Overview of key elements to integrate together in order to form a highly functioning team, program, or company. Integrate your mission, vision, strategy, values, and resources together to achieve your goals.

1. Framework for a
5 Star Team
Unifying our Why, What, Where, When, and Hows to be a high performing team of any size project, program,
portfolio, or company
Tim Grammer

2. 5 Star Team Elements
Mutual
Purpose
Mutual
Trust and
Respect
Right
“STEPPPS”
Role Clarity
Prioritized
Aligned
Activities 5
Star
Team

3. 5 Star Team Elements
Mutual
Purpose
Mutual
Trust and
Respect
Right
“STEPPPS”
Role Clarity
Prioritized
Aligned
Activities 5
Star
Team
This is our WHY
WHY we are doing all this work
MISSION: The positive impact we make
in the world around us today and in the future
VISION: From where we are now, where we
envision being in the future

4. 5 Star Team Elements
Mutual
Purpose
Mutual
Trust and
Respect
Right
STEPS
Role Clarity
Prioritized
Aligned
Activities 5
Star
Team
This is our WHAT, WHERE, WHEN This is the basis of our STRATEGY
Strategic Objectives: A set of goals that need to be accomplished which together will achieve our VISION
Strategy: A set of prioritized aligned activities and decisions to achieve our Strategic Objectives and hence our
VISION when facing competition and limited time, money, people, and resources
Aligned activities: What, where, and when work is done to achieve our Strategic Objectives such that:
 Activities are FOCUSED pointing in the same direction without unnecessary work.
 Activities FIT together to support each other as much as possible as an integrated system of work and
behaviors.
 TRADE OFFS are understood about what we are not going to do because it is not aligned with our vision or
is not a priority given our limited TIME, MONEY, PEOPLE, and RESOURCES
Prioritized: Decided allocations of our limited TIME, MONEY, PEOPLE, and RESOURCES to activities based on

5. 5 Star Team Elements
Mutual
Purpose
Mutual
Trust and
Respect
Right
STEPS
Role Clarity
Prioritized
Aligned
Activities 5
Star
Team
This is our WHO
WHO is responsible, accountable, consulted,
and
informed of activity status and decisions
We have clarity for:
ACTIVITY ROLES: RACI matrix
RESPONSIBLE: person(s) responsible for getting
the work done
ACCOUNTABLE : One person accountable for
the
work being done on time, on budget, and
the
right way
CONSULTED: person(s) consulted about the
work
INFORMED: person(s) informed about the work

6. 5 Star Team Elements
Mutual
Purpose
Mutual
Trust and
Respect
Right
“STEPPPS”
Role Clarity
Prioritized
Aligned
Activities 5
STAR
Team
This is part of our HOW.
HOW the activities get done using the following “STEPPPS”
SKILLS, TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, PEOPLE, POLICIES, PROCEDURES, and SYSTEMS
SKILLS: need the right skills for each role and activity; get training when needed
TOOLS: need the right tools; these are the things that make work easier (e.g., templates, software)
EQUIPMENT: need the right equipment; these are the physical goods required for the work
PEOPLE: need the right people; hire only when needed and only those aligned with mission, vision,
values, strategy
POLICIES: need the right policies and rules; document them for clarity and consistency
PROCEDURES: need the right procedures; document them for clarity and consistency; checklists can be
helpful
SYSTEMS: need the right systems for monitoring and controlling the activities; identify risks/issues early,
adjust if needed

7. 5 Star Team Elements
Mutual
Purpose
Mutual
Trust and
Respect
Right
“STEPPPS”
Role Clarity
Prioritized
Aligned
Activities 5
STAR
Team
This is also part of our HOW.
HOW we treat each other to build and maintain mutual
trust
and respect
Our VALUES and ways of working are defined, documented,
and
made visible
We select and retain trustworthy and respectable people
based on our VALUES
Trust and Respect come from:
Ethics: acting ethically
Competency: having the right skills and experience
Reliability: having a history of fulfilling commitments
Mutual purpose: wanting the same Mission and Vision (our

8. 5 Star Team Elements
Mutual
Purpose
Mutual
Trust and
Respect
Right
“STEPPPS”
Role Clarity
Prioritized
Aligned
Activities 5
Star
Team
Why
What
Where
When
Who How
How
Mission and Vision: Why we are working together
How we treat
each other (Values)
How we get
things done using
Skills, Tools, Equipment,
People, Policies, Procedures
and Systems
Strategy with
Focus
Fit
Trade Offs
using limited
Time
Money
People
Resources
Who is Responsible
Who is Accountable
Who is Consulted
Who is Informed
Who is the Decision-maker

9. When Building or Strengthening a Team
Define your Mutual Purpose
Clarify your MISSION: What positive
impact do you want to make in the
world around you?
Clarify your VISION: From where you are
now, were do you envision you need to
be in the future?
Identify your Prioritized Aligned Activities (your
Strategy)
Determine the Strategic Objectives that need to be achieved to make your VISION a
reality
List the activities needed to achieve each Strategic Objective
•Challenge the list: Are these the right activities? Are there other paths to achieve each
Strategic Objective?
Align and Prioritize the activities based on your TIME, MONEY, PEOPLE, and RESOURCE
constraints
•Does the set of activities have FOCUS or are some distracting, unnecessary, or
weakening the others?
•Where do the activities FIT together in ways they can strengthen and support each
other?
•What TRADE OFFS do you need to make by prioritizing some activities over others
and are there activities that should not or are unable to be done or would be
negatively impacted if certain activities are prioritized (i.e., consider opportunity costs
and competing activities)?
•Which activities sustain the others (e.g., billing/accounting, marketing, IT support,
front desk, etc.)?
•Which activities should be done first or in a particular order? Which ones benefit by
being done later?
•Which activities are the most important and need to be prioritized when allocating
TIME, MONEY, PEOPLE, and RESOURCES?
IMPORTANT: Without clear, well-thought-out objectives along with activity alignment
and prioritization with FOCUS, FIT, and TRADE OFFS, your list of activities is simply a
“to do list” of work and not a good strategy. Work may get done but may not get you
to where you want to go.

10. When Building or Strengthening a Team (continued)
Clarify your Roles
Clarify your RACI Roles for the activities:
Who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and
Informed for each activity’s work progress, issue
resolution, status updates, and completion?
Clarify the DCI Roles for when activities need
decisions: Who is the Decider, who is Consulted and
who is Informed when making a decision?
Obtain and utilize the Right STEPPPS to
complete each activity
SKILLS: need the right skills for each role and activity; get
training when needed
TOOLS: need the right tools; these are the things that make
work easier (e.g., templates, software, etc.)
EQUIPMENT: need the right equipment; these are the
physical goods required for the work
PEOPLE: need the right people in each role and activity;
hire only when needed and only those aligned with your
mission, vision, and values
POLICIES: need the right policies and rules; document
them for clarity and consistency
PROCEDURES: need the right procedures; document them
for clarity and consistency; checklists can be helpful
SYSTEMS: need the right systems for monitoring and
controlling the activities; identify risks/issues early, adjust if
needed

11. • Clarify your ways of working to gain and maintain
Mutual Trust and Respect
• Clarify your core VALUES:
• This should not be a list of platitudes or
words that are selected to sound good.
• These core values are the key ingredients you
feel that make you who you are as individuals
and as teammates
• Clarify your ways of working together
• Adhere to and find ways to increase the things
that are known to build Trust and Respect
• Be Ethical
• Be Kind
• Build your Competency
• Be Reliable
• Be true to your Mission, Vision, and Values of
your Mutual Purpose
When Building or Strengthening a Team (continued)