Does your R&D team have a charter?
You wouldn’t start a road trip without a map or a GPS, would you? So why would you start your R&D project without a documented, shared sense of direction?
That’s where team charters come in.
A good team charter defines the team’s identity. Not just what the team will be working on but also how the team will be working together. A team charter helps the team navigate complexity, unknown and ambiguity together. It is the foundation for team trust, clarity and project success!
So, here’s a question we ask at Plumtree:
“Does your team have a charter and how are you using it?”
What We Often See
Creating a charter is one of many ‘mandatory things to do’ when starting a new team or project.
No time to do it properly. Kicking off a new team creates hectic multi-tasking situations, and the charter becomes a detail, deprioritized or delegated to the project manager.
Standard content. The ‘corporate template’ dictates the content, and creating the charter is a box-ticking exercise.
Done and forgotten. The charter becomes one of many slides in the project team deck or saved on the team’s shared drive…never to surface again.
This way, the team charter becomes a missed opportunity.
A Different Way to Create and Use Your Team Charter
At Plumtree, we believe that there are ways to turn charter creation into a productive team effort. When created with intention and used actively, it becomes the most effective tool for team effectiveness.
Team Co-Creation. The charter should be the result of a facilitated, open team discussion about purpose, team norms, role accountabilities, ways of working and measures of success. Team alignment and ownership then starts from the beginning.
Living Document. Your work changes and so should your charter. The charter should be adapted to the needs of the team and the project. The team then stays adaptive and responsive.
Use as a Guide and Diagnostic. The charter should be used regularly as a ‘mirror’. Is the team living into the agreements, documented in the charter? If not, what has changed or what are the tensions? The charter becomes a tool for reflection, accountability and learning.
The Impact
The charter becomes the team identity document to accelerate team effectiveness.
The charter is owned by all team members together - not just the leader or project manager.
The charter creates a common language for how the team works, learns and adapts.
The charter is used as a tool to accelerate the onboarding of new team members.
What About You?
How did you create your team charter? And how are you using it?
What worked - and what would you do differently?
We’d love to hear your reflections. And if you’re facing the need to create a charter and do it differently this time, let’s talk. Plumtree is here to help you and your team work at the speed of science.
