1.5Project charter & governance
The essentials in 30 seconds
- The charter is the birth certificate: it formalizes the project and mandates the project manager.
- Signed by the sponsor, it marks the "go": objectives, scope, budget, schedule, authority.
- Governance states who decides what: steering (decides) and project committee (tracks) — even lightened on small projects.
Running mini-case — Bilal gets the signed "go"
Bilal gets the owner to sign a one-page charter: SMART objectives, scope, budget, schedule, and his authority (decide up to a given amount, mobilize two warehouse staff). Governance set: monthly steering (owner + accountant) that decides, weekly project committee (team) that tracks. When the vendor slips, Bilal escalates to steering, which arbitrates — instead of suffering alone.
Last episode of cases 1.1-1.4 — scoping becomes an official mandate.
1. The birth certificate
The project charter (project brief / mandate) is the project's official birth certificate. It formalizes the essentials: objectives, scope, budget, schedule, key stakeholders — and above all, it mandates the project manager by giving them authority to act.
Its signature by the sponsor marks the official "go".
2. Governance
It comes with defining governance: decision and tracking bodies — the steering committee that decides, the project committee that tracks — their role, composition and pace.
Clear governance states who decides what and where to escalate problems: essential to arbitrate blockers.
🔎 Concrete example — 🔎 Concrete example — Who decides what
Setting up bodies.
Steering committee (sponsor + managers): validates milestones, arbitrates overruns.
Project committee (team): tracks progress, coordinates, escalates blockers.
→ the project manager knows where to get what exceeds them decided.Outcome: trade-offs unblocked at the right level.
Reflex: even lightened, always get the charter signed.
Section vocabulary
- Project charter (mandate)
- Document formalizing the launch: objectives, scope, budget, schedule, and mandate given to the project manager.
Simple example: The page signed by the owner giving Bilal his authority.
What it is not: a simple "OK for the project" email with no content.
Reflex: no signature, no start.
- Governance
- How project decision and tracking bodies are organized: who decides, who arbitrates, at what pace.
Simple example: The monthly steering and weekly project committee set by Bilal.
What it is not: a single kickoff meeting then nothing.
Reflex: write who decides, who tracks, and how often.
- Steering committee
- Decision body bringing sponsor and managers together: validates milestones, arbitrates, commits resources.
Simple example: The owner and accountant arbitrating the vendor slippage.
What it is not: a weekly progress meeting with the team.
Reflex: only escalate what exceeds the project manager.
- Project committee
- Close-tracking operational body: progress, blockers, team coordination.
Simple example: Bilal's weekly check with warehouse staff and IT.
What it is not: the place where budget is validated or the project reoriented.
Reflex: an agenda: done, to do, blockers.
- Sponsor
- The project's decision-side carrier: signs the charter, arbitrates and supports the project manager.
Simple example: The SME owner, signatory of Bilal's charter.
What it is not: the project manager themselves or a distant observer.
Reflex: name the sponsor on the charter, with signature.
In practice — In practice — Writing a charter and setting governance
- Write a one-page charter: objectives, scope, rough schedule and budget, key stakeholders, project manager's name.
- Spell out the mandate: what authority does the project manager have (decisions, budget, resources)?
- Define bodies: a steering committee (decision) and a project committee (tracking), their composition and frequency.
- Get the charter signed by the sponsor: it is the "go" legitimizing the project and the project manager.
Ready-to-say script — asking for signature and setting governance (1 min)
"Here is the one-page charter: objectives, scope, budget, schedule — and my mandate to decide day to day. If you sign it, we start; I propose a 30-minute monthly steering for decisions, and I handle weekly tracking with the team. Without your signature, I have no authority to commit resources."
Say to the sponsor: tie signature, mandate and first steering in one sentence.
Copy-paste template — one-page project charter
PROJECT: _______________ | PROJECT MANAGER: _______________
OBJECTIVES (SMART): _______________
SCOPE (included / excluded): _______________
SCHEDULE: _______________ | BUDGET: _______________
MANDATE (project manager authority): _______________
STEERING (who, frequency): _______________ | PROJECT COMMITTEE (who, frequency): _______________
SPONSOR SIGNATURE + DATE: _______________Small business / small project
Half a page and an "as-needed" steering are enough: what matters is the signature and written authority, not formalism.
Remote / multi-site
Electronic signature and video steering set on a fixed date: without a set ritual, remote governance evaporates.
Algerian SME
Bilal gets the owner to sign in person: in an SME where authority is embodied, a charter signed by the boss's hand opens every door (accountant, vendors).
Sensitive cross-functional project
Get the concerned departments to co-sign: a two-signature charter avoids priority wars between services.
✓ Best practices
- Get the charter signed by the sponsor (the legitimizing "go").
- Spell out the project manager's real authority (budget, decisions).
- Distinguish steering (decides) from project committee (tracks) from the start.
✗ Common pitfalls
- Launching a project with no clear mandate or defined authority.
- Skipping the charter on small projects (even lightened, it helps).
- Fuzzy governance where nobody knows who arbitrates.
Key takeaways
- The charter is the official birth certificate: it mandates the project manager.
- Its signature by the sponsor marks the "go".
- Governance defines bodies (steering decides, project committee tracks).
- Clear governance states who decides and where to escalate problems.
48h Challenge — apply tomorrow
Write the one-page charter of a real project (template above) and get it signed by the sponsor, setting the first steering date. 20 minutes + one signature is enough.
- I can tell steering (decides) from project committee (tracks).
- I've written a one-page charter (objectives, scope, mandate).
- It is signed (or the signature request is sent).
Frequently asked questions
Is the charter really useful on a small project?
Even lightened, yes: formalizing objectives, scope and mandate avoids fuzziness and legitimizes the project manager. On a small project, a half-page charter is enough. What matters is not length but explicit, signed agreement on course and authority — which unblocks many situations later. Without a written mandate, the project manager often ends up negotiating their authority on the fly, which weakens them.
What is the steering committee really for?
The steering committee is where decisions exceeding the project manager are made: validating a milestone, arbitrating an overrun, reorienting, committing resources. It is also where the project manager escalates blockers and major risks. A working steering committee is a powerful unblocking lever; its absence leaves the project manager alone facing trade-offs. The steering committee does not manage operations (that is the project committee's role): it decides and supports.
Which document formalizes the launch and mandates the project manager?