Skip to content

The Project Charter

Objective 🎯

The goal of this charter is to move beyond "vibe coding" and establish a professional foundation for your project. Before you write application code, your team must define your project as a system of activities. This involves creating a compelling business case, defining your product's features from a user's perspective, and establishing a governance framework for how your team will operate.

This charter is the strategic blueprint for your proof-of-concept. A well-thought-out charter is the first and most critical step in convincing a funding committee that your team is worth investing in.

Due Date & Evaluation

  • Due: See Canvas.
  • Evaluation: This deliverable is a major component of your Group Project grade. It will be evaluated on the thoughtfulness and clarity of your planning, primarily under the "Business Value & Problem Framing" criterion in the main project rubric.

Components of the Charter

Your charter consists of three distinct markdown files that must be completed and committed to your team's GitHub repository.

The Business Case

README.md - The "Why"

Your README.md is the front page of your project. It must clearly and concisely communicate the business purpose of your application. It should be written for a stakeholder who has five minutes to understand what you're doing and why it matters.

It must include:

  • Mission Statement: A single, compelling sentence that summarizes your project's purpose.
  • The Problem: A clear description of the specific, high-value business problem or user pain point you are solving.
  • Our Solution: A high-level overview of how your AI application will address this problem.
  • Target User: A brief description of the primary user you are building this for.

The Product Features

USER_STORIES.md - The "What"

This document translates your business idea into a prioritized list of product features, always from the perspective of your user.

It must include:

  • User Persona: A detailed description of your primary target user. Include their role, goals, and frustrations related to the problem you're solving.
  • Epics & User Stories: A list of major features (Epics) broken down into specific user needs (User Stories). All user stories must follow the format: > "As a [type of user], I want to [perform some action] so that I can [achieve some goal]."

The Operating Model

GOVERNANCE.md - The "How"

This is the most important document for defining your team's process. It demonstrates that you have thought carefully about how to manage your project and collaborate effectively.

It must include:

  • Team Roles & Responsibilities: Define the initial roles for your team members (e.g., Project Lead for this stage, Technical Lead, etc.). These roles can and should rotate in later stages.
  • Collaboration Protocol: Detail your team's specific rules for using GitHub. How will you use Issues, Projects, and Discussions? What is your meeting schedule? How will you ensure all work is visible?

  • AI Usage Strategy: This is a critical section. Answer the following:

    Task Delegation:

    • Which project activities are suited for ad-hoc assistance from an AI (e.g., brainstorming, debugging a snippet)?
    • Which activities are candidates for systematic automation using AI (e.g., generating unit tests, summarizing notes)?

    Collaboration Protocol:

    • How will you strategically use AI as a collaborator?
    • What is your policy for verifying and citing AI contributions?

  • Decision-Making Framework: Briefly describe how your team will make decisions and resolve disagreements about features or technical approaches to ensure the project keeps moving forward.

  • Decision-Making Framework: Briefly describe how your team will make decisions and resolve disagreements about features or technical approaches to ensure the project keeps moving forward.