stainsby/papi-sdlc-charter

SDLC Task - Project Charter

When to use this skill

Use this skill when a project needs its top-level intent written down — usually once at the start of a project, then reviewed or updated only when the project's purpose, scope, or way of working really shifts.

The Charter sits above user stories and component specifications. It is the one project-level answer to why we exist, where we are going, how we work, and what bigger-picture documents we sit under.

A project normally has one Charter. Lower documents (user stories, component specs, tasks) do not need to point back to the Charter — everything below follows it automatically.

Dependencies

Reading these skills is REQUIRED to understand and execute this skill:

• PAPI skill papi-sdlc-understand
• PAPI skill papi-templates-understand

Core principles

One project, one Charter

A project has exactly one charter.

Lower documents follow the Charter automatically

The charter applies to everything below it without being mentioned. Do NOT add a charter reference field to other PAPI artefacts (user stories, component specs, tasks,…)—the charter is implied.

Both the where and the how must be present

A Charter MUST say both where the project is going (Vision) and how the work is done (Ethos). A Charter with only one of these is incomplete: vision without ethos drifts; ethos without vision wanders.

Point upward as well as downward

The Charter MUST list any bigger-picture documents the project sits under or aligns with — for example a company vision, a community manifesto, a quality standard, or rules the project must follow. The list is informal; a link and one line of explanation per item is enough.

Actions

Use the charter template.

Skill artefacts

• Template: assets/charter-template.md