tekBlueprint

During the development of tekBlueprint.specs I had to take a closer look at what a project charter is. Often, it was a small document with a minimal set of information about the participants, a brief description of the project, contacts, date and budget. But in reality, it should contain significantly more details about the future project.

I am not a project manager, so I may have missed something, but when describing the template of this document I tried to collect the main parts from various sources. The examples will be taken from a fictitious project, for tekBlueprint.specs. They are in English (everyone knows it :), but I think the main idea will be clear.

What is a charter and what is it for?

The project charter is a brief description of the project, its goals, objectives, participants, etc. The document is created at the planning and approval stage of the project. Its main purpose is to give a brief and general picture of the project before it is launched.

The document must contain the following information:

• Brief Description – project name, its brief description, what problem we are solving.
• Stakeholders – stakeholders and roles of project participants.
• Project Objectives – what exactly needs to be done to consider the project complete.
• Success Metrics that need to be achieved.
• Project Scope – what we are doing and what we get as a result.
• Project Chronology, key milestones.
• Budget and Required Resources – preliminary estimate of the budget and resources needed to implement the project.
• Communication Channels – description of communication channels between project participants.
• Optional: Notes.

Brief description

Here, a brief description of the project and the task to be solved is indicated. In the future, this will be described in more detail in the technical specifications or business plan.

Project Name: NovaPlay

Budget: 150,000 USD

NovaPlay is a streaming service platform that offers a wide range of movies, TV shows, user- generated videos, and exclusive content. It aims to provide an exceptional user experience with high-quality video streaming capabilities and personalized recommendations based on user preferences. The platform is built on cutting-edge technology to ensure high-quality streaming experiences for users.

Stakeholders

All project stakeholders and participants are listed here. Their role in the project is also indicated, which does not necessarily have to coincide with the staff position in the company. At least one official communication channel must be added for each participant.

Additionally, brief information about the company can be indicated here.

Example from the customer:

Customer

Company: Tech Innovations Inc

Url: http://www.techinnovationsinc.com

Address: 123 Tech Street, Suite 456, New York, NY 10001

Tech Innovations Inc is a leading technology company focused on innovation and excellence in software solutions. They are dedicated to providing cutting-edge technologies that drive business growth and efficiency.

Name	Role	Contacts
Stanley Harris	Investor	Email:stanley.harris@techinnovationsinc.com, Tel: 123-456-7890
Ella Smith	Project Manager	Email:ella.smith@techinnovationsinc.com, Tel: 123-456-7890
Alfred Brown	Business Analyst	Email:alfred.brown@techinnovationsinc.com
Olivia Davis	System Architect	Email:olivia.davis@techinnovationsinc.com, Tel: 123-456-7890,
Sophia Johnson	Data Analyst	Email:sophia.johnson@techinnovationsinc.com, Tel: 123-456-7890

Example from the vendor’s side:

Vendor

Company: ACME Corporation Ltd.

Url: http://www.acme.com

Address: 456 ACME Avenue, Suite 789, New York, NY 10002

ACME Corporation Ltd. is a leading technology company with a focus on developing innovative solutions for the media and entertainment industry. The company has a strong track record of delivering high-quality products and services that meet the needs of its customers.

Name	Role	Contacts
Steve Johnson	Account Manager	Email:steve.johnson@acme.com,sales@acme.com
Jane Doe	Sales Manager	Email:jane.doe@acme.com, Tel: 123-456-7890,
John Doe	Project Manager	Email:john.doe@acme.com
Emily Brown	Business Analyst	Email:emily.brown@acme.com
Michael Smith	Solution Architect	Email:michael.smith@acme.com
Alice Johnson	Quality Assurance Engineer	Email:alice.johnson@acme.com

Project objectives

Here, the project implementation goals are briefly indicated. If the short description section indicates the project goal in free form, then more specific goals are indicated here. Simply put, a small decomposition of the main task.

Example:

Goals

1. To provide users with an exceptional streaming experience by offering high-quality video content and personalized recommendations based on user preferences.
2. To expand the user base by offering a wide range of content, including exclusive partnerships with content creators and studios.
3. Personalized recommendations based on user preferences and viewing history
4. Wide range of video types including movies, TV shows, live streams, and gaming
5. Affordable pricing with no ads or subscription tiers
6. Exclusive content from our own production studio as well as licensed content

Success metrics

The first point that can cause difficulties. If before this there were relatively abstract statements, then here specific measurable figures appear, which must be reached as a result of the project implementation.

These metrics can and will influence the statements in the project (business, technical), they must be achievable and realistic. And by them the success of the project after implementation will be assessed.

Example:

Success Metrics

1. Customer Satisfaction
   1. Customer Retention Rate. Percentage of customers who continue to use the service after one year. Target: 90%
   2. Net Promoter Score (NPS). The percentage of customers who would recommend the service to others. Target: 75%
   3. Customer Support Resolution Time. Average time taken to resolve customer support issues. Target: 24 hours
   4. User Engagement Score. Percentage of users who engage with the service regularly (e.g., watch videos, interact with features). Target: 60%
2. Financial Performance
   1. Revenue Growth Rate. Year-over-year growth in revenue. Target: 50%
   2. Profit Margin. Percentage of profit relative to total revenue. Target: 15%
   3. Cost Efficiency Ratio. Ratio of revenue to costs, aiming for a higher ratio indicating better efficiency. Target: 1.2
3. Operational Efficiency
   1. System Uptime. Percentage of time the system is operational without downtime. Target: 99.5%
   2. Data Processing Speed. Average time taken to process data requests. Target: 100 ms
   3. Resource Utilization Rate. Efficiency in using available resources, aiming for higher utilization rates. Target: 80%

Project scope

The next section describes what is included in the project scope and what is not. It is highly recommended to discuss these points at the very first stages of planning in order to avoid misunderstandings (or outright substitutions of concepts or manipulations) on the part of the customer or contractor.

