Writing a project charter that actually gets signed

The one-page document that authorises your project — and the five sections sponsors care about most.

A charter's job is not to document everything — it's to get a decision. The best charters fit on a single page and answer the sponsor's real question: why should we spend money and people on this, and what does done look like?

Lead with the problem or opportunity in plain language, then the objective, then the top three deliverables. Sponsors sign when they can see the outcome and the boundaries clearly.

Keep scope, timeline, and budget as ranges early on. Precision you can't defend erodes trust; honest ranges with assumptions build it.