Knowing what your competitors are up to is one thing. Knowing how to gather that intelligence ethically, legally, and with your company’s full backing is another.
As Lanie Schenkelberg, VP of Product Marketing, puts it:
“Without a charter, you’re operating in a gray zone.”
This template – inspired by Lanie’s session at the Competitive Intelligence Summit 2025 – helps you build a formal CI charter that defines the rules for your entire organization, so you can do competitive intelligence with confidence and clarity.
What is a competitive intelligence charter template?
A competitive intelligence charter template is a ready-made document you can adapt to define your company’s official approach to gathering and using competitive intelligence. It sets out what sources and methods are acceptable, what’s off limits, who can request CI and how, and what happens when a request pushes into murky territory.
Once finalized and signed off by legal, your charter becomes your CI program’s terms and conditions. It protects you professionally, gives you a clear and credible way to push back on requests that cross the line, and signals to leadership that your CI practice is structured, strategic, and above board.
Who is it for?
This template is for product marketers who own or are building out a competitive intelligence function. It’s especially useful if you’re formalizing your CI program for the first time, dealing with a growing volume of ad hoc requests from sales, or simply looking to get legal aligned on how your team operates.
If you’ve ever felt that uncomfortable pause when someone makes a CI request that doesn’t quite feel right, this template gives you the foundation to handle those moments with clarity and confidence.
How to use the template
The charter is organized into eight sections, covering everything from acceptable practices through to governance and sign-off. Here’s how to get the most out of it:
- Co-create it with legal: Don’t build this in isolation. Bringing your legal and compliance team in early means the charter carries real weight when you need to enforce it.
- Fill in the placeholders: The template includes example language and structure throughout. Customize each section to reflect your company’s specific tools, data sources, team structure, and escalation paths.
- Share it widely: Once it’s finalized, don’t let it sit in a shared drive. Share it with sales, product, and executive stakeholders, and include it in onboarding for anyone who’ll be consuming or requesting CI.
- Use it as your shield: When a request comes in that crosses a line, you don’t need to get into a debate. You can simply say: “That’s outside our charter” and point to the document.
- Keep it current: Set a reminder to review the charter bi-annually, or whenever your team, tools, or market landscape changes significantly.
A well-socialized CI charter doesn’t just protect your company from legal risk. It elevates the credibility of your entire CI program and makes product marketing a more trusted, strategic voice in the business.
Get your competitive intelligence charter template
