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Project charter

A project charter template that locks down scope, sponsor, budget, and success criteria before work starts, and tracks approval status for teams running several projects at once.

About this template

A charter that lives in a doc nobody reopens doesn't stop scope creep. This template treats each charter as a card that moves through a real approval workflow, so a PMO running several projects can see at a glance which ones are still waiting on sign-off.

Fill in objective, scope, sponsor, key stakeholders, budget, and success criteria before a project moves to Approved — and use the Out of scope field to name what you're deliberately not doing, since that's usually what stops scope creep, not the in-scope list on its own. Once it's active, the charter stays linked to the project's tasks, so anyone can check back on what was actually agreed.

Best for teams juggling more than one project at a time — for a single small project, a shared doc and a short kickoff conversation may be enough.

What’s inside

Columns included

DraftStakeholder reviewApprovedIn executionArchived

Task types

New initiativeChange requestRenewal

Custom fields

SponsorKey stakeholdersObjectiveScopeOut of scopeBudgetResources neededStart dateTarget end dateSuccess criteria

Key features

  • Approval workflow from draft to signed-off charter
  • Sponsor and key stakeholders fields baked in, not just one name
  • Out of scope field to name exclusions, not just deliverables
  • Success criteria field to define done up front
  • Multiple charters visible at once for PMO oversight
  • Link charters directly to the project boards they govern

Who is this template for?

  • PMOs managing multiple concurrent projects
  • Project managers formalizing scope before kickoff
  • Consultancies chartering client engagements
  • Product teams defining new initiative scope
  • Operations teams standardizing project intake

How to use this template

Use this board to move each project from proposal to approved charter, then keep it linked to the work it governs.

Step 1

Draft scope, sponsor, and success criteria

Fill in the fields that matter most for approval: objective, scope, out of scope, sponsor, key stakeholders, budget, resources needed, and how success will be measured.

Step 2

Move through stakeholder review

Get sign-off from the sponsor and everyone listed under key stakeholders before work starts. A charter without a named sponsor shouldn't move to Approved.

Step 3

Keep the charter linked once work is active

Once approved, relate the charter card to the project's task board so scope stays one click away from execution.

Ready to get started?
Learn how to create a board from this template in just a few steps.
Read the step-by-step guide

Frequently asked questions

A short document that defines a project's objective, scope, sponsor, budget, and success criteria before work begins — the reference point for what was actually agreed.

A charter defines what and why at a high level and gets formal approval. A project plan defines how, with tasks, timelines, and owners — usually built after the charter is signed off.

The project sponsor, at minimum. List everyone else whose budget, team, or approval the project depends on under Key stakeholders, so decisions don't stall waiting on someone who was never looped in.

Yes — that's the main use case. Each charter is its own card, so a PMO can see approval status across every active and proposed project.

Move the charter back to Stakeholder review, log the change, and get re-approval before the new scope becomes the reference point.

Yes — Budget is a built-in custom field, and you can add currency or range formatting to match how your team tracks cost.

Mostly through the Out of scope field. Naming what you're deliberately not doing is what a stakeholder gets pointed back to when a "quick addition" comes up mid-project — the in-scope description alone rarely settles that argument.

People and tools, not money — who needs to be staffed on this and for how much of their time, plus any software or vendor access the project depends on.

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