Project Charter is considered as very important document for every project managers because of the following reasons
1. It Gives management the Business value of the proposal and can check the project objectives are aligned with the strategy of the organization
2. It Helps project manager to discuss with management for utilizing resources to accomplish the objectives. So It accelerates the project execution
3. It can help to understand the scope of the tasks to be completed. So helps to reduce/eliminate the NVA so that project can be completed within agreed time frame
4. Its makes easier to track the project status as the timelines are clearly mentioned in the Charter
5. It will be more useful for the organization for future reference in case if the same project needs to be replicated in other Business units. So Time can be saved since all the framework already defined
Lets see what will be the risks of not having one in the project
1. Risk of project failure will be very high because of not having a clear vision
2. Difficult to convince the management because of not projecting the objectives/Scope in a proper Way
3. May leads to More NVA in the project execution which might lead to non completion by deadline
4. Difficult for the team members itself to understand the progress of the project as no goals are defined initially. Morale of team members will go down and leads to reduced interest and contribution
5. Sometimes leads to select a project different than organizational strategy which creates loss of trust from management on six sigma initiatives
Hence, Project charter is the most important document in Define phase of the project. As it gives clear strategy, vision and outcomes for the selected project.