Unchartered
“We win as a team, we also fail as a team; High confidence, low ego”
This is a very small, but important line in our team charter. It calls out one of our core values and exclaims that we are a team, through and through.
Here at Popmenu, we use a team charter to formally define who makes up that team, what the mission is, the product(s) that team supports and has expertise in, and how that team has decided to operate. Yes, you read that right, the teams decide how they operate!
Get everyone on the same page
Creating a charter, as mentioned above, is a team’s way of formally mapping out several distinct aspects and processes of that team. There are a few reasons for doing this. First, everyone on the team needs to be on the same page, and this is a terrific way to do so. Second, accountability is key. If everyone has agreed on a set of standards to run the team by, then the team now has a set of standards to uphold the team by. Note, this goes for everyone. Lastly, the charter is a public facing document, so anyone in the organization can read it and understand how the team works. This is helpful in a wide range of areas, from collaborating with other teams and departments to onboarding new team members.
Charter first, charter often
Chartering for a new team or an existing team that does not yet have one should be a high priority for that team. Most of the time, whether written or unwritten, a team is going to have a way they work, goals they are striving for and a set team in which they execute with. The sooner that you can get the team on the same page, the better.
Sometimes goals, people, and processes change, and that means that sometimes your charter needs to change as well. Over time, it is understandable and encouraged for teams to hold rechartering meetings, so they can make the necessary changes.
They don’t ask how, they ask how many
You might be sensing a theme here. How a charter is formed is up to the team. However, the important part is that the entire team gets together and has enough time to meet and discuss the charter together, uninterrupted. The beauty of technology today allows us to collaborate no matter where we live and work, but nothing beats a good ol’ face-to-face meeting. Combine this with a team lunch afterwards or even during, and you will have a true team building experience.
A few key points that might be important to document for your team are:
- Mission statement — what is it that your team does, how do you bring value to your company and clients?
- Goals — what goals help you achieve that mission?
- Supported features — what features do you support, are you building and collaborating on?
- How we operate — how does your team accomplish work? (Really dive into the details here, map out how work comes to your team and all the way to how your team deploys that work)
- Communication — how does your team communicate internally and with your partners? (This should include recurring meetings and how to communicate PTO/sick time)
- Team responsibilities — what are the roles that everyone has on the team, and what do those roles mean?
As engineers, product managers, quality assurance, and designers, we all know that documenting our work is a necessary part of our jobs. This helps us keep track of what we have done and share that work with others. This is no different from the larger work and processes of the team(s) we work on. A terrific way to document the functions and processes of our team(s) is through a team charter!
