Establish ground rules for how your team works together
Use a team charter to outline the essential elements of your team's communication and define a set of concepts and skills that focus and guide your team. Invite your teammates to the example template and review together, then move into a blank charter and begin your journey to becoming a high-performing team.
A team charter serves as a guiding document for project management that outlines the purpose, goals, values, and expectations of a team. It provides a foundation for team members to align their efforts, establish a shared vision, and work towards achieving common objectives.
Follow these steps to define your project team’s purpose and build a team charter. For each step, brainstorm with your team, consolidate the ideas, and refine the ideas by turning them into cohesive statements.
Have each team member add sticky notes with their name, two self-identified strengths, and two weaknesses to the first section of the template.
Brainstorm and discuss which shared values can help guide how you approach work and how the team members will collaborate with each other.
With the other team members, establish your ways of working and the ideals you’ll expect each other to abide by. This might include the desired format for common deliverables, recurring workflows, and outcomes.
Based on the strengths, weaknesses, and skill sets of each team member, define what roles each person will assume, what their responsibilities are, and how everyone will collaborate with each other.
Consider how success can be measured beyond a letter grade or number score. Are there specific milestones along the way or desired outcomes the team is working towards?
What are your expectations for high-quality work and outcomes? Think about the level of quality you deliver and expect from your teammates.
Transfer your organized thoughts from the six sections and draft up a single, cohesive charter document for each member of the team to follow.
Start from a completed example charter, or use this team charter example as inspiration.
A team charter should include an overview of the team's purpose, goals, values, and expectations. It should clearly define the team's mission statement and objectives, outlining what the team aims to achieve. Roles and responsibilities of each team member should be specified to establish accountability.
The charter should also include the team's values and expected behaviors, promoting a positive team culture. Communication and collaboration guidelines, decision-making processes, and conflict-resolution processes should all be outlined.
In a traditional team working environment, the whole team should collaboratively create the team charter together. A team leader might help facilitate, but it should be a group effort.
If building a new working relationship with a client, the program manager or account manager will likely be responsible for creating the team charter, with the client being a key stakeholder involved and consulted in the process.
A team charter is important because it provides clarity, alignment, and a shared understanding among team members. It establishes a common purpose, defines the team’s objectives, and defines the project scope, which fosters effective communication, accountability, and collaboration within the team.
Additionally, a team charter helps streamline workflows, improve project planning, and build stronger team cohesion, ultimately contributing to the project’s success.
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