Team 2015

Team Canvas

A team charter that fits on one page: goals, roles, values, rules, and the personal stakes nobody usually says out loud.

What it is

Nine segments that walk a team from purpose to working agreements: goals, roles and skills, purpose, values, strengths and assets, weaknesses and risks, needs and expectations, rules and activities, and personal goals. The Basic version trims it to five for a 45-minute session.

Reach for it when

• A new team forms and everyone assumes they agree on how to work
• A project resets after a rough quarter and the air needs clearing
• Two teams merge and bring two unspoken rulebooks with them

Running it

1. Start with Basic unless you have a half day. 45 minutes, five segments, whole team in the room.
2. Everyone writes alone first, two minutes per segment, then shares. The quiet people have the best material.
3. Push on personal goals and needs. It feels soft; it's the segment that predicts the conflicts.
4. Photograph the finished canvas and put the rules where the team works. A charter in a drawer is a charter that never happened.