ground rules
Established operating principles
Ground rules are basic principles or guidelines established before an activity begins.
Originally from baseball—rules specific to a particular ballpark's quirks—the term now applies broadly to any agreed-upon conditions: Let's set some ground rules before the meeting, The ground rules for the debate prohibit personal attacks.
- rulebookCompiled official guidelines
- guidelinesSuggested rules for behavior
- game managementOverseeing huntable animal populations
- game planPredetermined approach to winning
- basicsFoundational knowledge of something
norms · boundaries · protocol · laying down the law · parameters · etiquette · mutual agreement · gentleman's agreement · level playing field · principles · standards · officiating · orders · fairness · values · framework · code · starting point
- fundamentalsbasics, fundamentals, essentials, foundation, ABCs
- rules & ethicsethics, honor code, bylaws, guidelines, protocol
- normsnorm, norms, standard, social norms, rule
- ruleslaw, rule, guideline, bylaw, standard
- meeting jargonagenda, action items, follow up, next steps, recap
- meeting techniquesbrainstorming, facilitation, agenda setting, round robin, consensus building
ground rulesimprovisation
Spontaneous, unplanned creation
winging it · no rules · chaos · free-for-all · anarchy
ground rulescarte blanche
Total freedom to choose
anything goes · chaos · anarchy · free-for-all · free rein
ground, rules, background, underground, grounds, playground, grounded, grounding, groundless