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Team Charter

Overview​

Your team has been formed. Your first task is to hold your first official team meeting where you'll collaboratively create a Team Charter—a short document capturing how you'll work together.

8-bit lo-fi pixel art illustration for a programming assignment cover. Kitchen/bakery setting with warm wooden cabinets and countertops in browns and tans. Scene composition: Four diverse pixel art student characters seated around a large round wooden kitchen table, each holding a different colored pen or marker. In the center of the table lies a large parchment document titled "Team Charter" with visible section headers: "Communication Norms", "Availability", "Decision-Making", "Conflict Resolution". Each character has a small speech bubble — one shows a calendar icon, another a chat icon, a third a handshake, and the fourth a checklist. Behind the group, a warm kitchen wall displays a whiteboard with a weekly meeting schedule grid and sticky notes reading "HRT: Humility, Respect, Trust". A small bookshelf holds copies of "Debugging Teams" and a mug that reads "Teamwork". Cyan/teal accent lines connect the four team members in a diamond pattern, symbolizing collaboration. TOP BANNER: Metallic blue banner with white pixel text "Team Charter". BOTTOM TEXT: "CS 3100: Program Design & Implementation 2". Color palette: Warm browns/tans for kitchen, cyan/teal for connection lines, cream for the charter document, soft accent colors for each team member's contributions. 8-bit lo-fi pixel art style, clean outlines, retro game aesthetic with subtle CRT screen texture, 16:9 aspect ratio.

This isn't busywork. Teams who explicitly discuss expectations upfront navigate conflict more effectively than teams who assume everyone is "on the same page."

Released: Monday, March 9, 2026 (when teams are announced)

Due: Friday, March 13, 2026 at 11:59 PM Boston Time

Prerequisites: Review L22: Teams and Collaboration.

Learning Outcomes​

By completing this assignment, you will:

  • Establish team working agreements through explicit discussion of expectations, communication, and accountability (L22)
  • Prepare for conflict constructively by discussing how your team will handle disagreements before they arise (L22)

Instructions​

Schedule and hold your first team meeting. All team members must be present. We suggest that you meet in-person, but if that's not possible, a video call is fine (we suggest against having a hybrid option with some teammates together physically and others virtual). Use a tool like When2Meet to find a 30-minute time that works for everyone. During this meeting, discuss and agree on each section of the charter together.

Update README.md in your repository root with the following sections:

1. Team Info & Expectations​

  • Team name (optional but fun)
  • Member names and preferred contact methods
  • How much time is each member expected to put into group assignments each week?
  • How will you handle unforeseen circumstances (sickness, interviews, emergencies)?
  • How will you handle planned absences (sports competitions, etc)?
  • How will members be held accountable for their contributions?

2. Communication & Scheduling​

  • What platform will you use to communicate? (Discord? Slack? Group chat?)
  • How quickly should team members respond to messages?
  • When will your team meet? Set a recurring day/time.
  • Will you meet in person or via video call?
  • If a deadline is approaching and tasks are incomplete, how will you handle it?

3. Responsibilities & Conflict Resolution​

  • How will tasks be divided among team members?
  • Who runs meetings? Who takes notes? How will these roles rotate?
  • How will the team address issues related to teamwork?
  • What steps will you take if a member is contributing too little?
  • At what point will you escalate issues to course staff?

4. Meeting Summary​

Document your first team meeting:

  • Date and time of the meeting
  • Duration (approximately how long)
  • Location/format (in person, Zoom, Discord, etc.)
  • Attendees: List all team members present

All team members must be listed as present. If a member cannot attend, reschedule the meeting.

Grading Rubric​

This assignment is graded on completeness and evidence of genuine discussion. We're not judging whether your agreements are "right"—we're checking that you actually had the conversations. The goal isn't a perfect document—it's the conversations you have while creating it.

ComponentPointsCriteria
Team Info & Expectations5All questions addressed with specific answers
Communication & Scheduling5Meeting time set, platform chosen, response expectations clear
Responsibilities & Conflict5Task division discussed, escalation plan documented
Meeting Summary5Date/time/location documented, all members listed as present

Total: 20 points