These 21+ excellent project charter templates give you a ready-made structure for creating an accurate, organized document without spending time designing every field and section. The collection includes different layouts for personal, academic, and workplace use. Compare the previews, choose the version that reflects the information you need to record, and download the stated format. You can then replace sample details, revise headings, add branding, and adjust the layout while retaining a clear and consistent structure.
Quick Template Comparison
Use this comparison to narrow down the available excellent project charter templates downloads before opening every file. Preview the selected design carefully because individual layouts may emphasize different fields, levels of detail, or page arrangements.
| Template option | Best suited for | Available format | Editing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Project Charter Template | Quick everyday use | Word | Fully customizable |
| Company’s Project Charter Template | Professional or office use | Word | Fully customizable |
| Basic Layout of a Project Charter in MS WORD | Detailed records and review | Word | Fully customizable |
| Special Project Charter Template | Alternative layout or special case | Word | Fully customizable |
| University Project Charter Sample Doc | Users who want another format | Word | Fully customizable |
Download and Selection Guide
The templates on this page are intended to give you a practical starting point rather than a rigid finished document. Choose a layout according to the amount of information you need to record, the people who will complete it, and whether the finished file will be edited digitally, printed, signed, or shared as a PDF. A simple design is usually best for occasional personal use, while a more detailed format is better for recurring office, business, academic, or regulated work.
- Formats identified on this page: Word.
- Editing: Save a separate copy before replacing sample text, headings, tables, formulas, or branding.
- Printing: Confirm paper size, orientation, margins, and page breaks in print preview.
- Sharing: Keep the editable source securely and export a PDF when recipients should not alter the final layout.
- Recordkeeping: Use a descriptive filename containing the subject, date, version, or reference number.
How to Choose the Right Excellent Project Charter Templates
Start by listing the information the completed document must contain. Compare that list with each preview and select the smallest template that covers every essential field without forcing users through unnecessary sections. Consider whether multiple entries, calculations, approvals, signatures, attachments, or revision history will be required. If the document will be completed by several people, favor a consistent layout with clear labels and enough writing space.
For a formal or high-consequence use, check whether your organization, school, client, industry, or jurisdiction requires a particular format. A visually attractive download is not automatically suitable for legal, medical, financial, academic, safety, or compliance purposes. When necessary, ask a qualified person to review the customized version before it is approved or distributed.
How to Customize the Download
- Download the preferred file and preserve an unchanged master copy.
- Replace all sample names, dates, figures, instructions, and placeholder text.
- Add or remove rows and sections so the document matches the real workflow.
- Apply consistent fonts, colors, spacing, headings, and organization branding.
- Verify formulas, totals, references, dates, links, and attachment labels.
- Test the document on a phone and desktop, then check print preview.
- Save the working file and create a read-only PDF copy when appropriate.
Before You Use the Template
Review the entire file instead of editing only the first page. Remove instructional text that should not appear in the final document, check that no previous user information remains, and make sure blank fields are either completed or marked not applicable. Protect confidential information, restrict editing where needed, and store finalized records according to your retention and backup requirements.
Quality check: confirm that the title matches the purpose, the information is complete, terminology is consistent, calculations are correct, signatures and approvals are available, and the final version can be understood without verbal explanation.
Select a template according to the real task, not appearance alone. Check whether it contains the correct fields, enough writing space, suitable date and number formats, and any necessary signature or approval areas. Before sharing the completed 21+ excellent project charter templates, verify names, figures, formulas, instructions, and attachments. Keep the original download as a blank master and create a new working copy each time. If legal, medical, financial, or regulatory requirements apply, review the customized document against the appropriate local rules.
For related resources, explore our 13 Easy-To-Use Construction Bid Form Templates, Top 14 Root Cause Analysis Templates, and 15+ Official Risk Management Plan Templates. These complementary templates can support similar planning, documentation, and recordkeeping needs.
