Team charter

Basic

difficulty

Stage 2

Agile IQ® Level

0:30h

Timebox

Team Setup

EVENT

Introduction

It’s important to establish a unique identity for a team and the values they deem most important to their own success for delivery. The team’s success largely depends on the roles and norms that agile coaches help establish for the team, empowering people to find their place within the culture that has been established.

There’s a growing body of evidence from team psychology that shows team charters contribute positively to performance [1], including:

Improved process outcomes.
Improved communication.
Improved mutual support and cohesion.
Improved team member satisfaction.

Team performance early in a team’s live is reliant on the development of effective short-term processes that help individuals bond and create relationships, structure, and focus that it deliver [2].

Developing your team charter

The purpose of a team charter is to systematically establish many of the necessary ground rules for team meetings, interactions, and performance. You should run a team charter event when the team is first established, or when there have been so many new people added to the team that it’s time for a reboot.

Timebox: 30 minutes.

The charter should cover at the bare minimum the items following:

Mission Statement

Why did your team form? What types of products or services does it deliver?

Team Norms

Meeting management

Start and end on time.
Have a clear structure for the meeting.
Have an outcome for the meeting.
If you are unable to attend a meeting, let the organiser know as far in advance as possible, and it is your responsibility to find out what happened.

Meeting Behaviour Norms (Code of Conduct)

Listen without interrupting.
Be open and honest.
Give honest feedback.

Decision Making

Clearly state the problems or decisions to be made
Deﬁne the solutions and options the group is facing
At least half the team needs to be present for making a decision

Communication Plan

What information do people need to know?
How should this information be provided?
Who will provide it?
When should the information be provided?

Handling Conﬂict

Acknowledge there is a disagreement and describe how it is affecting the team
Get commitment from individuals and or team to resolve disagreements
Have each party state his or her point of view
Have each party suggest a solution based on facts, mutual needs and team goals
Examine solutions
Evaluate process

Download

Download the Team Charter Canvas (PDF) to print and use in this team setup activity.

References

1. Aaron, J. R., McDowell, W.C., and Herdman, A. O. (2014) The Effects of a Team Charter on Student Team Behaviors. The Journal of Education for Business 89(2):90-97

2. Dowling, K. (2003). Chartering your team for peak performance. In M. M.Beyerlein, C. McGee, D. Klein, J. E. Nemiro, & L. Broedling (Eds.), The collaborative work systems ﬁeldbook (pp. 77–87). San Francisco, CA:Wiley