Mikel SteadmanPMO Leader| Development Dimensions InternationalTroy, Nh, United States
George,
A contract is enforceable by law. A charter is enforceable by the executives, steering committee, and program teams.
A charter is primarily the company's aligned commitment to a goal; it's purpose, the objectives, the return, the roles, the timeline estimates, the business case supporting the initiative, etc.
Mikel Saving Changes...
Ed Tsyitee JrConsultant | Consultant Tucson, Az, United States
Yes and no. Yes it's an agreement between stakeholders and the project team on what project will accomplish, how change management and risks are handled, and the scope of work to be completed.
No, it's not a contract in the legal context of the word. Saving Changes...
The Project Charter is used to establish a mandate for a project organization and needs to articulate how the various management functions will be achieved by personnel assigned directly or through the matrix to the organization. It will also define the relationships with personnel from the other Government departments assigned to the project.
The Project Charter is a document issued by the Project Sponsor that formally authorizes the existence of a project, and provides the Project Manager (PM) with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities. Saving Changes...
It is a contract in principle in that it is usually a formal, written document which authorizes a PM to invest organization resources in a project but is not a legally enforceable contract as there are no baselines established.
Kiron Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
No.
A contract is between different legal entities.
A charter is an agreement within one legal entity/organization, preferable in writing. Saving Changes...
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
George
It is not a contract but it is a formal internal document that authorizes the project. A contract is a totally different and legal documents while Charter is not.
RK Saving Changes...
Riad AlhammoudProject management| LanganAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Thanks for the question George. Although I work in construction projects for many years but I never heard of the Charter.
I started to know about the charter when I studied my MSC in PM and in PMbok.
Regards, Saving Changes...
Anton OosthuizenSenior Business Analyst / Project Manager| Self EmployedPretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
No, it is not a legally binding document. Saving Changes...
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dear George
Interesting your question
Thanks for sharing
I think you already had enough "nos" to your question :-) I can add my Saving Changes...
It comes down to what we mean by contract. For example, when the Manifesto for Agile Software Development was written, the value statement "Customer Colllaboration over Contract Negotiation" did not always mean a legally enforceable contract. A requirements document could be thought of as a contract as it defines what a team will deliver to a group of stakeholders but unless it is incorporated into a legal document it wouldn't be enforceable.
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