Creating a Team Charter
Info
A team isn't really a team without a common goal and focus. Sometimes, a bunch of people are put together, but they struggle to work as a team. That's where a team charter comes in. It helps the team align on their purpose and how they should operate.
Year
Nov 2023
Client
Red Ventures
Services
Design Ops
Background & Approach
After joining a new team this year, I noticed a lot of dysfunctional behaviors within the Design team. Trust was lacking, processes were unclear, and roles were not well-defined. The team rarely operated as a cohesive unit, and self-awareness was minimal. To address these issues, I organized an 8-hour workshop that covered various crucial topics (drawing inspiration from the book: Liftoff!). During the workshop, we focused on defining our team's purpose, establishing commitments for behaviors and expectations, identifying key areas of focus within the business, and discussing ways to improve and grow. It was an all-analog session, utilizing methods that quickly aligned us and fostered a shared understanding of the team we aspired to be. To wrap up the workshop, we had a fun team event and dinner, allowing us to connect on a personal level. Afterward, I worked on consolidating our thoughts and turning them into a presentation format (below). This would serve as a reference point for us moving forward. I also shared this presentation with our business and engineering leaders, ensuring they were aware of the work we had done and could hold us accountable for becoming the design team we aimed to
After joining a new team this year, I noticed a lot of dysfunctional behaviors within the Design team. Trust was lacking, processes were unclear, and roles were not well-defined. The team rarely operated as a cohesive unit, and self-awareness was minimal. To address these issues, I organized an 8-hour workshop that covered various crucial topics (drawing inspiration from the book: Liftoff!). During the workshop, we focused on defining our team's purpose, establishing commitments for behaviors and expectations, identifying key areas of focus within the business, and discussing ways to improve and grow. It was an all-analog session, utilizing methods that quickly aligned us and fostered a shared understanding of the team we aspired to be. To wrap up the workshop, we had a fun team event and dinner, allowing us to connect on a personal level. Afterward, I worked on consolidating our thoughts and turning them into a presentation format (below). This would serve as a reference point for us moving forward. I also shared this presentation with our business and engineering leaders, ensuring they were aware of the work we had done and could hold us accountable for becoming the design team we aimed to
The conclusion
Building and cultivating a team culture is very challenging, but you have to start somewhere. I found by bringing the team together and pushing everyone to envision what an ideal team culture looks like is the best place to start. Once the presentation was created and circulated (below), it became the backbone and foundation for everything going forward. It was referenced often and remained a useful tool for our team's culture.
Building and cultivating a team culture is very challenging, but you have to start somewhere. I found by bringing the team together and pushing everyone to envision what an ideal team culture looks like is the best place to start. Once the presentation was created and circulated (below), it became the backbone and foundation for everything going forward. It was referenced often and remained a useful tool for our team's culture.
Ryan Muth
Visual Design Principal
I worked with Dustin for close to a year after he stepped in to oversee the Creative Department at Red Ventures Education Vertical. Before his introduction, the team had been fragmented, unorganized, and without a clear direction. He quickly established himself as a trusted, communicative, and approachable leader who brought a sense of unity and purpose to the team. He helped to alter the perception of the team as a whole, where once we were seen as basic task managers, peers around the organization now view Creative as a solution-oriented group that can be trusted to provide valuable insights and purposeful executions. I've worked with many leaders throughout my career and I can honestly say there were few that I felt that I could rely on to provide useful and nuanced feedback that was based on a knowledge base of years practical experience. In my fairly short time working with Dustin I have grown more as a designer than I have in almost a decade. Dustin is a leader who inspires trust, inspiration, and confidence, I only wish my tenure with Dustin was longer-lived.
Ryan Muth
Visual Design Principal
I worked with Dustin for close to a year after he stepped in to oversee the Creative Department at Red Ventures Education Vertical. Before his introduction, the team had been fragmented, unorganized, and without a clear direction. He quickly established himself as a trusted, communicative, and approachable leader who brought a sense of unity and purpose to the team. He helped to alter the perception of the team as a whole, where once we were seen as basic task managers, peers around the organization now view Creative as a solution-oriented group that can be trusted to provide valuable insights and purposeful executions. I've worked with many leaders throughout my career and I can honestly say there were few that I felt that I could rely on to provide useful and nuanced feedback that was based on a knowledge base of years practical experience. In my fairly short time working with Dustin I have grown more as a designer than I have in almost a decade. Dustin is a leader who inspires trust, inspiration, and confidence, I only wish my tenure with Dustin was longer-lived.