Get FREE Project Charter Templates Here
Simple Project Charter Template
File Size: 13 KB
Company’s Project Charter Template
File Size: 128 KB
Basic Layout of a Project Charter in MS WORD
File Size: 21 KB
Special Project Charter Template
File Size: 74 KB
University Project Charter Sample Doc
File Size: 20 KB
One Page Project Charter Template
File Size: 42 KB
Standard Project Charter Template
File Size: 10 KB
Free Customizable Project Charter Word Template
File Size: 07 KB
Professional Project Charter Format Template
File Size: 152 KB
Fillable Project Charter Example in MS WORD
File Size: 24 KB
Official Project Charter Template Doc
File Size: 19 KB
Revised Project Charter Template
File Size: 37 KB
Formal Project Charter Sample in MS WORD
File Size: 58 KB
Construction Project Charter Template
File Size: 55 KB
Special Project Charter Template in MS WORD
File Size: 85 KB
Agile Project Charter Template
File Size: 42 KB
Educational Institute’s Project Charter Template
File Size: 457 KB
Proper Project Charter Word Template
File Size: 60 KB
Practical Project Charter Example
File Size: 40 KB
Project Charter Template with Example Data
File Size: 54 KB
Project Charter Template for a Project Manager
File Size: 08 KB
Business Project Charter Template
File Size: 11 KB
What is a project charter?
A project charter is a document that establishes the purpose and high-level direction of a project. In organizations that use formal project authorization, it also records the approval to begin and identifies the project manager’s authority. The exact format varies, so follow your organization’s governance process rather than assuming a general template creates approval by itself.
The charter is most useful when it resolves important questions early. What problem are we addressing? What result will count as success? What is outside the project? Who can make or approve significant decisions? If these questions remain unanswered, a completed form can give the appearance of agreement without providing a dependable basis for the work.
Project charter versus project plan
A charter explains the reason for the project and its broad boundaries. A project plan develops the details of delivery, such as activities, dependencies, resources, and control arrangements. The charter might identify a target launch period and a major budget constraint, while the plan explains how the team intends to work within them.
A business case may provide the wider justification, including options and expected value. A scope statement may describe deliverables and exclusions in greater detail. These documents can support one another. Avoid copying them all into the charter simply to fill space; reference the appropriate supporting information where your process allows it.
What should a project charter include?
Project purpose and background
Describe the problem or opportunity in language that someone outside the project can understand. Explain why action is being considered now and what is unsatisfactory about the current situation. Avoid starting with a solution before the need is clear. “Replace the booking tool” says what you may do; it does not explain the problem being solved.
Objectives and success measures
State the results the project is expected to achieve and how they will be assessed. Make the measures specific enough to review later. If a baseline is not yet available, record that limitation and identify how it will be established. A numerical target without a defined measurement method can create disagreement at the end of the project.
High-level scope and exclusions
List the main deliverables and boundaries. Explain what the project will include and what it will not address. For an internal booking improvement, the scope might cover one department and one process, with expansion to other departments excluded from the initial phase. Clear exclusions prevent reasonable-sounding requests from silently changing the project.
Roles, stakeholders, and authority
Identify the sponsor, project manager, and key groups involved. Explain who approves major changes or resolves issues beyond the manager’s authority. Stakeholders and approvers are not always the same people. A list of names is less useful than a clear explanation of their roles in decisions and delivery.
Milestones, resources, and constraints
Record the major target dates and resource expectations known at this stage. Label estimates and assumptions clearly. If a deadline is fixed, say why it matters; if it is provisional, avoid presenting it as an approved commitment. Broad budget and staffing information should have enough context for readers to understand its basis.
Risks, assumptions, and dependencies
Identify the uncertainties that could materially affect the project. An assumption is something the initial approach relies on but has not fully confirmed. A dependency is a relationship with another activity, decision, or resource. Keep these visible so later planning can test them instead of treating them as established facts.
How to write a project charter step by step
1. Clarify the underlying need. Speak with the sponsor and relevant users about the problem, expected benefit, and intended boundaries. Capture the current situation before discussing every possible feature. Agreement on the need helps the team judge whether later requests contribute to the purpose or merely add work.
2. Draft the outcomes and scope. Write the objectives, principal deliverables, and exclusions in plain language. Check that the deliverables support the outcomes. A document can list many activities without identifying a useful result, so ask what will be different once the project is complete.
3. Identify the decision structure. Confirm the sponsor and project manager, then describe how major questions will be escalated. Include the relevant approval roles. Do not infer authority from a person’s job title alone when the project requires a specific decision arrangement.