Example:

Project Scope

The scope of this project includes the development and deployment of a new video streaming platform, NovaPlay, which will offer high-quality content to users across various devices. This initiative aims to capture a significant share of the growing online video market by leveraging advanced technologies such as AI for personalized recommendations and blockchain for secure transactions.

1. Deliverables

• NovaPlay Platform. The complete video streaming platform
• User Interface Design. Design of the user interface for NovaPlay
• Backend Services. Development of backend services supporting the platform
• Video Storage. Implementation of video storage solutions
• CDN. Content Delivery Network setup for efficient video delivery
• Database. Design and implementation of the database system
• AI Recommendation Engine. Development of an AI-based recommendation engine

2. Out of scope

• Third-party Content Acquisition. Acquisition of third-party content is not included in this project scope
• Marketing and Promotion. Marketing and promotion activities are not part of this project scope

The Deliverables section talks about what must be delivered as a result of the project. The Out of scope section talks about what must not be.

Project chronology

Section for describing the project schedule, which defines milestones and planned deadlines. Obviously, this cannot be determined at random and requires preliminary decomposition of tasks and their assessment. What is planned to be implemented in the future solution tekBlueprint.plans for automating the assessment and planning of project stages.

ℹ️ Note

The deadlines for periods and the Gantt chart are calculated automatically in tekBlueprint.specs.

Example:

Timeline & Milestones

Project start: 2026-01-01

Project finish: 2026-12-31

The project timeline spans from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026. This period includes all phases of development, design, testing, and deployment for the NovaPlay platform.

Table 3. Dates

Milestone	Start	Finish	Duration (days)
Initial design review	01.01.2026	15.03.2026	73
> Review and approval of initial design concepts for NovaPlay.
Alpha release	15.03.2026	30.06.2026	107
> Release of the first alpha version for internal testing.
Beta testing completion	30.06.2026	30.09.2026	92
> Completion of beta testing phase and final adjustments before release.
Final deployment	30.09.2026	31.12.2026	92
> Deployment of the final version of NovaPlay to all platforms.
Post-launch support	31.12.2026	31.01.2027	31
> Providing support after the launch of NovaPlay
User feedback collection	31.01.2027	28.02.2027	28
> Collecting user feedback after the launch of NovaPlay

Figure 1. Gantt

Budget and required resources

The project requires financial and human resources, and the estimated values ​​of these resources are indicated here. They are usually detailed by project stages or by functional areas. In this case, the decomposition and evaluation of tasks can be down to the level of requirements, which is often necessary for medium and large projects, when it is quite difficult to give an expert assessment of the cost of stages without taking into account all requirements and restrictions.

Schedule plans with a detailed breakdown for all project participants, down to the hours of work of each specialist for the entire duration of the project, taking into account weekends and holidays, are often required. But such an example is not given here, I think everyone has encountered similar requirements (for example, when evaluating tenders) and understands what we are talking about :)

ℹ️ Note

This section will have the ability to be automatically filled from tekBlueprint.plans.

Example:

The total budget for the project is US$1.5 million.

Budget breakdown by major categories:

Stage	Budget, USD	PM	BA	SA	DEV	QA
Analysis	200 000	1	4	1
Design	100 000	1	4	1		1
Development	600 000	2	4	1	15	3
Testing	300 000	1	1	1	3	3
Migration	150 000	1	2	1	3	1
Implementation	150 000	1	1	1	3	1

Communication Channels

In addition to the contacts described in the stakeholders section, formal communication channels may be defined between project participants and external parties.

Example:

Communications

Communication plan for the NovaPlay project. This includes regular updates, meetings, and newsletters to keep all stakeholders informed about the progress of the project. Communication channels include email, Slack, newsletter, and social media. Frequencies are set based on the importance and urgency of the information being shared. Regular feedback loops will be established to ensure that all concerns and suggestions are addressed in a timely manner. This plan aims to maintain transparency and build trust with our stakeholders and users.

Table 4. Channels

Channel	Frequency	Description
Email	weekly	Weekly updates on project progress and issues to all stakeholders
Slack	daily	Daily stand-ups for the development team to discuss progress and challenges
Newsletter	monthly	Monthly newsletter to the public about NovaPlay’s features and updates
Social Media	bi-weekly	Bi-weekly posts on social media platforms to engage the public and promote NovaPlay

Notes

The last and optional section with notes. Here, significant events with dates that occurred during the project approval stage are briefly added. They are not reflected in the main document, but can be useful for history.

Notes

Date	Content
31.03.2025 08:00	Initial contact with Tech Innovations Inc. Discussed potential collaboration opportunities.
15.04.2025 14:30	Follow-up meeting with Stanley Harris. Discussed project scope and timeline.
30.04.2025 16:45	Sent project proposal to Stanley Harris. Awaiting response.
10.05.2025 10:00	Received positive feedback from Tech Innovations Inc. Project approved and contract signed. Project start date set for January 1, 2026.

Conclusion

The project charter is an important document that defines the direction and goals of the project. It helps all project participants understand what exactly needs to be achieved, what resources will be used and how the process will be managed. tekBlueprint.specs should allow you to structure the information required for this document and not miss anything. Plus automate part of the routine (calculation of deadlines and budget) through the use of the future solution tekBlueprint.plans.

ℹ️ Note

The full version of the document can be downloaded from this link – 1. Project Charter v1.2.pdf.