The sponsor of the Harbourline payments project has signed and issued the project charter. The project manager, Aisha, wants to confirm what the charter now gives her before detailed planning begins. Which statement best describes the primary function of the project charter she has received?
- AIt records the detailed activity schedule and cost baseline that the team will measure performance against throughout delivery
- BIt formally authorises the project's existence and gives the project manager authority to apply organisational resources to project activities Correct
- CIt lists every identified stakeholder together with their assessed influence, interest, and preferred communication approach
- DIt captures the full set of identified project risks with their probability, impact, and planned responses for the team to manage
Why A is wrong: This confuses the charter with baselines produced during planning; the charter is high level and predates the schedule and cost baselines, so it cannot serve as the performance measurement baseline.
Why B is correct: The charter's defining purpose is to authorise the project and empower the project manager to use organisational resources, which is precisely the authority Aisha needs before planning.
Why C is wrong: That content belongs to the stakeholder register, not the charter; a candidate may blur the two because both appear early, but the charter only summarises key stakeholders at most.
Why D is wrong: Risk detail with probability, impact, and responses lives in the risk register; the charter may note high-level risks, so this over-reaches by assigning register-level content to the charter.