I’d be pleased to get an opinion on the idea of the customer signing the project charter. In the PMBOK Guide Fourth Edition, it says that ‘it establishes a partnership between the performing organization and the requesting organization (or customer in the case of external projects)’. I find it easier to envision the charter as an agreement between the sponsor funding the project (usually internally) and the project manager. If you have a contract with an external customer, why would you then have them sign a charter?

I have Cynthia Stackpole’s ‘A User’s Manual to the PMBOK Guide’ published by PMI and it says ‘it (the charter) is generally signed by the sponsor, the project manager, and the customer.’

Some of the items in the charter seem like things you wouldn’t want to reveal to a customer. For example, ‘summary budget’ would reveal to your customer your expected profit.

Is it really common for customers to sign charters? Do you know how the PMP exam handles this issue?

Thanks a bunch,

Michele J. Jones, PMP