Are you just a workgroup, a team, or a High Performance Team (HPT)? Many times "teams" are formed with little forethought or planning – "Poof ... you're a team!" PBI believes that teams are appropriate when the tasks are interdependent – where different members of the team need each other's support to make the whole better than the parts. When everyone is performing the same task independently, we feel that is a workgroup and should not be confused with or called a team.

Teams have many different purposes, come in a variety of structures, and have a wide range of lifespans. They typically go through a sequence of stages – Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Mourning (the closure of the team) – although changes can cause them to cycle back and repeat certain stages.

Grade your team on the framework below using "school letter grades" (A - F). If you can honestly say you're an A or B on all pieces of the framework, then you have a High Performance Team.

Required Elements of a HPT