Team Agreement Canvas
Defines agreements on values, communication, and decision-making.
PURPOSE
The Team Agreement Canvas is used to make fundamental collaboration agreements within a team explicit. It solves the problem that teams often operate on implicit assumptions that lead to conflicts and inefficiency. By jointly defining values, communication rules, and decision-making processes, a binding foundation for collaboration is created.
HOW TO USE
Conduct a team workshop in which you jointly fill in the canvas fields. Discuss and agree on values, communication channels and frequencies, decision-making processes, meeting formats, and feedback rules. Hang the completed canvas visibly in the team room and review it regularly, such as during retrospectives. Update the agreements when team composition or conditions change.
WHAT IT IS
The Team Agreement Canvas is a visual tool from the Management 3.0 approach that summarizes the core agreements of a team on a single page. It typically includes fields for values, communication, decision-making, meeting structures, feedback rules, and conflict resolution mechanisms. The canvas serves as a living document that makes the team's work culture visible and discussable.
EXAMPLE
Example: You are starting a new cross-functional product team from design, development, and product management and jointly fill out the Team Agreement Canvas – with agreements on communication channels (Slack for quick items, email for formal matters), decision-making principles (consent instead of consensus), and conflict resolution mechanisms. This gives you a clear foundation that everyone can refer to.