I am OK, You are OK
There is a level of "assumptions" that each one of us work with, while we deal with any system. Here in this case the system could be a team member, the manager, the management, or the entire organization. While we work with assumptions, the conversations or the discussions or the work we do, can seem like getting nowhere because of the conflicts, and a sense of frustration piles on .This is a common situation and a very common feeling amongst Coaches/Scrum masters/Project Managers or anyone dealing with project management scenarios. That is where "contracting" helps us get our way through!
Contracting is a concept of "Transactional Analysis" school of psychology. Eric Berne defines it as "an explicit bilateral commitment to a well-defined course of action". Sometimes contracts will be multi-handed - all parties to the contract will have their own expectations. In the unusual event that these are all congruent, then fine. However, if not, then discussing everyone's expectations will lead to greater understanding and therefore to a clear contract. The risk in not doing this is that problems in completing the contract will emerge at some stage.
3 Categories of contracts are administrative, professional and psychological.
Administrative contracts deals with the operational agreements- like fees, who has to do what, time, frequency, attendees etc.
Professional contracts deals with the expectations from each role and clarifies the essential setup required to achieve the same
Psychological contracts talks about how we work as people and help to understand how we express our comforts/ discomforts
Amongst the three contracts psychological contracts are very essential and often ignored in projects. This type of contract will help us co-create any assignment and it’s a powerful tool for Agile coaches while they work with their teams, managers, organization etc.
Further to agree with any contract, both the parties should operate from a space where there is mutual trust and concern (I am Ok , You are Ok).
This report will discuss in detail about these contracts with examples from Agile projects, in an activity based sessions. We will also discuss the life positions based on 'I am OK, You are OK' theory.
Note: Please note that this presentation is not about the business/financial contracts that most of us are aware of. However, the framework of contracts could be applied in any situation including the business/financial contracts.
Outline/Structure of the Workshop
- Contracts – Introduction
- Need for Contracts
- Types of Contracts
- Contracts in Agile Scenarios
- Practical Examples
The presentation will be based on our coaching experiences with Agile teams and we would also do some activities with the participants, which would give a hands-on experience on the use of contracts for Agile Team scenarios.
Learning Outcome
- Helps people understand the theory of contracts and various life positions
- Gives a structured framework to contract with the concerned stakeholders
Target Audience
Agile Coaches and Teams
Video
schedule Submitted 9 years ago
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In her theory of cycles of development, Pam Levin talks about 7 stages a human being goes through from birth to becoming an adult. Each of these stages have unique requrements for any individual. The way the environment responds to the individual in each of these stages will determine how the individual will make sense of themselves with respect to their environment.
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