PK0-005 Project Life Cycle Practice Question
A project manager is developing the project charter. Which of the following should be included as a key element in the charter to define the project's boundaries?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is selecting a detailed planning artifact (risk register, WBS, communication plan) as a charter element — the charter is high-level and precedes all of these.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
High-level scope
The project charter is a high-level document that formally authorizes the project and defines its boundaries, including the high-level scope, objectives, success criteria, and constraints. High-level scope is a core charter element because it delineates what is in and out of the project without descending into detailed deliverables. The other options are planning artifacts created later in the project lifecycle.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Risk register
Why it's wrong here
The risk register records identified threats, owners and responses, and is created during planning rather than chartering. It would be correct when tracking risk exposure through the project lifecycle, but it does not state what the project will and will not deliver.
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Detailed work breakdown structure
Why it's wrong here
The WBS decomposes deliverables into work packages during planning, long after the charter is signed; it cannot define boundaries at charter stage. It is the correct artefact for scheduling and cost estimation once scope is baselined, not for authorising the project.
- ✓
High-level scope
Why this is correct
High-level scope defines what the project will and will not deliver, establishing its boundaries. Including it in the charter authorises the project manager to proceed while clarifying what falls inside and outside the project's remit, which is exactly the boundary-defining element requested.
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Communication plan
Why it's wrong here
The communication plan documents stakeholder information flow, timing and channels, not the project's in-scope and out-of-scope boundaries. It is produced during planning, after the charter is approved. It would be the right artefact when defining reporting cadence and escalation paths.
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Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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