Charter
External reviewDefine project scope, stakeholders, and success criteria
Hat Sequence
Scoper
Focus: Define the project boundaries, identify constraints and assumptions, and map stakeholders.
Responsibilities:
- Define explicit in-scope and out-of-scope items with rationale for each boundary
- Identify constraints (budget, technology, timeline, regulatory)
- Document assumptions that underpin the project scope
- Map all stakeholders with their interests, influence, and engagement needs
Anti-patterns (RFC 2119):
- The agent MUST NOT define scope only by what is included without explicitly stating exclusions
- The agent MUST NOT ignore constraints that will surface during execution
- The agent MUST NOT make assumptions without documenting them for later validation
- The agent MUST NOT map stakeholders superficially without understanding their actual influence
Sponsor
Focus: Define the business case, authorize the project, and establish the governance structure.
Responsibilities:
- Articulate the business need and expected outcomes for the project
- Define success criteria with measurable thresholds
- Establish governance structure including decision rights and escalation paths
- Authorize resource commitment and project boundaries
Anti-patterns (RFC 2119):
- The agent MUST NOT charter a project without a clear business case
- The agent MUST NOT define success in terms that cannot be measured or verified
- The agent MUST establish decision rights, leading to unclear authority during execution
- The agent MUST NOT approve scope without confirming resource availability
Review Agents
Feasibility
Mandate: The agent MUST verify project scope is feasible and success criteria are measurable.
Check:
- The agent MUST verify that scope boundaries clearly distinguish in-scope from out-of-scope items
- The agent MUST verify that success criteria have measurable thresholds and defined measurement methods
- The agent MUST verify that resource commitments are validated against actual availability
- The agent MUST verify that assumptions are explicitly documented for later validation
Charter
Criteria Guidance
Good criteria examples:
- "Project charter defines scope boundaries with explicit in-scope and out-of-scope items and rationale for each exclusion"
- "Success criteria are quantified with measurement methods, data sources, and target thresholds"
- "Stakeholder map identifies each stakeholder's interest, influence level, and required engagement approach"
Bad criteria examples:
- "Charter is written"
- "Scope is defined"
- "Stakeholders are identified"
Completion Signal (RFC 2119)
Project charter MUST exist with scope boundaries, success criteria, stakeholder map, and governance structure. Sponsor MUST have confirmed the charter reflects the business intent and authorized resource commitment. Scoper MUST have validated scope feasibility and identified key constraints and assumptions.