How to Create a Project Charter

Overview

Project charters should be completed before project work begins and are required fro all projects managed or monitored by the Project Management Office (PMO) as part of the University Planning project proposal process. 

A project charter is developed for a high priority project or initiative planned for the upcoming fiscal year when project management resources are requested. 

​​​​​​​For additional guidance, refer to the Project Charter Knowledge Base Article. 

Completing the Project Charter Template

  1. Download the Project Charter Template.
  2. Complete all required sections: 
    • Project Name: project name must match with the name listed from the division work plan
    • Fiscal Year: input the fiscal year for when the project will be active.
    • Division: input the division name the project charter will be housed under.
    • Description: provide a brief description about what the project is and what benefits it will produce.
    • Success Criteria: provide description about the measurable evaluation criteria, the value produced for Metro State and/or KPIs. These criteria should tell us whether the project was successful. 
    • Deliverables: input the specific work items that this project will produce, deliverables can have their own deliverables stacked underneath them. Deliverables must be listed in priority order and must be tied to the milestones. 
    • Milestones: input the specific points/high level tasks along the project's time line. These milestones are checkpoints within the project and are used to measures progress throughout the year. Milestone date(s) is required.
    • Associated Costs: a high-level budget or anticipated purchases for the project; if applicable.  
    • Scope: clarify or define the boundaries of the project, must include both in and out scope information.
    • Risks: input potential roadblocks that would delay the timeline or achieving a deliverable or milestone. Add potential mitigation that would need to take place if the roadblock occurs. 
    • Assumptions: input possible information that may be accepted as truth or certain to happen, regardless of proof.  
    • Reporting: provide information on what metrics or other projects this project may need to be reported on or feed into. 
    • Team Members: provide information for each team member, additional resource/stakeholder/observer, or shared governance connection that is needed for the project. Be sure to think carefully about resources external to your division. Include estimated total project hours per team member to support resource planning. 
  3. Submit completed project charter to the Director of Institutional Research for review and approval process. 

Off-Cycle New Priorities & New Project Proposal Process

If a project Sponsor identifies a new project after the annual planning cycle, the following process applies:

  1. The Project Sponsor completes the University approved project charter template. The charter can be adjusted to fit project needs. 
  2. The Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research reviews the charter for:
    1. Clear goals
    2. Defined milestones
    3. Detailed deliverables with timelines
    4. Stakeholder and resource planning
  3. The charter may be returned for revision. 
  4. The Project Sponsor meets with University Planning and the PMO to present the charter and address questions.
  5. The PMO reviews the request in context of existing priorities, resource capacity, timelines, and project management availability and provides recommendations. 
  6. The Project Sponsor, University Planning, and PMO present the project recommendation (current fiscal year or not) to the President. 
  7. If the project is not approved for the current fiscal year, next steps may include:
    1. Holding the project for future submission
    2. Revising and resubmitting based on feedback
    3. Archiving the request
  8. If the project is recommended for the current fiscal year:
    1. The Project Sponsor presents the project and charter to the President's Executive Cabinet (PEC). 
    2. PEC makes a recommendation to the President. 
    3. The President approves or denies the request. 

If project management resources are requested, the President considers the PMO's recommendation and determines whether the project will be managed or monitored by the PMO. If approved, the PMO assigns a Project Manager and adjusts project priorities as needed. Impacted work plans may require updates in coordination with University Planning. 

For Project Manager assignment details, see the Project Management Office (PMO) Framework Knowledge Base Article. 

Off-Cycle Project or Activity Definition

An off-cycle project or activity meets the following criteria:

  • Urgent, critical, or mandated initiative not identified during annual planning
  • Defined start and end dates with a clear scope
  • Focused on creating a new service, process, or outcome
  • Not part of routine or ongoing operations
  • Estimated to require more than 40 hours of work
  • Fall under:
    • Strategic activity
    • Master plan activity
    • Work requiring cross-departmental resource
  • Requires cross-university visibility and awareness
  • May benefit from quarterly progress reporting
  • May benefit from project management support

Additional Resources

If further assistance is needed relating to the project charter or university planning, please send an email to Alec Campbell or submit a request Information ticket. 

 

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What a project charter is along with a template to use.
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