MENTAL MODEL · M7710

Working Agreement

DecideHigh supportDecision Science

Included

Updated 2026-08-10

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

A team practice from agile and organizational development, in which members jointly define how they will work together and hold each other to it. The core proposition is that unstated expectations are the main source of friction, so writing them down converts private assumptions into shared commitments. The key qualification is that the agreement must be reviewed and revised, since a document written once and ignored adds ceremony without changing behavior.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Expectation surfacing: write down the assumptions the team has never stated aloud. - Commitment step: have each member explicitly agree to the rules. - Review cycle: revisit the agreement regularly and revise what no longer fits.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

When expectations stay implicit, each person acts on their own version and interprets the same event differently, so friction appears without any disagreement about the work itself. Writing the rules down makes the differences visible while they are still cheap to resolve. Joint authorship also creates ownership, which raises the cost of quietly ignoring the agreement later.

MINIMUM ACTION

In progress 0/1

Practice this model in one real situation:

Draft collaboration rules together with the whole team. 2. Have each member explicitly commit to the agreement. 3. Apply the rules to meetings, communication, and decision making. 4. Review the agreement at regular intervals and revise it as needed. 5. Revise or retire rules that no longer serve the team.

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

Learning progress0%

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Source support: Explicit

link
atlassian.comhttps://www.atlassian.com/team-playbook/plays/working-agreementsZH · Explicit
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