Standards & Trust
Standards are not the destination.
Trust is.
Every enduring profession earns public confidence through shared ethics, transparent standards, evidence-informed practice, and continual stewardship.
Our Covenant
The Human-Centered Body of Practice™ is stewarded by Human Centered Agility to advance the profession of Human-Centered Practice.
Its purpose is to responsibly develop, protect, and advance the Body of Practice so that practitioners, organizations, and communities have a trusted foundation for learning, practice, contribution, and continual growth.
Human Centered Agility welcomes thoughtful contribution, evidence-informed dialogue, and collaborative advancement while preserving the integrity of the Body of Practice for future generations.
Our Promises
The commitments you can hold us to.
Not values we claim. Promises the profession can measure us against.
Practitioners, partners, universities, employers, foundations, researchers, and the communities we serve all enter into a relationship with HCA. These are the things you can genuinely expect from us in that relationship.
We will place people first.
We will always place people and the communities the profession serves above institutional interests, convenience, or our own advantage.
You can expect
Respect for your context.
We will meet you in the reality of your organization and community rather than imposing a single template, recognizing that human systems differ.
We will be led by evidence.
We will ground our decisions in research, observation, and continual learning, and we will change our thinking when better evidence emerges.
You can expect
Our commitments to scientific integrity and inclusionWe will build genuine partnership.
We will pursue relationships built on shared purpose, mutual respect, and long-term contribution, rather than simple contractual exchange.
You can expect
Openness to your contribution.
We will treat practitioners, researchers, and partners as co-stewards of the field, welcoming contribution and diverse perspectives into the Body of Practice.
We will communicate honestly.
We will distinguish clearly between what is established and what is still emerging, and we will acknowledge openly when we are still learning.
You can expect
Clarity about what is known.
We will be transparent about what is established, what is still developing, and where the edges of our knowledge are, so you can make informed decisions.
We will build lasting capability.
We will work to strengthen enduring capability within the profession rather than create dependence on our institution or pursue short-term results.
You can expect
Stewardship for the long term.
We will make decisions in the interest of the profession and the people it serves over time, not for short-term gain or institutional convenience.
We will hold ourselves accountable.
Trust is reciprocal. We will hold ourselves to the same standards we ask of our partners, and we invite the profession to hold us to them.
You can expect
Consistency between word and action.
We will hold ourselves to the same commitments we ask of others, and we will be accountable when we fall short of them.
Stewardship is demonstrated not by what we ask of others, but by the standards we hold ourselves to.
Our Commitments to Scientific Integrity and Inclusion
Human Centered Agility believes that advancing human-centered practice requires rigorous evidence, intellectual curiosity, and meaningful opportunities to contribute to knowledge.
We are committed to stewarding a Body of Practice that remains scientifically informed, ethically grounded, open to examination, and accessible to people whose expertise develops through different pathways.
Scientific Integrity
We distinguish established scientific findings from emerging hypotheses, proposed frameworks, and practices requiring further validation.
We value transparent methods, critical inquiry, independent scrutiny, and openness to evidence that challenges existing assumptions.
Inclusive Scientific Participation
We recognize that meaningful contributions to knowledge emerge through academic research, professional practice, applied investigation, and lived experience.
Participation should reflect demonstrated capability, ethical responsibility, intellectual curiosity, and the quality of contributions rather than academic credentials alone.
Specialized scientific responsibilities remain subject to appropriate competence and methodological requirements.
Responsible Evidence Stewardship
We translate scientific knowledge into professional practice responsibly, communicate limitations transparently, and remain open to revising our frameworks and standards as evidence evolves.
Our commitment is to make participation accessible without compromising the integrity of the knowledge we steward.
Partnership Philosophy
The character of partnership we seek.
We do not define partnership by qualification or eligibility. We define it by character, the shared commitments that make a relationship worth building and worth sustaining.
Shared Purpose
A common commitment to advancing human-centered practice and the people it serves.
Mutual Respect
Relationships grounded in trust, candor, and regard for one another's work.
Openness to Learning
A willingness to examine one's own systems and to grow as understanding deepens.
Evidence-Informed Practice
Decisions shaped by research, observation, and reflection rather than fashion.
Long-Term Stewardship
An interest in lasting capability and sustainable impact over short-term results.
Contribution to the Profession
A desire to give back to the field, strengthening it for those who follow.
What We Will Not Compromise
These are not prohibitions.
They are the commitments that protect the integrity of the profession, and the lines our stewardship will hold.
We will not place institutional interests above the people and communities we serve.
We will not sacrifice integrity for expediency or commercial opportunity.
We will not present emerging ideas as established evidence.
We will not compromise the integrity or independence of the Human-Centered Body of Practice™.
We will not pursue partnerships that require us to compromise our principles.
The Suggestion Box
Help us keep our word.
A covenant is only as good as its willingness to listen. If you see somewhere we could steward this profession better, drop us a note. Every suggestion is read.
Leave your email only if you’d like us to write back. Anonymous notes are just as welcome.
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