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 What are Ground Rules?Ground rules are clear agreements on how team members will treat each other and behave as part of the team. They help guide the behavior of team members to a level that the group finds acceptable. Ground rules can cover anything from how team meetings will be run to how the team will handle conflict and decision-making. Why Have Them?Without team ground rules, current behavior and habits become the de-facto ground rules of what is acceptable. This can be a problem if these habits are not aligned to project or organizational success or are disrespectful. Creating team norms and ground rules set some base behavior and communication expectations. It decreases the risk of confusion because people know what is expected and do not have to second-guess how to act. This can lead to improved performance through clear expectations and fewer misunderstandings. 1.12.1 Communicate Principles with Team and External StakeholdersCommunicate the organizational principles around ground rules with the team and external stakeholders.
How Do We Create Them?Ground rules should be created collectively when the project starts. The project manager or an interested team member should lead the team in brainstorming what ground-rules they wish to establish. One technique for sparking ideas is to ask team members to think about the best teams they have ever worked on. What made it special? Why did it work so well? Let’s try and recreate that magic here. If getting started is difficult, or not enough suggestions are forthcoming, consider referring to lists of common team ground rules such as this one. Once ideas have been suggested, the team must negotiate which items there is a strong consensus for. If some people are in favor, but others are not, hold it as a candidate for now. A small list with a universal agreement is more powerful than a list that contains concepts some members are not in full support of. The ground rules should be displayed in prominent places such as team rooms and project websites. This is so that we are frequently reminded of them and can easily refer to them if we have to remind someone else about them. Also, consider how the team will interact with stakeholders outside of the project team. When will we communicate? How will we collaborate? Who will escalate issues? Teams often have dependencies with other projects and groups. Managing these expectations and having appropriate communication protocols, shared calendars etc., is critical for success. So the team charter should address both internal and external communication standards. Ground rules should be continually evaluated and updated as needed throughout the project. If you have inherited a team that does not have ground rules (or you forgot to define them when starting your project), it is never too late to start. Conducting a short workshop to collectively define team norms and ground rules is a great way to realign a project. When first creating ground rules with a team, resist the temptation to get bogged down creating detailed or complex ground rules. Remind people that they will be reviewed and updated in the future as needed. Often “less-is-more” from for simplicity and ease of recall. Team ChartersIn addition to posting in a high visibility location, team norms and ground rules are often documented in a Team Charter. This document captures and shares the values, agreements and practices the team defined that describe how they intend to work together. Some typical sections and the types of topics addressed in a team charter include:
1.12.2 Establish an Environment that Fosters AdherenceEstablish an environment that fosters adherence to the ground rules.
Model the Desired BehaviorHow we behave as the project manager or team lead plays a vital role in setting (or eroding) adherence to the ground rules. We may not be aware, but as Scrum Master / project manager / team lead we are watched by the team. What we do (and do not do) is noticed and used (maybe subconsciously) to validate other team members’ decisions and actions. In section 1.2 Lead a Team, we saw that an excellent leader’s most frequently admired characteristic is honesty. If we encourage the team to define ground rules and then break or bend them, nobody else will respect them either. So we have to be sure we honor them and refer back to them when necessary. PMI has a Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct which we also need to understand and follow. All PMI members and non-members applying for a PMI certification, such as the PMP, must agree to comply with the code of conduct. PMI also has an Ethics in Project Management Toolkit that contains helpful resources such as a project manager self-assessment and team self-assessment. Remind People of the Ground RulesRefer back to the ground rules to remind people of their existence and relevance. This can be in the form of a potential violation, such as “I was going to book the new workshop series, but remembered we agreed to discuss timings as a group.” Or, as a confirmation of a ground rule, “As per our ground rules, I posted the demo schedule to the team site.” Obviously, you would not refer back to the ground rules all the time like this. However, it could be a helpful, gentle reminder if the team members seem to forget or ignore them.
Team Ground Rules and Psychological SafetyCollectively creating ground rules helps the team establish some basic psychological safety. Since they are jointly defined, they help people feel like they belong to a common team which is part of 1) Inclusion Safety. The subsequent steps of 2) Learner Safety (feeling safe to ask questions), 3) Contributor Safety (feeling safe to share your work and receive feedback), and 4) Challenger Safety (safety to question the status quo) all build on having ground rules. Spending a couple of hours defining team norms will not instantly create psychological safety, but it is a helpful first step. 1.12.3 Manage and Rectify Ground Rule Violations
Call Out Ground Rule ViolationsIt would be wasteful and hypocritical to go to the trouble of creating team ground rules only to ignore them when we see them being violated. When we witness a breach, we should call it out. There is probably no need to get pedantic or overly harsh. Most ground-rule violations tend to be in the spur of the moment. Such as during a heated discussion talking over a quieter team member and not allowing them to contribute. So, diplomatically, model the desired behavior and call out the violation. For example, “Joe, I noticed you were angry at Vikas when he reported the nozzle test failed. Remember, we agreed It is okay to be the messenger with bad news. You can expect a problem-solving response. As one of our ground rules. I understand you were frustrated, but we should not take it out on the messenger.” Encourage Team EnforcementIdeally, the team should police itself against the ground rules it jointly created. This might take some practice to establish, but having the project manager as the sole enforcer is ineffective. When violations occur or when the ground rules are being discussed, ensure the team ownership is emphasized. So, refer to them as our ground rules or the team ground rules, not the organization’s or even the project’s which might be more associated with only the project manager. Handling Serious OffendersNobody likes having to remove team members, but sometimes it is the best thing for the team. Repeat offenders, bullies and discrimination are reasons why team members may need to be removed if coaching and then HR intervention do not work. Underperformance might also be an issue, but people should be allowed to learn and improve. Only then, if the effort is not there, should HR be consulted and options for reassignment or removal be considered. Dealing with underperforming and problematic team members is one of the most challenging and draining activities project managers contend with. The combination of team ground rules, the code of ethics, and knowledge and support from HR will help somewhat. Deliverables and Tools
Related Topics
During which stage of team development do team members attempt to jockey for power ask many questions and establish dubious goals?Storming: In the Storming stage, there are struggles for power and to determine how the team will work together.
Which of the following are among the challenges faced by project managers?We have created a list of the nine most common issues project managers face along with advice on how to deal with them when they arise.. Scope creep. ... . Lack of communication. ... . Lack of clear goals and success criteria. ... . Budgeting issues. ... . Inadequate skills of team members. ... . Inadequate risk management. ... . Lack of accountability.. When many members of the project team disagree then delaying the decision gathering more data?When many members of the project team disagree, then it may be best to delay the decision, gather more data, or agree to let one or two team members investigate and recommend a strategy for the whole team.
When a decision needs to be made quickly or requires significant authority it is often useful?When a decision needs to be made quickly or requires significant authority it is often useful to delegate the decision to one or two team members. When a project team member is not performing, rewards may not prove as effective as a coercive approach that threatens the team member with undesired consequences.
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Project teams often adopt ground rules to address which of the following process topics?
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