Team Charter
Codify purpose, principles, norms, and operating cadence.
Explanation
Most team conflicts arise from unspoken assumptions about how things should work. A team charter makes these expectations explicit by documenting the team's purpose, values, norms, and operating procedures. Unlike rules imposed from above, effective charters are created collaboratively by the team and serve as their 'constitution' for working together.
Real-World Example
Team charter: Purpose: Ship delightful features fast. Values: Customer first, bias for action. Norms: Cameras on, start on time, disagree openly. Decisions: Driver proposes, team debates, leader decides if no consensus. Meetings: Daily standup 9am, weekly retro Friday. Posted on wall.
How to Apply
Workshop with whole team. Sections: Why we exist. What we value. How we behave. How we decide. How we communicate. When we meet. What we measure. Everyone signs. Review monthly first quarter, quarterly after. New member? Review day 1. Update as needed.