A project charter should do more than officially start a project. It should create clarity. Throughout my career, I have seen projects struggle because teams began executing before answering a few fundamental questions: What problem are we solving?
What outcome are we accountable for delivering? Who has the authority to make decisions? What is in scope—and what is not?
How will we know whether the project succeeded? A strong charter forces those conversations to happen early. I have created and standardized project charters across PMO environments because consistency matters.
When every project defines objectives, scope, ownership, governance, risks, dependencies, and success measures differently, portfolio oversight becomes unnecessarily difficult. AI can help teams develop a first draft by reviewing an approved request, meeting notes, requirements, and prior project documentation. But AI should not decide the answers.
The sponsor must own the outcome. The project manager must test the assumptions. The team must understand the commitments.
AI can accelerate the creation of the artifact. Leadership gives the artifact meaning. A charter is the first agreement about how the organization intends to turn an idea into an outcome.