The Prime Directive. How To Charter Your Team Best (With LEGO Serious Play)

www.plays-in-business.com
The Prime Directive
How To Charter Your Team Best
(With LEGO Serious Play)
Michael Tarnowski
Oveja: https://www.flickr.com/photos/oveja59/3755115126/

Star Trek – Prime Directive
(March 1968 episode "Bread and Circuses“)
Oveja: https://www.flickr.com/photos/oveja59/3755115126/
No identification of self or mission.
No interference with the social
development of said planet.
No references to space or the fact that
there are other worlds or civilizations.

What is a TEAM?
What is a TEAM?
드림포유: https://www.flickr.com/photos/124961070@N02/14485059353/
Team
“A team is a group of people with
different abilities, talents, experience,
and backgrounds who hold each other
accountable for a common purpose to
produce a specific outcome. ”
Team = Accountability
+ Diversity
+ Purpose

What is a Team Charter?
Team Charter – Get the Team Off to Start Great
Gage Skidmore: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/8554349485/
Team Charter
A plan how the team will work together.
An agreement to set values, achievable
protocols for the team.
Defines purpose, tasks, scope and
the Team will operate.
Prime Directive
Summary clothed as motto.

What is a Team Charter?
Gage Skidmore: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/8554349485/
Team Charter
Shows support and commitment.
Sets team direction.
Provides agreements and clarity.
Structures and ensures an effective
Identifies roles.
Outlines boundaries and scope.
Sets resources.
Improves productivity, and likelihood of
outcome.
“Charter” is borrowed from the British, where the sovereign granted
rights or privileges to an individual.

Elements of a Team Charter
“WHY? - HOW? - WHAT? - WHAT NOT? - WHO? - WOW!
Glyn Lowe: https://www.flickr.com/photos/glynlowe/6400366303/
Mission Statement — WHY: reason the
team exists.
Values — HOW: team does business,
treats others.
Norms — HOW: team interacts, makes
decisions, resolves conflicts, and relays
information.
Goals — WHAT: measurable team
outcome/ performance, benchmarks
towards constant improvement.
Scope — WHAT NOT: within and outside
the scope of the team.
Roles, Responsibilities, and Strengths —
WHO: each member’s contribution,
unique skills and strengths.
Fun Events — WOW: celebrate Success &
Failures.

Mission Statement
Mission Statement
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/6235601532/
Essence WHY the team exists.
Mission is an extension of the team’s
It expands the purpose, with a broadly
Reason for the team’s existence
Alignment to core business activities
Project or department mission
Why team come to work

Goals
Goals
Jochen Frey: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jof/263652571/
WHAT: measurable team outcome/
performance, benchmarks towards constant
Goals: desired result based on success
criteria determined by the team.
1. Product-oriented: work plan goals
2. Process-oriented: improvement goals

Values
Values
Leah Gregg: https://www.flickr.com/photos/simonehudson/2140011903/
HOW: approach, team does business,
treats others.
Grounds operational Norms
Constitutes Team’s Belief system
Fundament of intrinsic motivation
Basis for Empowerment
Foundation of Improvement
Agile Values
Culture of Safety and Confidence
Culture of Innovation
Encouraging small Innovations
Let the Team innovate

Norms
Norms
FaceMePLS: https://www.flickr.com/photos/faceme/7228150356/
HOW: team govern itself, make decisions,
resolve conflicts, communicate, and
Code of conduct and safe environment
Decision making guidelines
Conflict resolution process
Improvement / Change guidelines
Internal and external communications
Meeting guidelines
Team additions/terminations
Workload distribution

Scope
Scope
auntneecey: https://www.flickr.com/photos/28726735@N08/19194832870/
WHAT ELSE: within and outside the scope
of the team.
Scope and limits of formal authority.
Area of influence or what it may do with
Shared responsibilities or areas in which
are expected to initiate action to support

Roles, Responsibilities
Roles, Responsibilities
Michael Cardus: https://www.flickr.com/photos/create-learning/3885371507/
WHO: overview of each team member’s
contribution.
Functional
by profession, e.g.:
Architect, UX Designer, Developer, Scrum
Non-Functional
by team character, e.g.:
Encourager, Harmoniser, Compromiser,
Gatekeeper

Strengths & Skills
Strengths & Skills
michael davis-burchat: https://www.flickr.com/photos/curious_e/9665154690/
WHICH: overview of each team member’s
Who has skill/strength XYZ?
What are your overall strengths as a team?

