From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishground rulesˈground rules noun [plural] RULE/REGULATIONthe basic rules or principles on which future actions or behaviour should be basedlay down/establish ground rules for something Our book lays down the ground rules for building a patio successfully.
Examples from the Corpus
ground rules• Certain commonsense ground rules should be mentioned - discussing marital and financial problems with children, for example, is not advisable.• The strategic support group ground rules were all they needed to get started.• There are no ground rules for knowing how to handle these semi-permanent relationships in the context of the larger family circle.• Once you realize this you can start treating it like any other interview, and apply the same ground rules.• Here are some ground rules on how to choose your carpet, and its upkeep.• Some ground rules for the Cold War, of spirit if not of substance, were needed.• As long as the ground rules were properly observed, Gutfreund gave it right back.• They first had to agree on the ground rules of the debate before they could get started.• The following season, the ground rules were changed. 