Once a group of local actors has started to convene, securing a shared understanding of the aims and processes of collaboration must be established. This includes establishing norms of transparency and reflections on who benefits in what ways from the collaboration, how decisions are made and how conflicts are resolved. While ground rules are important from the start it is important to consider that they may need recalibration as projects progress. This step is critical to developing a level of trust among participants that allows not just for broad participation, but also power sharing.
In this step acknowledging past conflicts, making clear and transparent decisions about timelines, roles, geographic scope, and other relevant factors in a given context are critical. Central to establishing the rules of engagement is developing a shared understanding of inclusion* and justice* principles to guide collaboration. It is also important to consider how available resources are distributed. In some contexts, the location of meetings and other events are particularly important to consider. At this stage the partnership should also acknowledge the decisions that may limit the possibility of including certain groups. With limited resources there will always be ‘less than perfect’ conditions. Being transparent about language barriers, recognising the difficulty in reaching remote areas, the fact that different groups may have conflicting needs in order to participate in meaningful ways – these are just the beginning of relevant topics to discuss.