Unlocking Team Success: The Power of a Team Charter
What is a Team Charter?
A team charter is a document that outlines the team’s mission, objectives, values, and rituals. It serves as a guiding light for the team, providing direction and focus on what needs to be accomplished. Think of it as an instruction manual that helps team members understand their roles and responsibilities and how they contribute to the wider goals of the product and company.
The Benefits of a Team Charter
- Centralized information: All key information is stored in one place, making it easily accessible to everyone on the team.
- Facilitated discussions: The charter provides a framework for team discussions, ensuring everyone is on the same page.
- Clear boundaries: The charter helps establish clear boundaries and focuses the team’s work, preventing scope creep and ensuring everyone is working towards the same goals.
Components of a Team Charter
- Team mission and objective: A concise statement outlining the team’s purpose and goals.
- Team background: Profiles of team members, including their roles, responsibilities, and leadership structure.
- Key contacts: Identification of the leadership group and communication channels.
- Team goals: Practical objectives that need to be achieved to realize the team’s mission.
- Ways of working: Agreed-upon methods, frameworks, and structures for maximizing productivity.
- Portfolio of work: A detailed outline of the team’s ownership map, including features, functions, and workflows.
- What’s out of scope: Clear identification of tasks and responsibilities that fall outside the team’s purview.
- Team values: A statement outlining the attributes and behaviors expected from team members.
Creating Your Own Team Charter
To get started, create a new document with the following template:
# Team Charter ## Team Mission and Objective *Concise statement outlining the team's purpose and goals* ## Team Background *Profiles of team members, including their roles, responsibilities, and leadership structure* ## Key Contacts *Identification of the leadership group and communication channels* ## Team Goals *Practical objectives that need to be achieved to realize the team's mission* ## Ways of Working *Agreed-upon methods, frameworks, and structures for maximizing productivity* ## Portfolio of Work *A detailed outline of the team's ownership map, including features, functions, and workflows* ## What's Out of Scope *Clear identification of tasks and responsibilities that fall outside the team's purview* ## Team Values *A statement outlining the attributes and behaviors expected from team members*
Follow these tips to create a charter that will help your team thrive:
- Keep it simple and concise.
- Involve all team