Eight Ways Team Charters Drive Success
By: Jilaine Parkes
What is a team charter?
A team charter is a document that defines the mission of a particular team, including any and all objectives, the scope of operation, time frame, and intended consequences. As the name would imply, a team charter should be created by means of a group effort. Every member of a team should contribute to and understand their role as defined by the team charter. In order for a team charter to be an effective means by which to drive success, it is critical that every member of the team be on the same page.
Why use a team charter?
When you invest the time to create a Team Charter, you are helping your people become more equipped to be successful.
Whether created to drive corporate values, a short project or to give direction to new working units, team chartering can improve the results of your managers and employees.
We at SpriggHR are big proponents of team chartering as a way to help direct and align corporate and/or team objectives.
How using a Team Charter drives success
Here are 8 reasons to consider using a Team Charter:
1) Guidance & Support
One of the key components of an effective team charter is the identification of a team sponsor or a person outside of the group who can give support and direction to the team. By bringing in an external or independent sponsor the team is offered objective support and direction. Many smaller companies don’t have an internal employee who can perform this role. This is another area where Sprigg’s team of HR experts can help. Contact us to learn more about how we can help.
2) Team Direction
A good Team Charter provides the rationale and goals for the group and, in turn, the necessary direction to drive a team forward and gain a clear competitive edge.
3) Transparency
A charter can ensure transparency within a team-leading to greater alignment, accountability, and actions. The document creates an opportunity for a team to build agreement around how they operate, make decisions, the regularity of meetings, and many more logistical issues.
4) A Well-Prepared Process Will Pay Dividends
A team chartering process helps make sure a team plans successfully before moving forward. The charter is your team’s checklist and action plan to ensure a smooth road towards high team productivity and collaboration.
It sounds simple but many companies forget to take the time at the start to fully craft a charter – including getting the all-important buy-in from all team members.
We suggest that the time spent in planning initially will be repaid both in time saved and frustration avoided.
The time spent in planning initially will be repaid many times over during the life of the team – both in time saved and frustration avoided.
5) Roles and Responsibilities
To get the most from a team charter, you should ensure that it encourages regular input from all team members.
Make the most each team member’s interests, work styles, and skillsets by allocating roles and responsibilities to individuals based on what they can add to the overall team goals.
Utilize your people in the best way and you’ll drive alignment and ensure much greater levels of accountability.
6) The Team Remit: Boundaries & Scope
Often teams wonder what’s inside of their control and what is actually expected of them.
When done correctly a chartering process helps a team understand their boundaries, limitations and the parts for which they are responsible.
7) Authority and Resources
Teams often wonder about their level of authority.
Use your chartering document to clarify your team’s level of authority and set the resource requirements needed for successful results. This helps to answer questions such as:
- Can we get additional resources from within the organization?
- What’s our budget?
- Can we hire consultants?
- Can we bring in outside experts?
8) Improve Productivity & Chances of Success
When done correctly, the importance of a team chartering process is very significant. When you invest the time to do a team charter, you will inspire individuals and help the team as a whole be more successful through measurable goals and agreed types of accountability.
Conclusion
Creating a team charter is an effective and feasible way to ensure alignment with corporate and/or team objectives and help to drive both individual and company success.
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