Team Charter
What is a Team Charter?
A “team charter” is a document that clearly outlines a team’s purpose, goals, values, roles, responsibilities, communication protocols, and decision-making processes.
Why Have a Team Charter?
Creating a Team Charter helps multi-organizational teams establish clear roles, shared values, and mutual expectations. This foundational document promotes accountability, aligns team members on health equity goals, and fosters a respectful, collaborative environment. With a charter in place, the team is better positioned for coordinated, impactful action on health equity initiatives.
How to work through this component:
Teams should start with the Team Charter sub-component by working through the Base Deck (Presentation), and then reading through the Team Building Definitions and Explanations, and then working together to actually create your Team Charter.
Team Charter (Base Deck – Presentation)
This Presentation walks through the steps a team can take to set itself up for success. Teams will learn how a team charter that can help them:
- Align the team’s mission and goals
- Allocate roles
- Identify timelines
- Establishing a shared language, and
- Setting expectations for meetings and teamwork
To be used in tandem with the Team Charter Template, and the Team Building Definitions and Explanations.
Team Building Definitions and Explanations (Includes Accountable Spaces Framework Example)
The Team Building Definitions, Concepts, and Guidance for Creating a Team Charter document discusses the importance of creating a team charter, how to create a team charter, and tips for creating alignment among your team as they work toward health equity.
To be used in tandem with the Team Charter (Base Deck-Presentation) and Team Charter template.
Team Building Facilitator Guide
This resource will help you plan a training/information session with your team to help them create a charter to guide their work.
Team Charter Template
Downloadable template for teams to use for drafting their own team charter.
Curriculum to be completed for this component:
Team Charter (Base Deck – Presentation) and Speaker Notes
Team Building Definitions and Explanations (Includes Accountable Spaces Framework Example)
Team Building Facilitator Guide
Team Charter Template
Timeline / allotment for this component:
Goal and Objective Setting:
This tool is designed to facilitate goal setting and completion for your team. The tool will allow your team to:
1) Record goals which align with the various Roadmap components;
2) Record objectives, time frames, and target completion dates, among other important items for each goal; and
3) Monitor progress of goals per Roadmap component
Your team is welcome to engage with this tool as much or as little as it would like, and is helpful, in the development, implementation, and evaluation of your health equity initiative. We encourage you to use this tool to ensure clear goal setting and promote consistent communication, accountability, and progress within your team. This tool is designed to be used over time as your team progresses through the Roadmap and your initiative. This is in no way intended to be used one way by all teams. This is meant to help you progress through the Roadmap component(s) on which you are working at a given time and you may reach your goals in any order.
Each Roadmap component is listed as a separate tab. Navigate to the desired Roadmap component via the task bar at the bottom of the webpage to add, edit, or view goals. Hide certain tabs as needed to narrow your view to specific Roadmap components or the snapshot. Changing the status of a goal will automatically shift the Snapshot view for the specific Roadmap component.
Self-Assessment Topics and Questions:
Do all team members have access to the charter? If not, how can they obtain and maintain access?
Which of the following best describes the composition of your team or collaborative?
- Most or all of the individuals and/or collaborative organizations are new partners.
- All individuals and partner organizations have a history of working together on this initiative.
- Some, but not all, of the individuals and/or partner organizations have a history of working together on this equity initiative.
If you answered “A”, consider conducting a SOAR analysis and then using the information gathered from the analysis to complete all the components of a Team Charter.
If you answered “B”, conduct a SOAR analysis if you have not done so already. If you completed a SOAR analysis in the past, review the results and determine as a group if it would be beneficial to update the analysis. After reviewing and updating the SOAR analysis, review and update your Team Charter. Then, assess if partner organizations and team members are still aligned on each component of the Charter a minimum of once every four months; make updates and revisions as necessary.
If you answered “C”, it is important to ensure that all team members are oriented to each component of the Team Charter and have opportunities to ask questions and seek clarification regarding the goals of the initiative and their specific role. This is especially important for newer team members.
Mission and Goals Alignment Exercise
- Ask each team member to independently write down the team’s mission and goals (without looking at or referencing the Team Charter). Ask each person to submit their written mission and goals; ensure that submissions are anonymous. Review the written responses as a group to assess alignment and agreement across the group. Do the submissions match the mission and goals as written in the team charter? If not, conduct a group review of the team’s mission and goals.
Team Discussion Questions
- How often does the team refer to the charter to guide their work? When was the last time this happened?**