There is no official or correct way to create work arrangements, so Steve uses the approach I share in my workshops. As usual for a Scrum Master, good preparation pays off. Consider asking the team in advance on categories/areas for a deal. Work agreements describe positive behaviors that are fundamental, but often do not automatically appear in team processes. For example, an agreement could read, “We all agree to participate fully.” Agreements are the driving force behind the Group. Elements of the work agreement must be published publicly to be easily traceable throughout the team process. To keep the discussion on track, use moderation techniques such as Fist of Five to reach consensus on all work arrangements. As mentioned earlier, your agreement should be placed in a place that every team member will see. Use a large font and hang it on a wall in your workspace. If you`re not working face-to-face, create a special folder that you can access at any time. The Scrum Master should ask the team every few sprints if the work arrangements need to be updated, changed or if another one is needed. If the Agile team can`t find common ground in any area, you should discuss this topic the next time you talk about how to work.
These agreements have spared me a lot of grief, so I`ve given some tips below on how to create one that works for your agile team. In addition, I added three examples of clauses that I used for my teams that you could use. Divide groups of more than five people into subgroups. In my experience, it is easier to make a small group agreement first and then bring it back to the whole. Working arrangements are created to avoid friction between teammates and to maintain all deadlines and schedules included in the project assumptions. It is important that the team creates the framework itself – the work agreement must meet all the expectations of the team and contain principles that allow the team to meet them. Teamwork agreements are designed to describe how team members work together to create a positive and productive process. The only way to do this is for each team member to add their two cents to create these strategies. The opinions of all members are important, and inclusivity is the glue that holds the agreement together. Here are some important things to keep in mind when creating your own team agreement.
The short answer to the question “When should my team create an agile teamwork agreement?” is now (if you don`t already have one). However, the best time to create these agreements is at the very beginning of a project, especially if it is a new team. This is most important at this point, as the team may have preconceived ideas about how the team will work. I found that it is also the right time for a team to have a healthy debate. This destroys this wall at the beginning of the project lifecycle, so the first topic they disagree on in the project is not the first time they have to discuss with each other. There`s nothing wrong with improving your chords – it`s promotion. Find a place for this – don`t update them every time you meet, but decide to discuss them every 3 or 5 sprints – the number depends on your workflow, available time, and priorities. Read each agreement aloud, then vote as a team to commit to the agreement. Go through agreements with the team and combine similar agreements into a single agreement.
Before the working agreement session, collect the issues the team is currently facing, either from a table of obstacles (see example), a retrospective, or simply known challenges. Bring them and share them during the session to inform the working modalities. If an agreement cannot be reached, discuss what might stand in the way. I hope you found this overview of agile teamwork agreements useful. If you have any questions, comments or even arguments against that, I would like to hear them. It`s important to keep agreements high and focus on values, not details. For example, “Be at the meeting from 8 a.m. .m to 8 a.m.m. ” can be converted to “Be on time for meetings”. Add suggestions to the parking lot that are too specific or have nothing to do with the work arrangements. Open the meeting by explaining to the team that you, as a group, will create a set of behavioral agreements to lead the collaboration.
Ask the team: Steve starts asking for proposed agreements in his first focus area: the daily Scrum start time. After all possible working arrangements, it uses the Decision-making Protocol[2] to quickly seek consensus. If there is no immediate consensus, the person who said “no” to an idea suggests what they think is better. When several people have a problem, everyone is supposed to offer a better idea. If too many people say no, the applicant should consider withdrawing the proposal. In the case of Steve`s team, the team has its first work arrangements after 20 minutes: then set a timer to about five minutes and ask the team to generate as many ideas as possible for labor standards. This is a good time to remind them that agreements are called “We believe.. to watch. or “We appreciate…” Statements to avoid having to clean things up later. The most important factor in developing a teamwork agreement is to identify the challenges your team faces.
Learn about the unique challenges of collaboration for your team, and then focus on solving them specifically. .
