1 00:00:07,965 --> 00:00:09,840 OLIVIER DE WECK: One of the first assignments 2 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:12,300 that I ask students to do in the class 3 00:00:12,300 --> 00:00:14,010 is to write a team charter. 4 00:00:14,010 --> 00:00:15,330 Now what is a team charter? 5 00:00:15,330 --> 00:00:18,470 You can think of a team charter like a manifesto. 6 00:00:18,470 --> 00:00:22,860 It's essentially defining the identity and the goals 7 00:00:22,860 --> 00:00:24,960 that the team wants to pursue. 8 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:27,990 And in this kind of class, there could be many different goals. 9 00:00:27,990 --> 00:00:32,640 For example, as a team you want to learn as much 10 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:36,610 as you can about the process of systems engineering and design 11 00:00:36,610 --> 00:00:38,110 and so forth. 12 00:00:38,110 --> 00:00:40,950 Another charter could be that you are very ambitious 13 00:00:40,950 --> 00:00:43,120 and you want to win the competition. 14 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:45,360 So you want to score as high as you can. 15 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,990 And the ultimate goal is to be as highly ranked as possible 16 00:00:48,990 --> 00:00:50,460 in the competition. 17 00:00:50,460 --> 00:00:53,400 Another goal could be just to have fun, you know. 18 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,490 To just have a good time, to learn, 19 00:00:56,490 --> 00:00:58,800 but essentially to really be together 20 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:01,320 in this learning environment, to learn 21 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:03,310 and have fun at the same time. 22 00:01:03,310 --> 00:01:08,080 And so the flavor of each team is a little bit different. 23 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:14,160 And rather than just letting it happen without much thought 24 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,820 or discussion, the purpose of the team charter or project 25 00:01:17,820 --> 00:01:22,200 charter is to encourage these discussions early, 26 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:25,410 such that the team is on the same page 27 00:01:25,410 --> 00:01:27,991 as they proceed into the project.