Every team agreement starts by bringing your colleagues together. Once you’ve gathered, download FigJam’s team working agreement example for an interactive format that engages the crew with interactive features. Then, create questions to build understanding around your team’s goals and values as it pertains to the employment agreement. Using alignment scales, you’ll each provide feedback on the questions you’ve raised.

To write your agreement, take the findings from your team exercise and draft out your consensus. Make the document accessible for all of your team members so that everyone can easily reference your guiding principles and shared objectives.

Examples of working agreements are personalized and diverse, but each includes a handful of essential components:

- Questions to ask your team (i.e., are you extroverted or introverted? Do you work better under pressure or with lots of time?)

- Alignment scales for voting on each question

- Common themes (i.e., similarities in workstyle across the office, values that keep coming up)

- Agreements based on the alignment voting

- A consensus for moving forward

Examples of team agreements rely on diverse perspectives and collective input, so be sure to include everybody in the discussion so that your plan stays viable. Also, keep in mind that team agreement examples benefit from readable visuals. Try color-coding names to identify each person’s opinion quickly.

Finally, don’t forget to clarify your learnings with a final consensus statement. Whether it’s a note on your team working agreement template that you will communicate respectfully or a written commitment to meet deadlines, this concluding statement can serve as a powerful mantra as you move forward.