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4 Factors for writing effective working agreements

When a new group of people are assembled, how can everyone involved survive the phases of team development? A working agreement is a great tool to create team norms. Some folks prefer to not address them, as they are implied ways of behaving in a professional setting. Others like specifically outlining the rules of conduct: “once we all agree, we all can get to work.” Working agreements define social norms and guide teams during continuous improvement.

Here are four factors to consider when you’re writing a working agreement:

People
Scope
Deliverables
Structure

People

Think about the culture and context of your project. While titles and duties are important, they are not the primary focus here – who and how are the priority items. The agreement should specify who plays which role, and what they do to support others and the team effort. How pertains to the ways people organize and interact. Face to face, slack channel only, or multiple emails with daily video conference are things that affect how teams interact and ultimately perform. Regardless of the framework in-use, we’re people working with other people and preferences should be respected as a team norm.

Scope

Start with the purpose of the project and define some boundaries. Then ask, “what problem are we trying to solve? Why are we gathered? Is it an ad hoc project team, a new initiative, a new product, etc?” Often efforts are launched with a common goal, but then that drifts out of mind. Don’t stray off-piste; if the team norm is to learn and change incrementally, then follow that plan. Begin moving in the same direction as a team and then you can inspect and adapt to stay on course.

Deliverables

Team preparedness is essential to dealing with dynamic requirements. A team norm here is a great way to set the stage for great outcomes. Reach consensus on how the team specifies work states – things such as definition of ready and definition of done. I also think this factor can be expanded to include performance integrity standards such as quality of work. Inspect and adapt this factor often as the team matures.

Structure

As a team you need a defined way of working covering methods, processes, and protocols. How will you organize, plan, and execute work? Will there be meetings? Does the team have a dedicated, collocated space or is it sharing space? Is it part-time or full-time? Transparently communicate any conflicts of interest (i.e. matrixed roles) that will impact the team’s way of working. In these transitional environments, often we’ll have to incorporate reporting status as the structure. Stakeholders are learning the new ways of working just as the team is, so consider how progress will be communicated within the team, across teams, and transparently to stakeholders.

Closure

When you establish a working agreement keep in mind it is a living, fluid document. Inspect and adapt them often as the team matures and conditions changes. Frequent maintenance and use are key to institutionalizing team norms. They also need to be accessible to anyone, not just the team. Transparency is critical to the success of the new team norms, but also communicates the team’s dedication to their work. “We’re accountable and committed our team, and we’re serious about delivering value!”

*Tuckman’s model of small group development via Taylor & Francis online