OWNER:
Manages the impact of the project in their functional area.
RESPONSIBILITIES include ensuring agreed-upon project tasks and deliverables are completed, incorporating the views of their
customers, providing functional expertise in a particular area, articulating requirements, and working to ensure that business needs
are met.
NAME
NAME
NAME
PROJECT MANAGER:
Leads the team in planning and implementing the project from initiation to closure.
RESPONSIBILITIES include scope and change management, keeping the project plan current (deliverables, schedule, and
resources), issue and risk management, maintaining project documents, reporting project status, and facilitating conflict
resolutions within the project and between cross-functional teams...
NAME
NAME
A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT (SME) provides expertise on project elements including business process and current or new
technical solutions.
RESPONSIBILITIES include maintaining up-to-date experience and knowledge on the subject matter, validating recommendations,
and providing advice on what is critical to the performance of a project task.
NAME
NAME
NAME
NAME
NAME
NAME
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PROJECT CHARTER: Project Name
Page 8 of 8
Describe the roles and responsibilities of the project participants.
PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS
RESPONSIBILITIES include
• Understanding the work to be completed, completing the research, data gathering, analysis, and documentation,
• Informing the project manager and team members of issues, scope changes, risks, and quality concerns, and
• Proactively communicate status and manage expectations.
NAME
ROLE
NAME
ROLE
NAME
ROLE
NAME
ROLE
NAME
ROLE
NAME
ROLE
NAME
ROLE
APPENDIX B - KEY TERMS & DEFINITIONS FOR THIS PROJECT CHARTER
Define key terms unique to this Project Charter.