Many projects are decided in their first two weeks. Starting without a shared understanding of goal, scope and responsibility means spending the following months on clarifications that could have been settled in a few hours at the start. The project charter and the kick-off are the tools for this.
The mandate everyone understands differently
A sponsor says new customer portal and means self-service for invoices. IT hears replacement of the old system. Sales expects a tool for quotes. As long as nobody voices the differences, everyone works on different projects under the same name.
What belongs in a project charter
- Background and the problem to be solved.
- Goals, measurable where possible, and what is explicitly out of scope.
- Sponsor, project manager and decision rights.
- Constraints: budget, deadlines, requirements.
- Key stakeholders and risks.
- Milestones and reporting.
The charter need not be long. Two to three pages signed by the sponsor are enough for most projects. In the Swiss federal administration, the project order under HERMES takes this role.
Running a session that clarifies
A kick-off is not a presentation but a working session. The sponsor explains why the project matters. Then goals, scope, roles and collaboration are worked through together, contradictions named openly and open questions recorded with owners and dates. It ends with short minutes of the decisions.
Why kick-offs often have no effect
Because they happen too late, when work has long begun; because key people are missing; or because conflicts are politely skipped. A kick-off in which nobody disagrees has usually not clarified but postponed.
Formality in the German-speaking region
Many Swiss and German organisations expect a written, signed mandate before resources are committed. That is not bureaucracy but protection for everyone involved. How the project manager works afterwards is described in our article on the project manager’s role; the methodological framework for federal projects is explained in the glossary entry on HERMES 2022.