What contains the formal authorization for a project and includes the project's objectives?

• A. The project plan
• B. The business case
• C. The project charter
• D. The stakeholder register

Answer: (C)

The project charter is the document that formally authorizes a project and gives the project manager the authority to apply organizational resources. It explicitly states the project’s objectives and success criteria, along with high‑level boundaries, key stakeholders, and initial assumptions. This combination—formal authorization plus clear objectives—is what sets the project in motion and empowers the team to proceed.

While a business case explains why the project is worth doing to secure approval, a project plan details how the work will be carried out, and a stakeholder register lists who is involved, none of these alone performs the formal authorization or defines the objectives as clearly as the charter.