version: "1.0.0" name: project-charter argument-hint: [project name or idea] description: Draft a project or program charter for a kickoff — problem statement, goals, scope (in/out), success metrics, stakeholders, milestones, and risks. Use when the user says "write a charter", "kick off a project", "create a project brief", "we're starting a new initiative", or needs a one-page alignment doc before work begins.

Project Charter

Produce a clear, one-page charter that gets a team and its stakeholders aligned before work starts.

When to use

• A new project, program, or workstream is starting and needs scope + alignment.
• A stalled effort needs to be (re)framed and re-aligned.

Not for: detailed requirements (use prd-review/PRD), or ongoing status (use status-report).

Inputs to gather

Ask only for what's missing; infer the rest from context and state your assumptions:

• The problem and who has it; why now.
• Desired outcome and how success will be measured.
• Known scope, constraints, deadline, and budget/headcount.
• Sponsor, lead, and key contributors.

Process

1. Sharpen the problem statement to one or two sentences — the pain, not the solution.
2. State 2–4 goals as outcomes, and 2–4 success metrics that are measurable (baseline → target).
3. Define scope explicitly: what's in, and — just as important — what's out.
4. List stakeholders with roles (sponsor, lead, contributors, informed). Use RACI if helpful.
5. Lay out milestones with target dates and a clear definition of done for the project.
6. Capture top risks/assumptions and any dependencies.

Output format

Use the structure in templates/charter-template.md. Keep it to one page. Mark every assumption explicitly and flag the 2–3 open questions that most need answers to proceed.