No one has expertise in every area. Division heads do not usually know all of the activities in every other division. How often have you seen more than one division inventing different solutions to the same problem? Not only do you waste resources developing multiple solutions, you then continue to waste resources maintaining two solutions to one problem. An enterprise view of all initiatives, with appropriate executive oversight, is vital to coordinate activities and maximize productive use of time.
It is your responsibility to provide information that is sufficient to enable the Organization’s executive management to understand the value of your project in the written Charter. Show the benefits. Identify the targeted Customers. Explain the significance of the product. Illustrate the value at the level necessary to promote a clear understanding. Use the Charter to educate the executive management of the merits of your idea.
If everyone followed this philosophy, the organization would be pulling itself in so many directions that perhaps nothing of value would ever get done. Managers and executives need to manage the work of the organization to ensure its alignment with its mission. Charters provide executive management with the information they need to manage the organization’s resources.