Workshop: Team Working Agreement Canvas

Difficulty:  Easy

Time to Complete:  1 Week (Planning to Execution)

Workshop Duration:  4 - 5 hours

Team Geography: In-Person, Hybrid, Fully Remote

 

The Team Working Agreement Canvas sets the stage to create a High-Performing Team by formalizing the team's purpose, values, strengths, and rhythm, core elements to how the team will operate. Without these, teams tend to operate under perceived notions of what they believe leadership wants, focusing more on individual contributions rather than the value the team can bring as a whole. You may have heard of this as an "agile team working agreement", and while this is a key element of a successful agile team, I've found that this workshop can be equally impactful for non-agile teams. Think of working agreements as the first step towards breaking down the focus on individual performance and beginning to shift the mindset towards a team mentality. Regardless of geography or length of time working together, this workshop is equally impactful and relevant. If your team doesn't have a set of working agreements yet, it's never too late to put these in place!

 

I recently worked with a group that was operating as a "team" in name only. Individuals on this team were working almost entirely independently of one another, with limited communication and collaboration on one another's activities. When the team would come together, it would be to receive information from leadership, rather than across to one another. Within the team, certain individuals, based on their role, had more frequent interactions with leadership and the business than others. Due to the lack of connection and communication within the team, these individuals became viewed as having "elevated roles", which has led to significant frustration and friction amongst team members. Those who didn't see themselves in elevated positions, began to draw conclusions as to why they were being left out, frequently going to the worst case scenario, that leadership simply didn't like them or see their value. Without immediate action, this team was going to start losing members fast. In our very first team workshop, we tackled a first draft of our working agreements, setting the foundation for the team's future state operating model. This discussion was a fresh start for the team, an opportunity for individuals to share their unique contributions to the group, and begin to build a path forward. There were certainly many more sessions to come following this workshop, but with the canvas as a guide, the discussions that followed were purposefully aligned to the areas of greatest need, providing high impact solutions in a short timeframe.

 

As you facilitate this session, it is your role to ensure that the team's working agreements are tailored to their needs, values, and challenges. The key to each facet of the canvas is that each member of the team has an equal voice and vote on determining the final outcome. I don't generally include leadership unless they play a critical role in the team, are involved in day to day activities, and do not negatively impact the psychological safety of the team. When this is the case, it's important to prep leaders ahead of time to ensure their understanding of their role in the workshop. No one team member carries veto power when it comes to the team canvas, each member of the team has an equal voice in shaping their commitments to one another.

 

When setting up the workshop, ensure that it is scheduled at a time where the whole team can participate and commit their full attention to the session. Team members will work together to create their agreements, guiding how they work with another moving forward. Missing even one element of the agreements can impact the process, and undermine the importance of the session. It's important to timebox each topic for your canvas while also ensuring the team feels that they've reached consensus on each topic before moving to the next.

 

On Agile teams, this session would typically be facilitated by the scrum master, but for teams who don't have a "scrum master", any team member can run the workshop using this article as a guide.

 

Must haves:

- Team Name

- Mission: How, What, Why

- Values

- Roles & Responsibilities

- Strengths & Assets

- Gaps & Growth Opportunities

- Celebrate

- Norms / Commitments

- Events / Rhythm

 

Add ons:

- What We Want to be Known For

- Team Motto

- Working Hours

- Communication Methods

- Meeting Guidelines

- Metrics & KPI's

 

Engage with your team to identify additional components for inclusion in the team canvas. Remember, there is no one size fits all solution, but rather, what works for your team!

In preparation for the workshop, you'll need to create a blank "Working Agreement Canvas" for team members to collaborate on. Participant pre-work isn't necessary, unless you choose to include tailored topics that require some preparation or forethought. I don't suggest sharing the board ahead of time as you want to cap brainstorm time for each section and also keep the board clear of ideas to minimize influence on individual behavior or responses.

I suggest running this workshop for a new team that has recently come together or experienced significant change. For a team that's already in flight, find a natural break in work to run this session such as following a release or coming out of a recent team win or loss. The key to setting working agreements is getting these to stick by reinforcing the message and delivering based on these commitments to each other. Your final document should be in a highly visible location for the team and should be referenced often, in particular when the team is in doubt, or if team members find that they are breaking the agreement. Given the dynamic nature of teams, it is important to periodically revisit your working agreements. A good rule of thumb is to do this quarterly, validating that the each topic area is still an accurate reflection of the team's values and commitments to one another.

When it comes to team brainstorming, I've been converted from physical sticky notes and a butcher block paper to a virtual whiteboard that offers all the same functionality and so much more. Some of my favorite virtual tools are Miro and Mural, where templates already exist to get you started, and even offer voting functionality on a click. If your team is not hybrid / remote and prefers physical tools, there's nothing quite like an afternoon brainstorm with markers and stickies. If you do choose this path, I'd still highly suggest summarizing the final canvas in a digital tool of your choosing and taking pictures to ensure nothing is lost.

 

 

 

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