Project Charter Template (Kickoff)
A project charter for kickoff — purpose/objectives, in-scope and out-of-scope, stakeholders, milestones/timeline, budget, and success criteria — to authorize the project and align everyone before work starts.
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PROJECT CHARTER Project: Website Redesign 2026 Sponsor: VP Marketing PM: Sample PM Date: May 23, 2026 PURPOSE & OBJECTIVES Replace the dated marketing site with a faster, mobile-first site that improves lead conversion. Objectives: cut page load to <2s, lift demo-request conversion by 25%, and make content updates self-serve for the marketing team. SCOPE — IN - New design system and component library - Rebuild top 20 pages and the blog - CMS migration and editor training - Analytics and conversion tracking SCOPE — OUT (explicitly not included) - The logged-in app / product UI - Paid-ad campaigns - Non-English localization (phase 2) - CRM replacement STAKEHOLDERS - VP Marketing — Sponsor / decision-maker - Sample PM — Project manager - Design Lead — Design - Eng Lead — Build - Content Lead — Migration & copy MILESTONES / TIMELINE - Kickoff & discovery: Jun 2 - Design system approved: Jun 20 - Pages built: Jul 25 - Content migrated & QA: Aug 8 - Launch: Aug 15 BUDGET $85,000 (design $30k, eng $40k, content $10k, tools $5k) SUCCESS CRITERIA (how we know it worked) - Page load under 2 seconds on mobile - Demo-request conversion up 25% vs. baseline - Marketing can publish without engineering - Launch on or before Aug 15 within budget RISKS & ASSUMPTIONS Assumes content team provides copy by Jul 1. Risk: CMS migration complexity could slip the timeline — mitigate with a 1-week buffer and an early migration spike. APPROVAL By signing, the sponsor authorizes this project and the use of the resources above. _____________________________ Date: ____________________ VP Marketing, Sponsor
About this template
A project charter is the short document that formally authorizes a project and, just as importantly, gets everyone to agree on the same project before work starts. Its highest-value sections are the ones teams are tempted to skip: a crisp **purpose with objectives** (why this project exists, tied to measurable outcomes), an explicit **out-of-scope** list, and **success criteria** in numbers. The out-of-scope list is the single best defense against scope creep — writing down what the project will NOT do prevents the slow accumulation of "small" additions that blow timelines, and gives the PM something concrete to point to when new requests arrive. Define **success criteria** up front and in measurable terms ("page load under 2s," "conversion up 25%") so the project can be judged honestly at the end rather than declared a success by whoever is most optimistic. The charter should also name the **sponsor** (the person with authority and budget who can unblock the project) and the key **stakeholders** with their roles, set out **milestones** and a **budget**, and capture the major **risks and assumptions** that, if wrong, would change the plan. Keep it to a page or two: a charter is an alignment and authorization tool, not a detailed plan (that comes after). The act of getting the sponsor to sign is what turns it from a wish list into an authorized project. Use it at kickoff, review it at major milestones, and amend it formally if scope or success criteria change rather than letting them drift.
When to use it
- Kicking off a new project and getting formal sponsor authorization.
- Aligning stakeholders on purpose, scope, and success before work starts.
- Setting an explicit out-of-scope boundary to prevent scope creep.
- Establishing the budget, timeline, and success criteria of record.
What to include
- Project name, sponsor, PM, and date.
- Purpose and measurable objectives.
- In-scope and (critically) out-of-scope lists.
- Stakeholders with roles, milestones/timeline, and budget.
- Success criteria in numbers, key risks/assumptions, and sponsor sign-off.