2.1 Project Charter & Scope Baseline Governance

🎯 Key PMI PMP® Exam Takeaways

• The Project Charter formally authorizes project existence and grants the project manager authority to commit organizational resources.
• The Scope Baseline strictly comprises three artifacts: the Project Scope Statement, the WBS, and the WBS Dictionary.
• The 100% Rule mandates that the WBS encompass 100% of all scope (internal, external, and management work) with zero gaps.
• Uncontrolled additions to scope without formal change control represent scope creep and gold plating.

A project officially begins when the Project Charter is signed by the executive sponsor. The charter outlines the business justification, high-level objectives, key milestones, approved budget envelope, and explicitly designates the project manager with the formal authority to apply enterprise resources.

Once authorized, the project team develops the Scope Baseline, which serves as the foundational benchmark against which deliverable completeness is measured. The Scope Baseline contains three mandatory components: the detailed Project Scope Statement, the hierarchical Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), and the comprehensive WBS Dictionary detailing each work package.

The WBS is governed by the 100% Rule: child elements must sum to 100% of their parent deliverable, and the entire WBS must capture 100% of all product and project management work. Any work not contained in the WBS is out of scope and cannot be executed without formal Integrated Change Control approval.

⚠️ Common PMI Exam Traps

• Assuming the Scope Baseline includes the Risk Register or Schedule; only the Scope Statement, WBS, and WBS Dictionary form the Scope Baseline.
• Committing organizational funds or signing vendor contracts before the Project Charter is officially signed by the sponsor.