What is an example of a project charter?

A project charter example is a sample approval document that shows the project purpose, objectives, scope, sponsor, owner, success criteria, risks, milestones, and approval details.

Can I copy a project charter example?

Use the structure, but rewrite the purpose, scope, owner, risks, success criteria, and milestones for your real project. A copied charter is usually too vague for approval.

What makes a project charter sample useful?

It is useful when it shows decision-ready information, not just placeholder sections. The sample should make ownership, scope boundaries, tradeoffs, and approval authority clear.

Should examples include detailed project tasks?

No. A charter may include high-level milestones, but detailed activities, dependencies, and dates belong in the project plan or schedule.

How is a charter example different from a template?

A template gives reusable blank sections. An example shows how those sections can be filled for a realistic project type.

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Project charter examples reviewed across multiple project formats

Project Charter Examples Guide

By Dawid Oleksiuk ScrumbuissPublished July 2, 2026Editorial policy

Project charter examples show what an approval-ready charter can look like before a team creates its own. A useful example is not a filled-out form for copying blindly. It shows the level of decision detail, scope clarity, stakeholder ownership, and risk awareness that should exist before planning begins.

This guide targets the project charter example, project charter examples, and sample project charter keyword cluster found in SEMrush. It is separate from the project charter guide, which explains the concept, and from the project charter template, which provides a reusable starting structure.

Key Takeaways

A good project charter example shows purpose, scope, owner, sponsor, success criteria, assumptions, risks, milestones, and approval.
Examples should be adapted by project type, not copied as generic text.
Software, client, operations, and process improvement projects need different charter emphasis.
A sample charter is strongest when it shows tradeoffs and decision authority, not only goals.

What a Project Charter Example Should Include

Charter field	What the example should make clear
Purpose	Why the project is worth approving
Objectives	What measurable outcome should change
Scope	What is included and what is excluded
Sponsor	Who owns the business decision
Project owner	Who leads delivery after authorization
Success criteria	How stakeholders will judge success
Milestones	The first major checkpoints, not every task
Risks and assumptions	What could make the charter invalid
Approval	Who can authorize the project and major changes

Use the project scope statement guide if the example needs more detail on boundaries, deliverables, and exclusions.

Example: Software Release Project Charter

Field	Sample content
Purpose	Improve reporting speed for account managers by launching a new dashboard module
Objective	Reduce weekly manual reporting time by 40 percent within two months of launch
Scope	Dashboard design, data model, permissions, QA, release notes, and support handoff
Exclusions	Billing redesign, CRM migration, and custom client reports
Sponsor	Head of Customer Operations
Owner	Product manager with engineering lead support
Success criteria	Dashboard adopted by account managers, no critical launch defects, support documentation complete
Risks	Data quality gaps, delayed API work, unclear permission rules
Milestones	Design approved, build complete, QA passed, launch approved

This example works because it gives the team authority to plan while still keeping the charter high level. The detailed schedule belongs in the project plan or project schedule.

Example: Client Implementation Charter

Field	Sample content
Purpose	Onboard a new client onto the platform with clear launch ownership
Objective	Complete configuration, data import, training, and launch support before the contracted go-live date
Scope	Setup workshops, configuration, data validation, user training, launch checklist, and handoff
Exclusions	Custom product development and post-launch managed services
Sponsor	Client executive sponsor and internal delivery lead
Owner	Implementation project manager
Success criteria	Client signs off on configuration, users are trained, launch risks are resolved
Risks	Late client approvals, incomplete data, unclear escalation path
Milestones	Kickoff, configuration complete, data validated, training complete, go-live approved

Scrumbuiss supports this pattern with Project Delivery, Client Portal, Files, and Dashboard.

Example: Operations Change Charter

Field	Sample content
Purpose	Standardize incident intake so operations teams can triage work faster
Objective	Reduce duplicate incident records and improve first-response ownership
Scope	Intake form, routing rules, escalation path, reporting dashboard, and team training
Exclusions	Full ITSM platform replacement and historical data cleanup
Sponsor	Operations director
Owner	IT operations manager
Success criteria	Intake quality improves, escalation rules are used, unresolved ownership drops
Risks	Teams continue using informal channels, escalation criteria remain unclear
Milestones	Process approved, routing configured, pilot complete, adoption reviewed

This type of charter should connect to a change control process when the change affects production systems or regulated workflows.

Example: Process Improvement Charter

Field	Sample content
Purpose	Reduce handoff delays between support and product teams
Objective	Lower average escalation wait time by 25 percent within one quarter
Scope	Current-state analysis, root cause review, pilot workflow, measurement plan
Exclusions	Product roadmap reprioritization outside the pilot scope
Sponsor	VP of Customer Experience
Owner	Continuous improvement lead
Success criteria	Baseline measured, pilot completed, delay reduction verified
Risks	Incomplete data, unclear root cause ownership, low adoption
Milestones	Baseline confirmed, solution piloted, results reviewed, next action approved

Use the Six Sigma project charter guide when the project follows DMAIC or needs a stronger problem, baseline, defect, and measurement structure.

How To Adapt a Project Charter Sample

Replace sample goals with measurable outcomes from your own business context.
Rewrite scope and exclusions before listing milestones.
Name the real sponsor, owner, and decision authority.
Add assumptions that could change the approval decision.
Keep the charter concise enough for review.
Move tasks, dependencies, and detailed dates into the plan after approval.
Review the charter again at kickoff so the team starts from the same agreement.

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Related features

Explore the Scrumbuiss features mentioned in this article.

Client Portal
Invite clients into a controlled onboarding, file-sharing, and status workflow.
Dashboard
Track project progress, blockers, workload, KPIs, status reporting, and analytics context in one live dashboard.