Ideally, teams get the chance to select their own members, organize a kickoff and define a strategy to reach the given goal. Most of the time teams are created top-down and there’s no time available for a decent kickoff. Teams just start with the realisation of the project and everything seems to be going smoothly. But when the first serious impediments arise the foundation of the team will be tested. Teams with a solid foundation will also struggle in the beginning but survive and become stronger than before. Teams without this foundation might also survive after a harsh period, but chances are they fall apart and the project is killed and the team dissolved.
The first step in becoming a solid team is establishing a solid foundation. This foundation consists of a shared vision about teamwork and the required quality standards.
For this purpose, creating a team manifesto is the ideal instrument. It is an agreed way of working among the team members that ensures mutual understanding. Years ago I got inspired by this blog post, since then I’ve changed it slightly to fit new insights. With every team I start, creating the team manifest is the first thing I do, success guaranteed!
The steps are:
- Set a time box of one hour. Pick a flip over, some sticky notes and markers
- Ask the team the question ‘What does team mean to you?’
- Let them answer this question in silence and write it down on a sticky note. One answer per sticky note.
- Gather all notes and ask the team members to present it to each other
- Cluster the ideas and identify and prioritise the themes by voting
- Write down ‘Team Manifesto’ on
a A3 poster and the 5 most important themes on the left side - Give the team some time to brainstorm about the other extreme of the earlier defined themes. For
example: the extreme of ‘fun’ might be ‘boring’. - Write down all the extremes on the right side of the poster with in the
center the word ‘above’. - The last important step is to invite everyone to affirm their commitment to the team manifesto by writing down their signature below the poster.
- Make sure the team manifesto is well visible in the team area.
The same exercise can be done by posing the team the question ‘what does quality mean to you?’ This creates awareness about the required quality and stimulates craftsmanship.
What are the advantages of creating a team manifesto? Read the full article here: https://medium.com/the-liberators/the-team-manifesto-the-foundation-every-team-needs-c1d72ccfe689