Components

PART 1) Who We Are
The purpose of this discussion is to ensure that all members of the team have a keen appreciation for the talents, constraints, strengths, and potential weaknesses of their fellow team mates. This step lays the foundation for all subsequent steps and its value should not be underestimated. The following workout tips apply whether you have completed an individual assessment such as the Five Factor or Belbin Team Roles or not.
 
BASIC GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Most people would describe me as...
• A strength I bring to this team and a bad habit that I have.
• How I respond when under stress.
• How I tend to approach conflict situations.
• The role I tend to play when on a team.
• Things that really annoy me when working on a team.

LEVERAGING THE FIVE FACTOR PERSONALITY INVENTORY:

• What style similarities do you see in the group? Are they a strength or a liability?
• What styles seem to be missing in your team? Are there ways to fill this gap?
• Are there differences that may contribute to conflict or stress? How can you minimize the impact?

USING RESULTS FROM THE BELBIN TEAM ROLES ASSESSMENT:

• Do you notice any duplication of roles within your team? Could this be a problem?
• Are their critical roles that are missing in your team? How can you fill these gaps?
• Based on your distribution of roles, how would you describe the "nature" of your team?

PART 2) Common Goals
One of the top causes of team conflict is unclear or conflicting goals. This discussion should focus on identifying common themes within the team and conclude with a concise statement of team goal(s) that everyone in the group agrees with. Unless everyone in the boat is rowing in the same direction, there is little hope of ever reaching your destination. 
 
BASIC GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Why I am part of this team.
• What I hope to get out of this experience.
• For this to be a successful experience for me, this team will have to...
• What I consider to be the top 3 priorities for this team.
• Characteristics that I think are critical for a high performance team.

REMEMBER GOALS SHOULD BE SMART:

Specific 
Measurable 
Agreed upon 
Realistic 
Timely

PART 3) Core Values
Core values represent the guiding principles of any team. This is the compass that allows people to behave and respond appropriately when they don't have all of the necessary information. In essence, this is the "nature" of your team, or its personality.
 
BASIC GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• What words best describe your ideal image of this team?
• How do you hope others will describe your team?
• Which of the words from the Values List below resnate with all members of the team?
• If stuck with a hard choice and there's no clear answer, what qualities should guide your decision?
• Regardless of the situation, our team should always remain...

PART 4) Potential Obstacles
This is the forward thinking portion of the Team Charter. Based on experience and the previous discussion topics, the goal is to identify obstacles or challenges that the team is likely to encounter. Opening these issues now lays a foundation for future discussions and provides valuable data for developing effective ground rules. The more open and honest the group is here, the more likely they will take personal responsibility for issues that might arise in the future.
 
BASIC GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• What are the most common mistakes that you see teams make?
• If you could give a newly forming team one warning, what would it be?
• What are the most likely sources for conflict within your team?
• Where do you think you and your team may be most likely to miscommunicate?
• What are our internal and our external pressures?

CONSIDER THESE TYPES OF OBSTACLES:

• Personal style differences
• Work styles
• Learning styles
• Priorities and committments
• Time
• External pressures
• Personalities
• Differing expectations
• Conflict style (avoid/confront)
• Experience
• Topical expertise
• Logistics
• Level of commitment
• Perfectionism / control / delegation

PART 5) Ground Rules
This is the real meat of the Team Charter - a clear list of acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. These ground rules represent your common expectations of how people will interact on the team and must be clear, simple, and relevant. While it can be easy to develop an extensive list of expectations, you should identify no more than 3-5 as priority ground rules. Again, keep it simple and be sure that your ground rules address issues that came up in previous discussions.

BASIC GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• One thing that I expect from everyone on my team.
• Regardless of the situation, we need to always...
• It is unacceptable for someone on this team to...

ASK YOURSELF:

• Are these ground rules clear?
• Do these address the obstacles we discussed?
• Do these address the things that annoy us about others on teams?
• Has everyone on the team endorsed these?
• Are your top priority items clear, straightforward, and relevant?
• Bottom line - if you do these, will you get the environment you want?

PART 6) Communication Plan
The communication plan is basically a logistical summary. It should cover not only when and where you intend to meet, but also basic communication procedures and protocol(s). Because this is the most tangible component of the Team Charter, it's often easy for teams to gravitate toward this discussion first (it's less threatening and requires less personal disclosure that other topics). But use caution - the other topics have further reaching implications and must not be overlooked.
 
BASIC GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• What are our external time demands?
• Is there a better time and place for us to meet?
• What is the best method for contacting each member of the team?
• How quickly are we expected to respond to a communication?
• If someone doesn't respond, what do we do?
• If someone doesn't show up for a meeting, what do we do?
• How do we plan on managing a project within this team?