ERP Implementation Project Charter
This is a practical guide to building a project charter for an erp implementation project — the short authorising document that names the sponsor, states the objective and gives the manager authority to run the project, adapted to the realities of replacing or deploying an enterprise resource planning system across the whole organisation.
What a Project Charter is
A project charter is the short authorising document that names the sponsor, states the objective and gives the manager authority to run the project. For the full concept and how it works in general, see Project Charter. On an erp implementation project it plays the same role, tuned to this kind of work.
Why it matters for an ERP Implementation project
ERP Implementation projects live or die on replacing or deploying an enterprise resource planning system across the whole organisation. A well-built project charter gives the team a shared, explicit reference for exactly that — reducing ambiguity, aligning stakeholders, and making problems visible early enough to act. Skipping it, or doing it generically, is how erp implementation projects drift into avoidable delay and cost.
What to include
- Purpose and business justification
- Objectives and success criteria
- High-level scope (in and out)
- Budget and timeline summary
- Key stakeholders and sponsor sign-off
ERP Implementation-specific considerations
Tailor the project charter to the risks that most often derail erp implementation projects:
- Under-estimated data migration
- Business-process change resistance
- Customisation over-reach
Example
On a real erp implementation project, the project charter would be shaped by replacing or deploying an enterprise resource planning system across the whole organisation. In particular, it should explicitly account for the project’s biggest risks — under-estimated data migration, business-process change resistance, customisation over-reach — rather than treating them as afterthoughts.