Project Charter - Set in stone or living document?

I completely agree with Sergio that it depends on how your organization uses the charter but more importantly, how can YOU use the charter to your best advantage.

Often, it is a static document that is never revised however the specifics of what is to be done are governed by the change management processes. As a PM, I look at the charter as my tool to gain the support of senior stakeholders. The names on the charter are who formally agreed to support the project so that is who's help I will seek if and when necessary.

Revising the charter is tantamount to the "nuclear option". It is where I would formally ask all the senior stakeholders who already signed up to supporting the project to either make a major change in scope, or force the hand of another senior stakeholder who isn't providing adequate support.

I'm not just asking for the support of the needed organization at that point. I am elevating an issue to the highest level of authority who already approved my plan of action and formally asking them to declare, in writing to their peers and superiors, and in front of everyone involved that they WILL provide the support so that I, as the executor may complete my assigned job.

I concur with the comments made by others, and I would like to add that project charters help maintain the core project goal. When an organization is using an Agile framework, for example, there may be some adjustments to the project charter without compromising the core objectives that have been agreed upon.

That´s because it is an "art" to write the charter. Objectives must be write with a level of abstraction good enough that what change are the things derived from them but not the objectives itself. If the objectives change then the initiative has not sense and must be canceled. So, it has not sense that the charter has to be modified.

Dr Deepa,
Personally I like to keep project charter static. Usually, I work on multiple projects at a time and I need to frequently refer to initial goals and objectives. In case of any major changes in the project, I prefer to put it on table and discuss with the project sponsor and steering board to formalise the changes in the charter.

Deepa,
in my experience a Charter may serve several purposes.

The main purpose for me is the governance decision that there is a project authorized by an organization agent (the sponsor), naming the person authorized to implement the project (the PM).
I have seen charters just being an email or even a verbal request by the sponsor (which then should be confirmed by the PM with a document).

Beyond that, there is a wish to put as much information as possible into the charter to describe the project, yet this will always be the information as we know it before the project (and analysis, planning, etc.) starts. I believe it is better to put that information into a business case before the charter is developed.

I have never seen a charter that was revised or updated. If it just documents the existence of a project it is like a birth certificate. Even if things change later, like gender, name, or parents, these changes are also documented elsewhere.

Mandhar, I agree with you. Does this help you in in a PMO type of role too? since you mentioned you manage multiple concurrent projects. How would multiple charters help manage or optimize a PMO?

Thanks for your valuable comment

Dr. Deepa,

Although the components of a “project charter package” vary dramatically based on industry, organizational structure, risk tolerance, maturity level, and the like. The core purpose of a charter, as generically derived from Merriam-Webster, is to “establish and convey the power and function of an entity,” which is how I have always understood and explained it to others in project management.

Hence, the static purpose of the charter is to “Authorize and Empower” a project.

===== My definition =====
A charter is a “corporate political device” that uses executive fiat to authorize a project and commission its chief executive (i.e., the project manager) with explicit bounded authority to assemble, manage, and direct organizational resources to achieve the project’s defined objectives, deliverables, and goals.

Although the above is the core purpose, the project charter can also contain the functional project collaterals known at its creation. Bound together as a package (i.e., the project charter package) via a single document with a well-formed table of contents or as individual documents.

George

Deepa, I advocate for a stable project charter as a foundational document for effective project management. Given the concurrent nature of my project portfolio, frequent reference to the original project goals and objectives is essential. To ensure alignment with evolving project needs, I propose a formal amendment process involving the project sponsor and steering board for any significant deviations from the charter.