Weaknesses & Risks
Weaknesses & Risks
Nicolas Raymond: https://www.flickr.com/photos/80497449@N04/8677736772/
WHICH: do the team lack?
What skills/competencies do the team
What infrastructure/technology do the

Fun Events - Celebration
Fun Events
John Haslam: https://www.flickr.com/photos/foxypar4/2153422313/
WOW: Celebrate Success & Failures!
Use shared Ceremonies, Parties, and Fun
Team Building
Building and Strengthening Working
Individual Relaxing
Building Empathy

Aggregate Prime Directive
Prime Directive = Sum of all
Andy Rennie: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewrennie/4368167619/
Mission
+ Goals
+ Values
+ Norms
+ Scope
+ Roles
+ Celebration
_______________________
= Prime Directive

Team Phases
Team Phases (Tuckman, 1975)
“Forming – Storming – Norming - Performing”
Pascal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pasukaru76/6483706465/
Forming: testing to establish boundaries,
politeness and dependency.
Storming: conflict and polarization
around personal issues. Clarity of purpose
there still are numerous uncertainties.
Norming: agreement, consensus,
oneness in goal with some personal goals
Performing: clarity of purpose. The
team is more strategically aware
Adjourning: completing the task and
breaking up the team (“Mourning”).
Forming
Storming Norming
Performing
Adjourning

Team Phases
S. Yevtushenko: Models for forming teams, Slideshare.net

Quality & Acceptance Criteria for Team Charter
Quality and Acceptance Criteria for Team Charter
Hector Alejandro: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hectoralejandro/5226868443/
Clear & Understandable: Clear definition
of terms, even blurred once.
No jargon or buzzwords – clear terminology
everyone.
No adverbs – use verbs instead.
Short: Short sentences and descriptions.
Phrase actionable.
Measurable: define goals SMART:
Specific, Measurable, Achievable,
Relevant, Time-framed.
Adapt the Team Charter regularly:
“A Team Charter is not made from stone”

https://www.flickr.com/photos/blues
muse/35186204/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/pmarkham/15993868497/
Create Your Prime Directive with LEGO Serious Play
Wolfgang Lonien, https://www.flickr.com/photos/wjlonien/11027445953

Rob Young, https://www.flickr.com/photos/rob-young/2934479060/
What is LEGO® Serious Play®?
Facilitated workshop method for Strategic Decision Making and
Problem Resolution in Business Environments.
Fits best when problem is unclear and solution totally unknown.

Team Chartering with LEGO Serious Play
Why LEGO Serious Play?
kreezzalee, https://www.flickr.com/photos/repoort/2579139642
„Constructive Thinking“ with Hands.
Metaphorical Storytelling.
High Emotional Engagement and
Commitment of participants.
All participants are highly
communicatively involved.
Everyone shares her opinion.
Decisions and Next Steps are agreed
by all participants.

Team Chartering – The Game
LEGO Serious Play workshop by Plays-In-Business
The Game
Small Group Facilitation: <30 part.
For all participants run all - rounds:
For each round:
building models: 03min (for all part.)
communication: +90min (3min/part.)
95min (total)
Large Group Facilitation: >30 part.
Each table (≈ 12 part.) gets one of the
.
For each table:
building models /: 03min (for all part.)
communication /: +36min (3min/part.)
building model : +03min (for all part.)
communication : +36min (3min/part.)
74min (total)
visiting other results: +16min (total)
90min (total)

LEGO Serious Play workshop by Plays-In-Business
Gaming Material
Each table:
1 Game Setup
1 Gaming instructions -

The Game Setup
The Game Setup
Paul Hudson: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pahudson/7142817105/
Your Setup
You are a fresh member of a newly built
the Ω corporation.
Team objective is to develope the „Hello
The business vision of Ω corporation is to
market share of Google within the next 5
new app.
The Ω corporation is inclined to self-
employees.
Your Task
Create a team charter for your Ω
by following - .

https://www.flickr.com/photos/blues
muse/35186204/
Quality and Acceptance Criteria for Team Charter
Wolfgang Lonien, https://www.flickr.com/photos/wjlonien/11027445953
Clear & Understandable: Clear definition
of terms, even blurred onces.
No jargon or buzzwords – clear terminology
everyone.
No adverbs – use verbs instead.
Short: Short sentences and descriptions.
Phrase actionable.
Measurable: define goals SMART:
Specific, Measurable, Achievable,
Relevant, Time-framed.
Adapt the Team Charter regularly:
“A Team Charter is not made from stone”

Bill Ward: https://www.flickr.com/photos/billward/3640804566/
Team Charter
Shows support and commitment.
Sets team direction.
Provides agreements and clarity.
Structures and ensures an effective
Identifies roles.
Outlines boundaries and scope.
Sets resources.
Improves productivity, and likelihood of
outcome.
Prime Directive
Summary clothed as motto.

