Team Agreements - Definition, Elements, and Types

There is nothing like a clear, well-defined agreement in business that propels a team toward success. While often overlooked, team agreements serve as the backbone of effective teamwork. They are the invisible glue that binds diverse individuals into a cohesive unit, each member working with a shared understanding of their collective goals and individual responsibilities.

Read on to discover the transformative power of team agreements and explore why team agreements are essential in fostering productivity, harmony, and success within any team.

What Are Team Agreements?

Team agreements, also known as team charters or team contracts, are collectively decided principles that outline a team's expectations, objectives, and responsibilities. They serve as a roadmap, guiding each member toward shared goals while establishing clear communication protocols, decision-making processes, and conflict-resolution strategies.

These agreements are not one-size-fits-all; they are tailored to each team's unique needs and dynamics. Team agreements provide a foundation for effective collaboration and mutual respect among team members by creating a shared understanding of how the team and team culture operates.

How to Create a Team Working Agreement?

Creating an effective team agreement involves open communication, mutual understanding, and a clear outline of expectations. Here are some steps to guide you through the process:

• Assemble Your Team: Gather all team members for a meeting specifically to establish your team agreement.
• Discuss Goals and Objectives: Start the conversation by discussing the team's overall goals and objectives. This will provide a clear direction for your agreement.
• Define Roles and Responsibilities: Clearly outline who is responsible for what. This can prevent confusion down the line and ensure that all tasks are accounted for. Provide mentorship and coaching if necessary.
• Establish Communication Protocols: Decide how the team will communicate. This could involve setting up regular meetings, agreeing on preferred communication channels, or deciding how to share updates and progress reports.
• Set Decision-Making Processes: Define how decisions will be made within the team. Determine if it will involve democratic voting, designate individuals with the final say, and specify decision-making authority.
• Outline Conflict Resolution Strategies: Conflicts are inevitable in any team. A predetermined strategy to handle disagreements can help resolve issues quickly and maintain team harmony.
• Review and Agree: Once the agreement has been drafted, allow everyone to review it and suggest changes. The agreement should only be finalized when all team members are satisfied with its contents.
• Revisit Regularly: The team agreement is not set in stone. It should be revisited and revised regularly to reflect team dynamics, goals, or changes in circumstances.

Elements of Team Agreements

Team agreements are the backbone of successful teamwork and consist of several key elements, including clarity in expectations, mutual respect, open communication, accountability, commitment to team values and goals, flexibility, conflict resolution mechanisms, decision-making processes, confidentiality, and continuous improvement.

• Clarity in Expectations: Defines clear expectations for each team member, eliminating ambiguity and ensuring everyone knows their roles and responsibilities.
• Mutual Respect: Establishes a culture of respect, valuing each member's contributions and recognizing their unique skills and talents.
• Open Communication Channels: Encourages transparent and honest communication, facilitating effective collaboration and problem-solving.
• Accountability: Holds team members accountable for tasks, fostering responsibility and commitment to quality work.
• Commitment to Team Goals: Aligns individual efforts with collective goals, promoting unity and shared purpose within the team.
• Flexibility: Allows adaptability in the face of change, making the team resilient and capable of tackling unforeseen challenges.
• Conflict Resolution Mechanisms: Provides predefined strategies for resolving disagreements and maintaining harmony and productivity during conflicts.
• Decision-Making Processes: Outlines how decisions are made, ensuring fairness and inclusivity in the decision-making process.
• Confidentiality: Protects sensitive information, creating a safe environment where team members can trust one another.
• Continuous Improvement: Promotes a growth mindset, encouraging team members to learn, improve, and innovate constantly.

Types of Team Agreements

Team agreements can take various forms depending on the team's structure and working methodology. Three common types of team agreements are remote team agreements, hybrid work agreements, and agile team agreements.

Remote Team Working Agreement

A remote team agreement addresses the unique challenges of working remotely. It might include guidelines for virtual meetings, communication channels, time zone considerations, and remote work tools. For example, a rule might state, "All team members should respond to messages within 24 hours during the workweek." Therefore, finding a work-life balance is vital to fulfill all your tasks.

