Team Agreement Canvas
The Team Agreement Canvas helps teams establish clear guidelines and expectations for how they will work together. It fosters a shared understanding, reduces conflict, and improves overall team effectiveness by explicitly defining agreements on communication, collaboration, decision-making, and conflict resolution.
Use this method at the beginning of a project or when a team is newly formed to establish ground rules and shared expectations. It's also useful when a team is experiencing conflict or communication breakdowns.
Solves: Lack of shared understanding of team norms, frequent misunderstandings, unresolved conflicts, inconsistent communication.
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Step 1: Introduce the Team Agreement Canvas and its purpose. (5 minutes)
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Step 2: Individually, have each team member reflect on each section of the canvas (What we agree on, What we agree to disagree on, Our core values, How we communicate, How we collaborate, How we make decisions, How we navigate conflict, How we store and access data, Our core working hours, What motivates us). (20 minutes)
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Step 3: Facilitate a discussion for each section, allowing team members to share their thoughts and ideas. (60 minutes)
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Step 4: Document the agreed-upon guidelines and expectations for each section on the canvas. (20 minutes)
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Step 5: Review the completed canvas with the team and ensure everyone is in agreement. (15 minutes)
- Encourage open and honest communication during the discussion.
- Ensure that all team members have an opportunity to contribute.
- Focus on creating agreements that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).
- Use Personal Collab Cards to understand individual needs and incorporate them into the Team Agreement.
- Prioritize sections of the canvas based on the team's immediate needs.