No process improvement team should go beyond Step 2 without developing a clear-cut set of ground rules for the operation of the team. The ground rules act as a code of conduct for team members and provide a basic structure for conducting effective meetings. Some areas in which ground rules should be established are:

1. Attendance: Expectation of regular attendance at meetings, acceptable reasons for missing meetings, whether to allow alternates to attend when members must be absent, number of members required to conduct business.
2. Promptness: Starting and ending time for meetings.
3. Preparation: Expectation that team members will complete assignments in advance and come prepared for each meeting.
4. Participation: Active listening, suspending personal beliefs, and free communication by all members.
5. Assignments: Methods for making and tracking assignments and selecting the recorder.
6. Decisions: Decision procedures—consensus or open or closed majority vote.
7. Communication: what, when and to whom.