As someone who’s spent over a decade helping businesses streamline operations and improve team performance, I’ve seen firsthand the power of a well-defined scrum team working agreement. It’s not just a “nice-to-have”; it’s a foundational document that can dramatically impact your team’s velocity, quality, and overall happiness. This article will delve into what a scrum working agreement is, why it’s crucial, what should be included, provide scrum team working agreement examples, and offer a free, downloadable scrum working agreement template to get you started. We’ll also touch on how this differs from a standard team working agreement, and why tailoring it to the specifics of Scrum is so important.
Scrum, at its core, is a framework built on empirical process control – transparency, inspection, and adaptation. But the framework itself is intentionally lightweight. It provides the ‘what’ but leaves the ‘how’ largely up to the team. That’s where a working agreement comes in. It fills in those gaps, establishing a shared understanding of how the team will operate within the Scrum framework.
Without a working agreement, you’re likely to encounter:
A well-crafted agreement fosters a psychologically safe environment where team members feel comfortable speaking up, challenging assumptions, and collaborating effectively. It’s a living document, meant to be revisited and refined as the team learns and grows.
Think of your working agreement as a team’s constitution. It should cover the essential rules of engagement. Here’s a breakdown of key areas to address:
Start with the ‘why’. What principles will guide your team’s behavior? Examples include:
While Scrum defines events and roles, your team needs to define how those will be executed.
This is critical. The DoD is a shared understanding of what it means for a piece of work to be considered complete. It should be specific and measurable. Examples:
How will the team communicate?
Disagreements are inevitable. How will the team address them constructively?
Especially important for distributed teams.
List the tools the team will use and any specific guidelines for their use. (Jira, Confluence, Slack, etc.)
Here are a few short examples to illustrate how these elements might be expressed:
| Area | Example |
|---|---|
| Daily Scrum | “We will hold a 15-minute Daily Scrum at 9:30 AM EST every weekday. Each team member will answer the three questions: What did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Are there any impediments?” |
| Definition of Done | “A user story is considered ‘Done’ when it has been code reviewed, unit tests have been written and passed, it has passed QA testing, and the Product Owner has accepted it.” |
| Communication | “We will use Slack for quick questions and updates. Email will be reserved for formal communication and documentation. We aim to respond to Slack messages within 2 hours during core working hours.” |
A general team working agreement can be useful for any team, regardless of methodology. However, a scrum working agreement is specifically tailored to the Scrum framework. It focuses on how the team will implement Scrum events, roles, and artifacts. It’s about optimizing the application of Scrum, not just general team collaboration. For example, a general agreement might cover meeting scheduling, while a Scrum agreement will specifically address the format and purpose of the Daily Scrum, Sprint Planning, etc.
Ready to get started? I’ve created a comprehensive scrum team working agreement template in Microsoft Word format. It includes all the sections outlined above, with example language to get you started. You can customize it to fit your team’s specific needs.
Download the Free Scrum Team Working Agreement TemplateRemember, your working agreement isn’t set in stone. It should be reviewed and updated regularly – ideally during the Sprint Retrospective. As the team learns and evolves, the agreement should evolve with it. This iterative approach ensures that the agreement remains relevant and effective.
While a working agreement itself doesn’t typically have direct tax implications, clear documentation of roles and responsibilities can be helpful for determining contractor vs. employee status, which does have significant tax consequences. The IRS (IRS.gov) provides detailed guidance on this topic. For example, understanding behavioral control, financial control, and the relationship of the parties is crucial. Incorrect classification can lead to penalties. Furthermore, if your team is working on intellectual property, ensure your agreement addresses ownership and licensing rights.
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer or a tax professional. This information is for general guidance only and should not be considered legal or tax advice. Always consult with a qualified attorney and/or accountant for advice tailored to your specific situation.
By investing the time to create and maintain a robust scrum team working agreement, you’ll empower your team to deliver exceptional results and foster a positive, collaborative work environment. Good luck!