Team and Resources · tool 2 of 5
Team Charter
Team Charter: agrees how the team will work, before pressure tests it.
Best for: New teams · Time: 1 hour
Domain: Resources · Focus area: Planning
How it works
A short agreement written by the team: purpose, values, how decisions get made, working hours, how to communicate and how to raise problems.
- The team writes it, so that they own it.
- Cover how to disagree.
- Revisit it when people join.
How to apply it
- Ask what has made past teams great or painful.
- Agree a few specific rules.
- Write them on one page.
- Review after a month.
In practice
“Replies within a day. Decisions in the channel, not in private. No meetings on Friday.”
Pro tip
The most useful rule covers what to do when someone breaks the rules.
Use it
- Template: Team Charter (blank), filled example
Quick check
Who should write the team charter?
Sources
- PMBOK® Guide, 8th edition, and The Standard for Project Management (PMI, 2025)
Last reviewed 2026-11-02 against the PMBOK® Guide, 8th edition · Practitioner review pending · How this guide is made