Tips and Tricks to Writing a Team Charter

HR Daily Advisor defines a team charter as a document that “ensure[s] that everyone involved at the team (and senior management) level knows why the project needs to be carried out, understands what the objectives and measures of success are, and has a clear idea of who is doing what and with what resources.”

Team Charters can come in a variety of formats but ultimately they all serve the same purpose: defining the team, aligning it to a specific set of goals, and focusing the team on a specific set of responsibilities.

Well defined teams ensure that work gets done faster, that communication gaps are bridged more easily, and that leadership can maintain an understanding of how teams should be resourced over time.

What is a team charter?

A team charter is a document designed to be the north star for a given team and the summary of the team’s activities to all other stakeholders.

It is written and updated over time to reflect the core organizing drive behind a team and to serve as a store for important information about the team. A good team charter will clearly declare the team’s leadership, the team’s members, the team name, its purpose, its goals, and the context surrounding its founding.

We write team charters to set strong foundations for our teams. The founding of a team or the decision for an existing team to write their charter are moments that are pivotal to how successful that team will be. The clearly defined team charter gives a team the alignment necessary to get things done and gives others the information necessary to collaborate well with that team.

How to write a team charter?

First you must ask yourself the core questions that are underly the organization of your team:

• How is the team led? Who leads it? Who is accountable for it?
• Who participates on the team? Who supports the team from outside?
• What is the team responsible for?
• What outcomes is the team looking to drive?
• How is responsibility distributed throughout the team?

Try using our Team Charter Workshop Template to guide your brainstorming session.

With the answers to these questions all laid out, you have the bones of your charter, from their the format and style are all up to you. The best team charter is visible and accessible to all stakeholders. It should live in your central file store, intranet, or within your internal wiki and be made available to everyone in your organization.

Tips for Writing a Team Charter

1. Nail the “Why”. Know exactly why this team exists, how it fits into the broader organization, and who it exists to serve.
2. Keep it shorter than a page. The document should be readable, accessible, and understood in a glance.
3. Provide rich context. What is the history of the team? What is the background behind its founding? How has leadership changed over time?
4. Inspire and align. Teams will turn to the charter in order to prioritize work that serves its mission and brings it closer to its stated goals. The charter should inspire the team to chase that mission down relentlessly.
5. Ask your team for feedback. You may be the author of your team charter, but your team will live it every day. Does the mission inspire them? Do the goals feel impactful and urgent? The voices of your team will ensure that the charter is defining them, their work, and their reality, not just the idea of what the team be.