Ground rules are statements of values and guidelines which a group establishes consciously to help individual members to decide how to act. To be effective, ground rules must be clear, consistent, agreed-to, and followed. Where articulated ground rules are missing, natural behavior patterns often emerge spontaneously. These are referred to as norms.
A team should create and adopt written ground rules during the first few organizing sessions. The rules should be consulted and enforced through reminders and team process checks. They should be added to and revised as needed.