# Requirements for Joint Activity among People
We define *joint activity* as an extended set of actions that are carried out by an ensemble of people who are coordinating with each other.
Joint activity involves at least four basic Requirements. All the participants must * Enter into an agreement, which we call a Basic Compact, that the participants intend to work together * Be mutually predictable in their actions * Be mutually directable * Maintain common ground
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Ten challenges for making automation a team player.
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Ward refers to this post
> If some of the material sounds familiar, it may be because this work is based off of a much longer paper which I covered here page and here page .
When we learn with others, it is essential that we establish a 'common ground' that aligns us and allows us to venture out in a way that allows something surprising to emerge.
Jessica Kerr, aka @jessitron , explains how modern software teams must collaborate not only with each other, but with their own tools of automation. We must build systems that are good team players. She introduces the line of representation. Presents Four prerequisites (the pillars of joint activity) and four precautions (ironies of automation). article