“WHY? - HOW? - WHAT? - WHAT NOT? - WHO? - WOW!
Pascal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/glynlowe/6400366303/
Mission Statement — WHY: reason the
team exists.
Values — HOW: team does business,
treats others.
Norms — HOW: team interacts, makes
decisions, resolves conflicts, and relays
information.
Goals — WHAT: measurable team
outcome/ performance, benchmarks
towards constant improvement.
Scope — WHAT NOT: within and
outside the scope of the team.
Roles, Responsibilities, and Strengths —
WHO: each member’s contribution,
Fun Events — WOW: celebrate Success &
Failures

Create Team Mission Statement
 Build a LEGO model for the Mission Statement:
“What is the the Essence of a Team?”
Pascal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pasukaru76/6483706465/
Mission Statement
Reason for the team’s existence
Alignment to core business activities
Project or department mission
Why team come to work

Create Team Mission Statement
 Build a LEGO model for the Team Values:
“What is the Team’s Belief System?”
Ale Art: https://www.flickr.com/photos/amecoli/8350235893/
Team Values
Approach how the Team is doing
treats others.

Create Team Goals
 Build a LEGO model for the Team Goals:
“What does the Team achieve?”
Rufus Gefangenen: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rufo_83/5827270328/in/faves-58564123@N05/
Team Goals
What outcomes the team wants to
What are the short term and long term
SMART (Specific, Measurable,
Relevant, Time-framed)

Agree Ground Rules
 Build a LEGO model for the Norms
Simon Zirkunow: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesmuse/35186204/
Guiding Principles
To collaborate within the Team
To work with external Partners,
Organisations.
To solve Conflicts.
team govern itself, make decisions,
communicate, and improve.

Understand Diversities
 Build a LEGO model of what yourself can do
best – Not necessarily professional.
JD Hancock: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jdhancock/13026748024/
Group Diversity & Skills
Diversity of the team members skills and
Diversity of personal backgrounds.
Diversity of personal strength &

 Strengths & Skills — Weaknesses & Risks
Josh Wedin: https://www.flickr.com/photos/38446022@N00/8242158779/
WHICH: are each team member’s unique
skills and strengths?
Who has skill/strength XYZ?
What are your overall strengths as a team?
WHICH: do the team lack?
What skills/competencies do the team
What infrastructure/technology do the

Agree Individual Team RolesTeam Roles
What various Roles, Responsibilities, and
Team needs?
Functional
by profession, e.g.:
Architect, UX Designer, Developer, Scrum Master, etc.
Non-Functional
by team character, e.g.:
Encourager, Harmoniser, Compromiser, Observer,
 Build a LEGO model of needed Team Roles
JD Hancock: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jdhancock/14191993919/

Agree Ground Rules
 Build a LEGO model of Events To Celebrate
Janet: https://www.flickr.com/photos/13698839@N00/10403039754
Celebration
Create a list of Fun Event ideas to build
Team’s working relationships.
Success & Failures!

Aggregate Prime DirectiveMission
+ Goals
+ Values
+ Norms
+ Scope
+ Roles
+ Celebration
_______________________
= Prime Directive
 Prime Directive = Sum of all
“Aggregate all results from  - “
Andy Rennie: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewrennie/4368167619/

Collect all Findings in a Team Charter Canvas

Twitter: @M_Tarnowski, @PlaysInBusiness
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Or call me:
+49-172-6915261 • +49-611-2056820
(cell phone/mobile) (regular phone)
Drop me a note:
info@plays-in-business.com
This document may be further distributed free-of-charge in its original, complete form only. Please credit Plays-in-Business.com.
All images used are – if not stated otherwise – taken from flickr.com under Common Creative License.
Julien GONG Min, https://www.flickr.com/photos/bfishadow/3634884928/

 Trained LEGO Serious Play Facilitator
 Trained Innovation Games Facilitator
 Management 3.0 certified Facilitator
 Certifed Scrum Master, Agile Coaching
 ISO 15504/Automotive SPiCE Assessor
 Requirements Engineering & Management
consultancy
 Quality Assurance & Management consultancy
 Project Management & Configuration Management
consultancy
ISO 15504 Assessor
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Plays-In-Business.com
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Julien GONG Min, https://www.flickr.com/photos/bfishadow/3634884928/

The Prime Directive. How To Charter Your Team Best (With LEGO Serious Play)

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