---
artifact_id: A20
name: Team Charter
version: 1.0.0
status: Active
category: Team Operating Agreement
governance_layer: Delivery Ways of Working / Project Governance
source_type: PMI-derived
pmbok8_anchor: "PMBOK8 Guide §2.6 Team Performance Domain; Table 2-1 Develop Team"
authority: PMI-derived
performance_domains:
  - Team
  - Governance
  - Resources
focus_areas:
  - Planning
  - Executing
required_by_skills:
  - SKL-03-14
  - SKL-04-04
created_by_skills:
  - SKL-03-14
  - SKL-04-04
linked_artifacts:
  - A06
  - A09
  - A14
  - A25
  - A26
file_path: "artifacts/resources/A20-team-charter.md"
---

# A20 — Team Charter

**Artifact ID:** A20
**Name:** Team Charter
**Version:** 1.0.0
**Status:** Active
**Source Type:** PMI-derived
**Governance Layer:** Delivery Ways of Working / Project Governance
**Authority:** PMBOK8 Guide §2.6 Team Performance Domain; Table 2-1 Develop Team

---

## 1. Purpose

The Team Charter establishes the shared values, agreements, operating norms, decision-making rules, and working boundaries that govern how the project team will collaborate. It is co-created by the team and makes explicit the behavioral expectations, communication norms, conflict resolution approach, and authority boundaries that might otherwise remain implicit and cause friction.

A well-formed Team Charter accelerates team integration, reduces misunderstanding about decision rights, and creates a reference point for resolving working disagreements constructively.

---

## 2. Scope

| In Scope | Out of Scope |
|---|---|
| Team values and shared commitments | Role definitions and responsibility assignments (belong in A25) |
| Communication and meeting norms | Resource acquisition and capacity planning (belong in A26) |
| Decision-making rules within team authority | Project authority boundaries and governance thresholds (belong in A06) |
| Conflict resolution approach | Performance appraisal or HR management |
| Working hours, availability, and response expectations | Delivery approach and lifecycle selection (belong in A09 and A13) |
| Tool and platform agreements | Procurement activities |
| Definition of done (team-level) | Stakeholder engagement strategy (belongs in A07) |

---

## 3. Trigger Conditions

The Team Charter is created when:

- A project team is being assembled at the start of a new project or phase.
- A significant change in team composition warrants re-establishing operating norms.
- An adaptive or hybrid delivery approach requires explicit team working agreements.

The charter is updated when:

- The team composition changes significantly.
- A retrospective or team health review reveals that current norms are not working.
- A new phase or context shift requires revised working agreements.

---

## 4. Required Sections / Fields

| Field | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Team values | 3–7 shared values or commitments the team agrees to uphold | Mandatory |
| Communication norms | Preferred channels, response time expectations, meeting cadence | Mandatory |
| Decision-making rules | What decisions the team makes autonomously vs. requires escalation | Mandatory |
| Meeting norms | Standing meetings, attendance expectations, facilitation approach | Mandatory |
| Conflict resolution approach | How the team will surface and resolve disagreements constructively | Mandatory |
| Definition of done | What done means for the team’s deliverables or work items | Mandatory |
| Working hours and availability | Expected working hours, time-zone considerations, on-call expectations | Recommended |
| Tool and platform agreements | Which tools the team uses for what purpose | Recommended |
| New member onboarding | How new team members will be brought up to speed on the charter | Optional |

---

## 5. PMBOK 8 Authority

| Source | Section | Purpose of Citation |
|---|---|---|
| PMBOK8 Guide | §2.6 Team Performance Domain | Grounds the charter in Team Performance Domain |
| PMBOK8 Guide | Table 2-1 Develop Team | Confirms team charter creation as an activity within Develop Team |
| PMBOK8 Guide | §2.6.3 Collaborative Team Culture | Links charter to shared, high-performing collaborative culture |
| APG | Agile Practice Guide team agreements sections | Supports use in adaptive and hybrid contexts |
| PMI Lexicon | Team Charter definition | Canonical PMI definition |

---

## 6. Used By

| Skill ID | Skill Name | How Used |
|---|---|---|
| SKL-03-14 | Plan Resource Management | Charter established during resource planning |
| SKL-04-04 | Develop Team | Charter used and reinforced during team development |
| SKL-04-05 | Manage Team | Charter provides behavioral reference for performance management |
| SKL-07-03 | Facilitate Retrospectives | Charter reviewed and updated during retrospectives |

---

## 7. Created By

| Skill ID | Skill Name | How Produced |
|---|---|---|
| SKL-03-14 | Plan Resource Management | Initial charter established during resource planning |
| SKL-04-04 | Develop Team | Charter co-created or refined during team development |

---

## 8. Linked Artifacts

| Artifact ID | Artifact Name | Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| A06 | Tailoring Decision Record | Project authority boundaries define team-level decision limits |
| A09 | Delivery Approach and Team Operating Agreement | A09 covers delivery cadence and lifecycle; A20 covers behavioral norms |
| A14 | Integrated Project Management Plan | Charter is a referenced operating agreement within A14 |
| A25 | Team Operating and Responsibility Record | A25 defines formal roles; A20 defines how the team behaves within those roles |
| A26 | Resource Capacity and Acquisition Record | A26 provides resource capacity context for A20 norms |

---

## 9. Validation Criteria

| Check | Validation Rule |
|---|---|
| Co-created by team | Charter reflects team input, not just PM dictation |
| Values present | At least three team values explicitly stated |
| Decision rules defined | At least one statement of what requires escalation vs. team authority |
| Conflict resolution approach present | A constructive mechanism for surfacing disagreements is described |
| Definition of done included | Team-level definition of done is stated |
| Not duplicating A25 | Role definitions and RACI are not repeated — A25 holds that content |
| Not duplicating A09 | Delivery cadence, ceremonies, and lifecycle are not re-stated — A09 holds that content |
| Waste test pass | No separate team norms doc, working agreement canvas, and retrospective action log maintained as independent governance artifacts |

---

## 10. Change Log

| Version | Date | Author | Change Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0.0 | 2026-05-30 | @fakhruldeen | Initial definition — Phase B1 Priority 8 |
| 1.0.1 | 2026-06-01 | Phase 0 cleanup | Migrated from artifacts/extended-resources/ to artifacts/resources/ (P0-0I) |
