The Team Charter

Must be an operational document o probably even more important for virtual teams

Should encourage good behavior and discourage poor behavior

o Must have some teeth in it! o In creating it, you must think like lawyers.

Joining the team implies its acceptance

o so in the long run, it will save time General Goals of the Team Charter

Set roles and responsibilities of team members

Set broad performance objectives (team and team members) o quality

Set expectations for the success of the project Basic Team Administration

Sets ground rules for the administrative operation of the project team o Software agreement

o Document control o Communication Management

o Points of contact o Status reporting o Feedback from higher level meetings

o Escalation procedures (both emotional and project)

The Team Charter Must be SPECIFIC

Set expectations for team members' behavior, e.g.,

o Timeliness (meetings and correspondence)

o Mutual Respect o Openness o Commitment (e.g., work hours, including overtime)

Set punishments for poor behavior

Decide "rules of engagement"

o Meeting protocols

o Discussion protocols

o Conflict management

o Support of agreements (e.g., schedules!)

o Decision making (e.g., consensus)