A charter is a document that describes the boundaries, expected results, and resources to be used by a process improvement team. A charter is usually provided by the individual or group who formed the team. Sometimes the process owner or the team members develop a charter. A charter is always required for a team working on a process that crosses the departmental lines of the institute. A charter may not be necessary for a team that is improving a process found solely within one and the same work centre or office space. A charter should identify the following:

1. Process to be improved
2. Time constraints, if applicable
3. Process improvement objective
4. Team’s decision-making authority
5. Team leader assigned
6. Resources to be provided
7. Team members assigned
8. Reporting requirements
9. Team Ground Rules