Finding it a challenge to get into a remote rhythm with your team? A team charter can be extremely valuable for distributed teams. Find out how a team charter can help you determine what is important to you as a team and clarify how your team wants to work together to achieve their objectives.

1. Creating a foundation for working together remotely
Team Charter
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2. When adapting to remote working, you may need to
agree what the new “normal” looks like for a team.
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A team charter can help you determine what is important to
you as a team, whilst all working in different locations.
It’s a collaborative, dynamic document that clarifies how a
team want to work together to achieve their objectives,
and sets ground rules for ways of working.

3. When implemented correctly,
a team charter can be used to:
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Decide what’s
important to the team.
Promote a shared
understanding of values.
Set expectations of
individuals and the team.
Define what
success looks like.
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Creating your team charter1

5. When creating a team charter there are some
vital points that need to be considered:
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The team’s
mission
The team’s
values
Shared
behaviours
The definition
of good

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Collaboration
What work do we have to do at the
same time?
What will help us stay focussed?
Do we all have clarity on what we are
working on?
What do we want to be known for?
How would we describe our team
culture?
How do we want to celebrate
successes and learnings?
Culture
Covering all
the bases
There are several questions your team
should ask when creating team charter,
which cover four key topics:
● Collaboration
● Culture
● Socialising
● Structure
Socialising
How might we make time for
connections outside of meetings and
standard working hours?
How often will we check in on one
another?
What do we need to do to be flexible
around circumstances and time
constraints?
What can we accomplish if we don’t
work at the same time?
Structure

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Setting boundaries2

8. Any remote session needs some ground rules
- including when creating a team charter together.
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Make sure all team
members are in a quiet
area, free from distraction.
Introduce everyone and
give everyone a chance to
contribute.
Don’t stare at your phone
whilst others are
presenting.
Don’t interrupt other
people on the call when
they are speaking.
Test all tech (camera, wi-fi
and screen sharing)
before the meeting.
Read the agenda and
come prepared.
Don’t check emails or work
on other tasks during the
virtual meeting.
Turn off all notifications
and make sure your phone
is on silent.
Act the same in a remote
meeting as you would in a
face-to-face one.

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Setting up your team charter3

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Team Charter
Session
Follow these six steps
together to build out your
team charter.
60 - 75 minutes
All team members
Online whiteboard (ie. Mural),
or online document (ie. Google
Docs), video conferencing (ie.
Zoom)
1. 5 mins Set the scene - explain what a Team Charter, why they are important, and
share the structure the rest of the session.
2. 5-10 mins As individuals, reflect on the best team you’ve ever been part of - what
were the ingredients that made it so great? Think in terms of the four
bases of collaboration, structure, culture and socialising.
3. 5-10 mins Still as individuals, while the team are working remotely consider: what is
more important now, and what else do we need to think or do differently,
what habits do you need to support you in remote working??
4. 5-10 mins Break into pairs or smaller groups to discuss the ideas - using features like
Zoom breakout rooms or Jamm common rooms to manage separate
groups online.
5. 30 mins Come back together as a group and discuss what each smaller group
has come up with. In addition think about:
● What do you, as a team, want to achieve?
● How will you know you’re succeeding?
● As a team, what values do you want to display?
● Which behaviours do you want to encourage/avoid?
● How will you ensure you live your values/principles?
● How will you ‘call out’ safely when they’re not?
6. 10 mins Capture the outcomes from the session using your online whiteboard or
document, making sure everyone knows where it can be found. Also, don’t
forget to decide how often you’d like to review it to check it’s still valid and
represents the team.
SESSION PLAN

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Visualising a team charter4

12. A good team charter for remote working
articulates what’s important for all.
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This example team charter was created - and is actively used - by a team in one of AND Digital’s Clubs.
Qualities of
good remote
working
Have a dedicated workspace in your house.
Commit to team goals and continuous improvement.
Respond quickly to priority work, e.g. peer reviews.
Good communication and value an up-to-date board.
Establish a routine.
Be able to work at your own pace.
Prioritise wellbeing, e.g. snacks, water, breaks, walks.
Minimise distractions.
Have clear working hours, e.g. appts/deliveries/breaks.
Keep an eye on team for any morale changes.
Camera on = available, camera off = unavailable.
Daily check-ins - initiate second daily standup if needed.
Be respectful of other people’s routines.
Self-organise, but ask for support when needed.
Keeps team informed on progress and challenges.
Is honest and open.
Communicates clearly and frequently over Slack.
Maintains high quality code/output.
Is supportive and always has each other’s backs.
Strives for quality, over quantity.
Is humble and curious.
Wants to hear everyone’s opinions.
Gives thoughtful peer reviews.
Commits and pushes frequently.
Qualities of
being part of
a great team+
Focus on the customer
Be the team everyone wants to be part of

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Keeping the momentum5

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You’ve created your
team charter: now what?
It’s all well and good setting up a team charter,
but how do you then ensure it’s
used - consistently?
You should:
● Ensure everyone has access to the team charter.
● Commit to doing your best to live by the agreements
made, role modelling behaviour.
● Hold each other to the standards agreed within the
charter.
● Review the team charter regularly, in retrospectives or
other sessions and iterate it as needed to keep it ‘live’.
● Cover the team charter when onboarding new members.

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Useful resources6

16. Want to learn more about team charters?
Team Playbook: Rules of Engagement
Atlassian
The Team Charter - building a better team together
Boost
Team Remote Working Charter
Hyper Island Toolbox
A Team Charter Template You Can Use Today
Mural
Useful tools for creating your team charter Further reading on team charters
MIRO MURALIDEABOARDZ
CONCEPTBOARD STORMBOARD JAMBOARD

17. Thanks
Got questions?
Email: hello@and.digital
Visit: www.and.digital
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