The Team Charter

Team charter

A team charter is a document that is developed in a group setting that clarifies team direction while establishing boundaries. It is developed early during the forming of the team. The charter should be developed in a group session to encourage understanding and buy-in.  In the early days of agile software development they were often referred to as Team Operating Agreements (TOAs).  The Decider Protocol is an effective practice in the facilitation of reaching a consensus.

Agile Team Charters now typically outline the overall mission, goals, values, and operational scope of an Agile team.  But they can be much simpler than that, as were TOAs that may mention how sprint backlog items can (and can't) be pulled into Development for example, or that if someone is going to be late to Standup that they are expected to inform the team beforehand.

Suggested Reading:

• The Scrum Team Charter Canvas