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have you ever started a project without
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a clear plan only to face confusion and
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Miss goals down the line hi I'm Andrew
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from PM aspirant if you're new here make
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sure to subscribe for practical project
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strategies today we're exploring a
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Cornerstone document in project
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management the project Charter whether
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you're managing small internal projects
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or complex multi-million dollar
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initiatives a well-crafted project
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Charter is a must have to ensure Clarity
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alignment and success
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so what exactly is a project Charter in
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the simplest terms a project Charter is
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a formal document that outlines the
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Project's purpose defines its objectives
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and authorizes the project manager to
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lead the project without a charter
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projects can lack Direction leading to
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misalignment scope creep or even
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failure let's start by talking about why
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this document is so important the
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project Charter serves as a foundation
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for the entire project it aligns the key
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stakeholders on what the project aims to
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achieve and provides the project manager
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with the authority to allocate resources
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and make decisions think of it as the
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Project's mission statement combined
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with a highlevel game plan it's also
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important to note that a project Charter
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is often one of the first official
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deliverables in the Project Life Cycle
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it provides Clarity on the Project's
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objectiv scope and stakeholders before
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the detailed planning begins without
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this Clarity teams can quickly get off
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track leading to inefficiencies or even
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deliverables now let's get into the nuts
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and bolts and discuss the key elements
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that make up a strong project Charter
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here are the main components you'll
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typically find one project purpose why
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are we doing this project in the first
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place this section provides the reason
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behind the project whether it's to solve
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a specific problem meet a business goal
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opportunity two measurable objectives
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objectives Define what success looks
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like they should be specific measurable
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achievable relevant and time bound clear
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objectives guide the team and help
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ensure everyone is working toward the
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same goals three highlevel project
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description this provides a brief
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overview of the project what are the key
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deliverables it's important to give just
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enough detail to set expectations
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without getting into the weeds of the
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project plan four key stakeholders every
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project has people who are directly or
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indirectly impacted to project Charter
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outlines who those people are including
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project sponsors team members and anyone
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else involved I identifying stakeholders
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early on helps establish clear lines of
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communication five highlevel
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requirements these are the major
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requirements that must be fulfilled for
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the project to succeed at this stage
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they are broad but give enough insight
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into what's needed to meet the project
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objectives six assumptions and
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constraints every project operates under
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certain assumptions and constraints for
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example you might assume a key resource
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will be available or you may be
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constrained by budget or time limits
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including these in the chart helps set
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expectations seven milestones in high
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level timeline even though the detailed
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schedule comes later the project Charter
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should include key Milestones these
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mileston service checkpoints to ensure
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the project is On Track eight highlevel
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risks while detailed risk management is
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handled later it's important to outline
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the high level risks early so that
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include anything from potential delays
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in receiving critical components to
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Market changes that might affect the
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nine budget overview the charter
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typically includes a highlevel budget
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summary while it won't have all the
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detailed costs it gives a ballpark
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figure of the resources
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required so once you have all this
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information compiled into the charter
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how do you use it the project Charter is
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your go to document at the start of the
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project it sets expectations for
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stakeholders and serves as a guiding
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document throughout the project it's
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also a reference point if questions
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arise about the Project's scope or
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objectives later on do you want one key
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thing to remember the project Charter is
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not a static document it may evolve
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slightly As you move into detailed
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planning but its core purpose Remains
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the Same to establish a clear framework
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for the project and ensure alignment
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involved now let's talk about some
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practical benefits of having a project
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Charter First the project Charter helps
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establish his authority as a project
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manager having a charter gives you the
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formal authority to execute the project
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decisions the the project Charter also
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helps gain stakeholder Buy in early with
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a clear project purpose and objectives
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stakeholders can align on the Project's
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Vision right from the start next it
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helps avoid scope creep a project
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Charter sets clear boundaries helping to
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prevent scope Creep by defining what's
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in and out of scope the project Charter
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also helps clarify roles and
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responsibilities it defines who's
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responsible for what eliminating
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confusion and ensuring
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accountability finally the project
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Charter acts as a communication tool the
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charter can be shared with the entire
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team and stakeholders to ensure everyone
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is on the same page from day one so
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before we wrap up let's discuss some
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common mistakes to avoid being too vague
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one of the biggest pitfalls is not
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providing enough detail in the charter
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for example if the objective is simply
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written as improv customer satisfaction
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that's too vague so a more effective
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objective might be increase customer
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satisfaction by 10% over the next 6
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months mons by improving response time
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the more specific and measurable the
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objective the easier it is to track
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success ignoring key stakeholders
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forgetting to include critical
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stakeholders can lead to
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miscommunication and project delays down
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the road not revisiting the charter
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while it's primarily used during the
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project initiation don't forget to
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revisit the charter periodically to
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ensure alignment hopefully by now you
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should have a solid understanding of
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what a project Charter is and why it's
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ESS ential to recap a project Charter
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sets the foundation for any project by
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defining the Project's purpose outlining
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measurable objectives identifying key
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stakeholders and authorizing the project
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manager to begin it's a guiding document
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that not only aligns stakeholders but
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also helps avoid common pitfalls like
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scope creep or confusion over roles and
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responsibilities with a strong Charter
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in place you're setting your project up
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for Success from day one for more
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details on the project Charter including
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examples and a downloadable template
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pm.com if you found this video helpful
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be sure to like And subscribe for more
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project management tips and best
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practices and if you have any questions
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about project Charters or project
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management in general feel free to drop
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them in the comments below thank you for
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watching and I will see you in the next
