The short answer
A team working agreement describes the behaviors colleagues can expect from one another when planning, communicating, deciding and handing off work. Translate a value such as “clarity” into an action people can observe. Agree how the team will raise an issue when the behavior is missing and when the agreement will be reviewed.
1. Start with a clear purpose
Pick a recurring situation such as a decision, disagreement or deadline. Ask what a useful response would look like in practice.
2. Make the work and ownership visible
Write agreements as observable actions. Specify where decisions are recorded, how concerns are raised and who follows up.
3. Agree the next action
Review the agreements after a few weeks. Keep them short enough to use and adjust them when the team finds a better way.
Leave with a usable decision.
Write down the next action, who owns it and when you will check the result. Keep the decision where the people doing the work can find it.
A practical example
A team says it values collaboration but decisions remain in private messages. Its new agreement says that a decision affecting another person’s work must be recorded in the shared project space with the reason and next action. The team reviews a few recent decisions together and adjusts the agreement when the record is still difficult to find.
A working template you can adapt
| Part of the work | What to record or ask |
|---|---|
| Communication | Where routine updates, decisions and urgent issues belong. |
| Availability | When shared time is needed and when a response can wait. |
| Decision-making | Who owns the decision and how others contribute. |
| Repair | How colleagues raise and resolve a missed agreement. |
Questions to work through
How many rules should a team agreement include?
Start with the few behaviors that would resolve the team’s recurring friction. A short agreement that people can use is more valuable than a comprehensive list nobody remembers. Add detail when a real case shows it is needed.
Should the agreement be set by the manager?
The manager should make any non-negotiable responsibilities clear, while involving the team in how everyday work is coordinated. Participation helps uncover practical constraints and makes the expected behavior easier to understand.
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