4. Add realistic initial estimates. Record known constraints, milestone expectations, and resource assumptions. Distinguish confirmed commitments from preliminary estimates. If more discovery is required, state what needs to be learned and when the estimates will be reviewed. Uncertainty is easier to manage when it is visible.
5. Review and obtain the appropriate approval. Ask the relevant people to check the document for conflicting expectations and omissions. Follow the organization’s approval process and record the approved version. An attractive template does not guarantee approval; the substance needs to support the decision.
Example of a simple project charter
Consider a fictional project to improve meeting-room booking within one office. The problem is that requests arrive through several channels and staff cannot reliably see availability. The proposed outcome is a single agreed booking process with a visible record. Initial deliverables might include documented requirements, a configured booking approach, user guidance, and a short trial.
The charter would identify the sponsor and person coordinating the work, the office included, and any systems or locations excluded. It would also record assumptions about access and staff availability. Success measures would be agreed before the trial, using an appropriate baseline rather than an invented improvement percentage. This example illustrates structure, not a claim about a completed project.
Make objectives measurable without inventing precision
Useful objectives describe an outcome, a measure, and a relevant review point. If the project aims to reduce processing delays, define which process is measured and how elapsed time is calculated. Otherwise, two teams can use different start and finish points and report incompatible results.
Where information is incomplete, include a step to establish the baseline and confirm the target. This is stronger than selecting a percentage simply because it looks professional. Also distinguish delivery success from longer-term benefits. Completing an agreed system and achieving a business improvement may be assessed at different times.
Use a one-page charter when the project allows it
A one-page project charter can work for a small initiative with a clear purpose and limited complexity. Keep the core sections concise: purpose, outcomes, scope, roles, milestones, and major uncertainties. Use short statements that carry actual information rather than shrinking the font to fit a long narrative.
If a project requires substantial explanation, use supporting pages or an appropriate longer format. One page is a design choice, not a measure of quality. The document should be short enough to use and complete enough to support the relevant authorization and shared understanding.
Customize the downloaded template
Open the selected file and inspect its structure before making extensive changes. Replace example names, dates, budgets, and descriptions. Remove sections that do not apply only when your process permits it, and add missing information that the project requires. A generic template should adapt to the work rather than dictate it.
Use consistent terms across the charter and supporting documents. If one section calls a result a pilot and another calls it a full rollout, clarify the difference. Check tables and page breaks after editing. Save a clearly identified draft and preserve the approved version separately from later working changes.
Keep the charter relevant as the project develops
Review the charter when a material change affects the original purpose, scope, authority, or constraints. Follow the agreed change process rather than quietly rewriting the approved document. Record the reason, decision, and version so the team can understand how the project evolved.
Minor planning details do not always require a charter revision. The important question is whether the change alters the basis on which the project was authorized or understood. Keep detailed scheduling updates in the project plan when appropriate, while ensuring the charter continues to describe the project accurately.
Common project charter mistakes
Vague objectives and missing exclusions create avoidable ambiguity. Another frequent problem is listing assumptions as facts. A budget that depends on unconfirmed staffing or a deadline that depends on another team’s delivery should make that relationship visible. Otherwise, the charter may appear more certain than the evidence supports.
A charter can also become too detailed to use. Long task lists can hide the central purpose and decision responsibilities. Keep operational detail in the appropriate plan and give readers enough context to understand the high-level commitments. Finally, remove sample approvals and signatures so a draft cannot be mistaken for an authorized document.
Frequently asked questions
Who writes a project charter?
The drafting responsibility varies by organization. A project manager may prepare it with input from the sponsor and stakeholders. What matters is that the relevant people confirm the purpose, boundaries, and authority, and that approval follows the process used by the organization.
Does every project need a long charter?
No. A small, straightforward project may use a concise format. More complex work may need additional detail or supporting documents. Choose the length based on the decisions and information required rather than trying to make the document look substantial.
Can the charter change after approval?
Yes, when the relevant process allows and records the change. Preserve the approved history and identify the current version. Significant changes to purpose, scope, or authority should be reviewed by the appropriate decision-makers rather than edited into the document without explanation.
Is a project charter the same as a proposal?
No. A proposal usually presents a suggested course of action for consideration. A charter establishes the agreed high-level direction and, where applicable, authorization for a project. Terminology can vary, so follow the document purpose and governance requirements used in your organization.
