Initial Risks of a Project Charter

• A project charter is typically put in writing and signed by the members of the group. Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images

  A project charter is essentially an informal contract among members of a project team. The charter is a way for the team members to put in writing their expectations of one another, the working relationship they wish to create and the way the group will function. A project charter is a good way to explicitly communicate expectations and serves as a reference point when disagreements arise. There are, however, risks that can come up in the initial drafting of a project charter.

Consensus

• An important element of any project charter is getting all of the project members to agree with it. This can be a difficult process depending on the number and personalities of group members. Not all group members have the same work style and it will almost certainly be necessary to compromise. Whatever the disagreements, it is essential that all group members agree to the terms of the charter. Failure to achieve consensus on the charter will give some group members an excuse down the road to argue against some of its provisions. It is never advisable to force a charter on a member through a majority vote, as this will simply set a negative tone for the group from the outset.

Decision Making

• The charter must clearly outline the manner in which decisions are made. Disagreements within the group will frequently arise and one purpose of the charter is to resolve those disagreements. Will a disagreement be resolved through simply majority vote? Super majority? Consensus? This question must be explicitly answered in the project charter. If there is a clear and unambiguous decision-making process in the charter, subsequent arguments can be avoided. The last thing a project manager wants when making a tough decision is to bicker about the method of making that decision.

Violations of the Charter

• The charter should contain provisions regarding the responsibilities of the members, expectations that members be present and on-time to meetings and complete their work in a timely manner. Such provisions, however, are useless if there is no provision in the charter to resolve violations. For example, if one team member consistently neglects to complete his portion of the work on time, in violation of a provision of the charter, it is much easier to resolve the issue if there is a provision in the charter that the violator himself agreed to. The punishment for violations could be something as simple as discussing the problem with the rest of the group. Severe violations could result in something as drastic as being removed from the group.