When it comes to building a successful agile team, one of the key elements to consider early on is establishing team norms. Instead of hosting a formal “Team Norms Meeting,” it’s often more effective to introduce the topic naturally during one of your team’s initial gatherings, perhaps alongside the creation of your team charter.

Here’s an activity that we often recommend in our team development programs. By following these 10 steps, you can lead a productive discussion with your team and establish a set of best practices and team norms.

1. Reflect on Past Experiences: Begin by asking each team member to recall the worst team they’ve ever been a part of. This could be a work team, a volunteer group, or even a sports team. The key is that members were dependent on each other to achieve results.
2. Identify What Went Wrong: Give each team member two minutes to jot down specific reasons why that experience was so negative. Encourage them to be as detailed as possible.
3. Share Experiences: Invite team members to share their negative experiences with the entire group. This helps to foster empathy and understanding among team members.
4. Recall Positive Experiences: Next, ask team members to reflect on the best team they’ve been a part of. Again, they should spend two minutes writing down what made that experience so positive.
5. Share Positive Experiences: Just as before, encourage team members to share their positive experiences with the rest of the team. This allows everyone to learn from past successes.
6. Discuss Key Insights: With these experiences in mind, facilitate a group discussion on what distinguishes a good team experience from a bad one. This helps to identify common themes and priorities.
7. Brainstorm Behaviors and Norms: Prompt team members to suggest behaviors and norms that would contribute to the current team’s success. Focus on actions that address the team’s biggest challenges.
8. Evaluate and Decide: Review the suggestions as a group and collectively decide which ones the team can support and commit to. Address any concerns or challenges that may arise during this discussion.
9. Plan for Accountability: Discuss how the team will handle situations where a member doesn’t adhere to the established norms. Encourage team members to take ownership of holding each other accountable.
10. Document and Share: Document the team’s agreed-upon behaviors and norms in a shared document or on a visible platform. Make sure all team members have access to this resource for easy reference.

As your team evolves and new members join, revisit and update your team norms regularly. Encourage open dialogue about what’s working well and what could be improved. Remember, setting team norms isn’t a one-time task – it’s an ongoing process that contributes to improved team performance and collaboration.