Ground rules set clear expectations regarding the code of conduct for team members. They indicate actions that are acceptable and unacceptable within the project management context. A project manager has to ensure that ground rules are set up collectively by the team members themselves. This is done to ensure that the ground rules are agreed upon by all members who will willingly abide by them during the course of the project.

Establishing a correct ecosystem for adherence to ground rules

To establish an environment that fosters adherence to ground rules a number of considerations have to be made. One consideration is the development of a team charter. This is a document that enables the team to establish its values, agreements and practices as it performs its work together. Having this document as a reference point serves to develop a sense of reference to which all members are reminded to adhere to when dealing with issues of concern. These issues may include preferred communication guidelines, nature and frequency of meetings as well as the agreed approach to decision making and conflict resolution techniques. The conflict resolution techniques should ultimately lead to effective conflict management and avoid ineffective conflict management.

Importance of clarity of ground rules

Once such ground rules or team norms have been developed and agreed upon, they need to be communicated to all relevant stakeholders. These stakeholders should be aware of such ground rules in order to ensure clarity of the boundaries of action that may be expected by team members in the course of the project. This ensures clarity of the boundaries as well as compliance towards adherence to them and consistency to which ground rules are maintained in accordance with established agile principles.

Internal and external communication of ground rules

Apart from establishing and maintaining cohesiveness among team members, project managers need to identify norms for effective communication between internal and external team members as well. Issues such as team meetings, mechanisms for generating feedback and managing dependencies, protocols for sharing calendars between internal as well as with external stakeholders need to be established and adhered to strictly.

Dealing with violators of ground rules

In addition to developing the ecosystem for ground rules, violations of ground rules have to be addressed appropriately. Where possible, for minor violations, opportunities for remediation should be provided. For serious violations, removing or replacing the offending team member may be warranted.

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