Working Agreement Creation Protocol

A protocol for establishing explicit team norms — a 'Working Agreement' — that governs how team members interact, communicate, and make decisions. Step 1 — Schedule a dedicated 60-minute session (not a 5-minute add-on to another meeting). Step 2 — Individual reflection (10 min): Each person silently writes answers to: 'What behaviors help you do your best work?' and 'What behaviors have undermined your work in past teams?' Step 3 — Share and compile (20 min): Round-robin sharing; compile all items on a visible list. Step 4 — Discuss and refine (15 min): Cluster similar items, discuss any that are controversial, ensure every agreement is specific and behavioral ('Respond to Slack messages within 4 hours during work hours' not 'Be responsive'). Step 5 — Vote (5 min): Each person votes on the agreements — use thumbs up/down/sideways. Anything without full team support gets revised or removed. Step 6 — Finalize and post (10 min): Document the agreements, make them visible (wall poster, wiki page, Slack pin). Step 7 — Review quarterly: Working agreements must evolve. Add, remove, or modify as the team learns.

When to use it

When forming a new team. When a new member joins an existing team. When recurring conflicts suggest unspoken expectations aren't aligned. After organizational changes that shift how people work together. Quarterly reviews to update agreements as the team evolves.

How it can help

Prevents the most common source of team conflict: unspoken expectations. Every team operates on implicit norms — the Working Agreement makes them explicit before violations occur. The behavioral specificity requirement ('Respond within 4 hours' vs 'Be responsive') eliminates the ambiguity that makes norms unenforceable. Creates a shared reference point for addressing norm violations without personal confrontation ('Our agreement says...' is far less threatening than 'You always...').