Using a team charter to make sure your team is on the right track.

You could be a physician in clinical practice—or work for a medical device or pharmaceutical company.  Chances are you will need to be able to lead a team to achieve a desired outcome. 

Working in teams can be terrific—if team members work well together.  However, if people are pulling in different directions, the experience can be dreadful.  Without sufficient direction, teams can focus on the wrong objectives, fail to use important resources, or be torn apart with avoidable infighting.  What's worse is that they can fail, sometimes with dire consequences for the organization.

Creating a team charter is one of the most powerful ways a team can make sure it’s on the right track—and everyone is committed to the work of the team. A team charter is a set of agreements that define the purpose of the team, what it wants to achieve, why it is important, and how the team will work together. As the team encounters obstacles or roadblocks, the charter can serve as a “roadmap” to keep the team on course—and focused on the end result. 

As a physician leader, you can take an important step in guiding your team in the right direction. By using the chartering process, you can help your team clarify its purpose and values, develop goals and strategies to accomplish the desired outcomes, and create a written agreement that captures the common understanding.

For teams to get off on the right foot, team charters should be drawn up when the team is formed. This helps to make sure that everyone is focused on the right things from the start. However, drawing up a team charter can also be useful if a team is in trouble and people need to regain their view of the big picture.

Here is a checklist I’ve used in business to develop a team charter that can help drive momentum and keep the team focused on results: