- Published
- 8 October 2026
- Last reviewed
- 8 October 2026
Identify the records the team needs
List the common kinds of work communication: quick questions, document review, decisions, action tracking and meeting preparation. Ask where each currently happens and what gets lost or repeated.
In a fictional learning team, questions appear in chat while the plan sits in a shared folder. Actions are sometimes buried in messages. The team needs a known place for the action record and a clear person to maintain it.
Set clear routes and owners
Agree the approved route for each type of communication. Identify the owner of the main document and action records. State where people should look for the latest decision instead of relying on whichever message they happen to remember.
A shared file can support collaboration, as Microsoft’s guidance explains. The agreement should describe the team’s use of it in plain language. It should not require another tool when the existing approved arrangement already meets the need.
Agree reasonable expectations
Discuss when a response is needed and what route to use for an urgent issue. Make expectations explicit and compatible with working hours and accessibility needs. Do not assume every team member continuously monitors every channel.
For the fictional team, routine questions are reviewed during agreed working periods. An urgent access problem goes through the known support route. These are practice examples, not instructions to override an employer’s communication or incident policy.
Review the agreement in use
Try the arrangement during a small piece of work. Check whether someone can locate a decision and identify an action owner without asking several people. Record what worked and which part needs clarification.
Download the template in PDF or Word. Complete it with fictional details, agree a review date and revise the arrangement using observed problems. A useful agreement is short enough to follow and specific enough to settle everyday questions.
Source and practice note
This is an original RDE practice exercise. The linked official guidance provides product context; the planning approach and fictional examples are RDE learning material. Follow your organisation’s approved tools and information-handling procedures.
Read the official product guidance
Cover image: AI-generated illustrative scene created specifically for this resource.
Download and complete the exercise
Download the editable Word document
Printable PDF and editable Word document. Version 2.0, 8 October 2026. Personal and internal organisational adaptation permitted with Jefferson Otonbara Imgbi author credit retained.