Teams often spend a great deal of time discussing delivery plans, priorities, and timelines, but very little time discussing how they want to work together. As a result, misunderstandings, frustration, and inconsistent expectations can build over time. One team member may expect quick responses in chat, while another prefers email. One person may think meetings should always start on time, while another joins late regularly. These small differences may seem minor at first, but they can create tension and confusion that impacts team performance.
Working agreements help solve this problem by creating a shared understanding of how the team wants to operate. A working agreement is a set of expectations, norms, and commitments that the team creates together. It outlines how the team communicates, collaborates, handles conflict, runs meetings, manages availability, and supports one another. Unlike company policies, working agreements are created by the team and reflect what they believe will help them work most effectively.
One of the biggest benefits of working agreements is that they create clarity. Teams are often made up of people with different personalities, backgrounds, work styles, and experiences. Without clear expectations, people tend to make assumptions based on their own preferences. Working agreements reduce those assumptions by making expectations visible and explicit. This helps teams avoid unnecessary conflict and makes it easier to address issues when they arise.
Working agreements are especially important for new teams, remote teams, cross functional teams, and teams that are going through change. When people are working together for the first time, they may not know what others expect from them. Remote teams often need more structure around communication, availability, and meeting etiquette because they do not have the benefit of informal in person conversations. Cross functional teams may have different habits and expectations based on their individual disciplines. A working agreement gives everyone a common foundation.
Good working agreements should be practical and specific. They should focus on behaviors that matter to the team rather than broad statements that are difficult to follow. For example, a team may agree to respond to urgent messages within two hours during business hours, arrive on time for ceremonies, keep cameras on during retrospectives, or avoid multitasking during planning sessions. The goal is not to create a long list of rules. The goal is to create shared commitments that help the team operate more effectively.
Working agreements are also important because they create accountability. When a team creates its own agreements, it is easier to have constructive conversations if someone is not following them. Instead of making the feedback personal, the team can refer back to the commitments they agreed to together. This helps create a healthier team dynamic where people feel more comfortable discussing behaviors and improving how they work together.
Teams should review their working agreements regularly because team needs change over time. A team that was fully remote may later become hybrid. A team that was stable may go through growth or turnover. New challenges, priorities, and personalities may emerge. Reviewing agreements during retrospectives or quarterly planning sessions helps ensure they continue to reflect the team’s needs.
At The Agilist, we often recommend that teams create or revisit working agreements whenever they are forming, experiencing conflict, or struggling with consistency. Strong working agreements create stronger teams because they provide the clarity, accountability, and trust that teams need to succeed.
