In this article, we describe the process of revising our writing program's teaching observation forms and processes over the last several years, drawing from descriptions of best practices in conducting teaching observations in writing programs (Comer; Jackson). We analyze the teaching observation form as it functions in a structurational nexus to both manage participants' conversations about teaching and respond to the tensions inherent in the process (Giddens; Miller et al.). Our argument is two-fold: (1) while a responsive and reciprocal praxis for a teacher observation process may begin with good intentions surfaced through informal conversations, teaching circles, and committee meetings, it is sustainably cultivated through the intentional design of the overall process, particularly through its tangible artifacts such as email correspondence and the observation form; and (2) the teaching observation form, as an object playing a pivotal role in a series of social interactions, is a key example of a writing program genre that has the potential to both demonstrate program values and frame responsible rhetorical interactions between program personnel.