I help project professionals get more done with less stress. Having been a project manager for over 20 years, I share tried-and-tested tips that work in the real world, every Tuesday. Join our community of over 15,000 project professionals (and accidental project managers too!).
Charter or Terms of Reference
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Hello Reader, So you’ve just started a new project, and you’re not sure what you’re supposed to create. Do you need a project charter? Or will a Terms of Reference (ToR) do the job? The challenge is that neither document has a single universal definition, so if you join a new company and find they use ToRs instead of Charters, then it can be hard to know what they are actually looking for as part of project governance. And don’t get me started on how Project Initiation Documents fit in! Let’s cover that a different day. A project charter is the document that formally authorises a project to exist. It names the project, defines the objectives, identifies the sponsor and project manager, and gives the project manager the authority to use organizational resources. A ToR defines how a group works, what it’s responsible for, and what authority it has. It’s primarily a governance document, it’s about people and process rather than project justification. And which one you need? That's explained more (along with lots of other tips for creating them) in this article about how to choose whether a charter or a ToR is right for you. Have a lovely week! Elizabeth When you're ready, here are some of the ways we can work together:
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Calling all Rebel Project Managers!
I help project professionals get more done with less stress. Having been a project manager for over 20 years, I share tried-and-tested tips that work in the real world, every Tuesday. Join our community of over 15,000 project professionals (and accidental project managers too!).
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