CHECKLIST FOR GETTING GOOD GROUP

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Last week I shared What Can Go Wrong in the minefield called “The Group Project.” I’ve blogged extensively on the good, the bad and the ugly in group work. This week I’m sharing a checklist of steps that you can take to increase your chances—and your group’s chances—of avoiding disaster and successfully completing a project that meets course requirements and gains the grade.

Each point targets specific potential trouble spots. If your group has started work and you have missed a step–it’s not too late to jump in and carry on. Here goes:

TIPS FOR A GOOD START

  • Choose your group: Choose early. Choose people that match your academic priorities. If you’re after a B or an A, choose from the crowd that has come to class prepared and has engaged in the lectures. 
  • Set up the first meeting: Circulate an agenda for the first meeting, inviting others to add to the list. The agenda for the first or second meeting should cover
    • The syllabus: Read the syllabus, the assignment, and the grading rubric.
    • Interests and strengths:  Who’s good at what? Strengths can include former research in the topics, strengths in writing papers, strengths in preparing visuals, strengths in oral presentation.
    • Group Roles: Who can act as the group meeting leader? The group representative? The group recorder? [I recommend that you choose to be the recorder, or to liaise closely with whoever that person is.]
    • Topic Preferences: Just list everyone’s preference at the first meeting.
    • Scheduling: Coordinate calendars and schedule future meetings. Set actual and artificial completion dates.
    • Group rules: Sickness? Self-assigned grades? Allocating credit? Handling differences of opinion–decisions by majority? Mechanisms for recognizing and resolving conflict?
  • Circulate the meeting notes: Circulate the meeting notes immediately after the meeting, not just before the next meeting.

TIPS FOR CARRYING FORWARD TO A TIMELY, SUCCESSFUL GROUP PROJECT

  • Agendas: Circulate an agenda or a draft agenda before each meeting.
  • Choose the project.
  • Outline the steps to completion: This should be started at the second meeting and finished by the third. Flexibility can allow for changes that become necessary from the result of research, from the professor’s suggestions, or from the availability of resources.
  • Assign project roles: Assign roles according to people’s strengths and interests.
  • Schedule the project: Have a group project calendar that everyone can access. Again, set an artificial deadline and plan microdeadlines for each step. Allow for contingencies. Expect the unexpected.
  • Have a plan B: And a plan C to allow for possible setbacks—a resource becomes unavailable, for example, or suddenly all presentations have to be done online.
  • Take meeting notes at every meeting: Take action notes that highlight who is responsible for what by when. Circulate the notes immediately after each meeting.
  • Keep the prof in the loop: Let the prof know your group’s choice of topic, choice of presentation method, and the resources you plan to use. If you run into setbacks or get stalled, let the prof know sooner rather than later.
  • Address issues early rather than later: Regularly scheduled meetings make this more likely to happen. If you fall behind on your part, let the group know immediately.
  • Use meeting time efficiently: It’s not the social hour (until you have your after-the-presentation celebration). Starting with an agenda or draft agenda can save up to half an hour in a meeting.
  • Be prepared for conflict: I’ve addressed conflict at length in earlier blogs–see me if you run into this.
  • Be prepared to do more than your share: If you take the long view about the grade you want, the result you want, you may have to make up for a shirker in your group. It’s a balance between making up for other people’s deficiencies to get a good project and a good grade, and yet not bullying your way into running the whole show even if you do happen to be a star.
  • Recognize effort, recognize results: Call out and acknowledge extra effort, effort made by others–and by yourself. Endorse group members, and endorse yourself.

Keep me posted. We can talk about techniques for managing group work challenges and integrating the extra load into your other commitments—Contact me at [email protected] .

The information in this blog cannot take the place of support from your own mental health professional or community health resources. Reach out to them. And IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS  PLEASE DIAL 911.