Hybrid Work Agreement

Hybrid work agreements cover teams that operate both remotely and in person. They may specify when team members are expected to be in the office versus working from home, how to handle meetings with a mix of remote and in-person participants, and how to maintain open communication across different working environments.

Agile Team Agreement

Agile team agreements are used by teams following agile methodologies. These agreements often include the team's definition of "done," sprint timelines, stand-up meeting protocols, and processes for backlog grooming. They emphasize flexibility, continuous improvement, and cross-functional collaboration, aligning with agile development principles.

What Are the Main Benefits of a Working Agreement?

A working agreement is a valuable tool that provides numerous benefits for teams and organizations, such as clear roles and responsibilities, shared vision and objectives, trust and collaboration, regular check-ins and feedback, improved communication, alignment with organizational values, defined metrics for success, adherence to deadlines, adaptability to change, and inclusivity and diversity.

• Clear Roles and Responsibilities: By defining who does what, a working agreement eliminates confusion, promotes efficiency, and ensures accountability.
• Shared Vision and Objectives: It aligns team members with common goals, encouraging unified efforts towards achieving these objectives.
• Trust and Collaboration: Through open communication and mutual respect, working agreements foster trust and enhance teamwork.
• Regular Check-ins and Feedback: They provide a structure for regular updates and feedback, promoting continuous skill development, improvement, and learning.
• Improved Communication: Establishing communication norms ensures everyone stays informed and engaged.
• Alignment with Organizational Values: A working agreement helps team members understand and live the organization's values in their daily tasks.
• Defined Metrics for Success: It sets clear criteria for success, providing a roadmap for team members to follow.
• Adherence to Deadlines: A clear understanding of timelines encourages punctuality and respect for deadlines.
• Adaptability to Change: A working agreement prepares teams to adapt and thrive amidst change by promoting flexibility.
• Inclusivity and Diversity: It creates a respectful and inclusive environment where diverse ideas and perspectives are valued while fostering team cohesion at the same time.

Challenges with Working Agreements

While working agreements hold numerous benefits, they also come with their fair share of challenges. It's important to recognize these potential obstacles in order to address them effectively. The most common include resistance to change and adaptation, difficulty in enforcing agreements, violations, and breaches, misalignment with individual goals, the potential for misinterpretation or ambiguity, and overly rigid or restrictive agreements.

• Resistance to Change and Adaptation: People often resist change, making it difficult to implement new agreements or adapt existing ones to changing circumstances.
• Difficulty Enforcing Agreements: Without a clear enforcement mechanism, team members may not take the agreement seriously, leading to non-compliance.
• Violations and Breaches: Instances of breaching the agreement can create tension within the team and erode trust.
• Misalignment with Individual Goals: If the agreement doesn't consider individual aspirations, it may lead to dissatisfaction and disengagement among team members.
• Potential for Misinterpretation or Ambiguity: Poorly defined terms or vague language can lead to confusion and misinterpretation.
• Overly Rigid or Restrictive Agreements: If an agreement is too restrictive, it may stifle creativity and flexibility, hindering the team's ability to adapt and innovate.

Referencing Team Agreements in Project Management Software

Project management software like ActiveCollab can be an excellent tool for referencing and managing team agreements. It provides a centralized space where all team members can access, review, and adhere to the agreement.

Here's an example of how you might use ActiveCollab to reference your team agreement:

• Create a New Note: In your project's 'Notes' section, create a new note titled "Team Agreement."
• Add Content: Outline the key points of your agreement, such as roles and responsibilities, communication norms, deadlines, and success metrics.
• Share with the team: Once you've finalized the note, share it with all team members. They'll receive a notification and can view the agreement directly in ActiveCollab.
• Encourage Feedback: Use the commenting feature to allow team members to ask questions or suggest changes. This promotes transparency and ensures everyone is on board with the agreement.
• Update Regularly: As your project progresses and your team evolves, update the agreement as needed. Changes will be logged so you can track the evolution of your agreement over time.

Agreements vs Expectations

Agreements are mutually decided upon rules or guidelines within a team or organization, often formally documented. Expectations, on the other hand, are unspoken assumptions about behavior or outcomes that may not be explicitly communicated but are nonetheless anticipated by individuals or teams.