Documentation: Working Agreement

[wycliffepeart]

Description

A working agreement is a set of explicit, collectively agreed-upon guidelines or principles that a team or group establishes to govern their interactions, processes, and behaviors while working together.

Attributes

Working agreements, also known as team agreements or ground rules, are a set of principles and guidelines that a team establishes to define how they will work together effectively.

Attribute	Description
Meeting Agreements	- We will start and end meetings on time. - We will have a clear agenda for every meeting and share it in advance. - We will designate a meeting facilitator and a note-taker for each meeting. - We will actively participate and give everyone a chance to speak during discussions. - We will limit meetings to a predefined duration (e.g., one hour) to maintain focus.
Communication Agreements	- We will use a designated communication tool (e.g., Slack, email) for specific types of communication. - We will respond to messages and emails within a defined timeframe. - We will avoid using jargon or technical language that team members may not understand. - We will use a "no blame" approach when discussing mistakes or issues and focus on finding solutions.
Decision-Making Agreements	- We will use consensus decision-making for important team decisions. - For less critical decisions, we will rely on the expertise of the person responsible. - We will document decisions and action items, assigning responsibility and deadlines.
Conflict Resolution Agreements	- We will address conflicts directly and privately, focusing on the issue rather than personal attacks. - If conflicts cannot be resolved between individuals, we will involve a neutral mediator or facilitator. - We will avoid escalating conflicts in public or team settings.
Work Process Agreements	- We will follow a specific workflow or process for task management (e.g., Agile, Kanban, Scrum). - We will regularly review and update our workflow to improve efficiency. - We will maintain a balance between planned work (project tasks) and unplanned work (urgent issues or support requests).
Feedback and Recognition Agreements	- We will provide constructive feedback in a timely and respectful manner. - We will acknowledge and celebrate team achievements and milestones. - We will conduct regular retrospectives to reflect on our work and identify areas for improvement.
Work-Life Balance Agreements	- We will respect each other's work-life balance and avoid sending work-related messages or requests outside of working hours. - We will use vacation and personal time as needed to recharge and avoid burnout.
Documentation and Knowledge Sharing Agreements	- We will document important information, decisions, and project details in a shared repository. - We will actively share knowledge and expertise with team members to foster learning and growth. - We will ensure that documentation is up-to-date and accessible to all team members.
Responsibility and Accountability Agreements:	- We will clearly define roles and responsibilities for each team member. - We will hold ourselves and each other accountable for meeting deadlines and fulfilling commitments.
Respect and Inclusivity Agreements	- We will create an inclusive and welcoming environment that values diversity and different perspectives. - We will actively listen to others without interrupting or making assumptions.

These examples serve as a starting point, and teams should customize their working agreements based on their unique circumstances and challenges. The key is to establish clear, agreed-upon norms that support effective collaboration, communication, and productivity within the team.

[iamshellyan]

@wycliffepeart i love this....honestly these are thing included in documentations?

[wycliffepeart]

@wycliffepeart i love this....honestly these are thing included in documentations?

Yes, we have to provide documentation about our process and the tools and techniques we are using, so that everyone on the team understands the processes that are required to achieve our objective.

In addition, persons on the team might not understand the agile processes that we are using so it's our responsibility to document and teach them about the processes.

[wycliffepeart]

@iamshellyan this