GROUP PROJECT? RED FLAGS!

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Whether you’re an undergrad or graduate student, whether you’re in business school, engineering, arts, education, or just about any program offered, you likely have a group project or two assigned by now.

And you may have had previous group projects that did not go well. Group work is the single most complained about aspect of post-secondary education. Issues most often mentioned are

  • One student does most of the work, yet everyone gets the same grade
  • Inability to agree about topics, presentation tools, frequency of meetings, or anything that needs a decision
  • Group standards being too low
  • Some group members’ standards being too high
  • Poor performance of some group members, resulting in a lower than desirable grade
  • Poor performance of some group members, leaving all of the work to one or two
  • Being bullied for attempting to get the group to do a good project

I hope this isn’t you. But I can feel many, many readers’ heads nodding as they read this blog.

The best way to avoid these problems is to catch them and address them, rather than to keep hoping for the best. You do this first by awareness of potential problems. You know who is in your group. You have chosen or been assigned your topic. You have had your first meetings. You have observed and can identify any red flags by asking yourself:

  • Who is on time for meetings? Who hasn’t come to any?
  • Who is responding to emails? Who is not?
  • Who offers to take on tasks? And then does them when they say they will?
  • What is the level of performance so far? Does that meet your standards?
  • Is there conflict between group members?
  • Is there a clear process and timeline for identifying all that needs to be done, who is to do what, and when are tasks scheduled to be completed?

From your observations, are you satisfied that the project will result in the product you will be comfortable with and the grade you are looking for?

If not, check out which red flags need to be averted. Then hold a state-of-the-union meeting with your group by sending out an email calling for just that–in a nonconfrontational way. List the agenda in the email, inviting other questions, issues to be added. If you have a group leader that is not you, discuss the email with the group leader rather than springing it on them.

At that meeting, start with the timeline that works backwards from the deadline to where the project is now. Pencil in tasks to dates on a common calendar, allowing for contingencies. Make minutes of this meeting and send to everyone the next day.

This is your groundwork for putting out brush fires while they are small.

Keep your meetings on track. Document everything.

I’ll say it again. From this point, document everything. Every email to every group member. Every text (and screenshot any that are on timed disappearance before they disappear.). Make notes of all conversations. This helps keep everyone organized and on the same page, with clear expected and agreed upon accountabilities. In some cases, grade and reputation depend on this record. 

What if the lowered performance or nonperformance continues? You have choices here. You can keep nagging and hoping. That’s easiest and least likely to end the way you want it to.

Or you can do the work yourself or with another well-motivated group member. This leads to a feeling of injustice. It’s not fair. And it isn’t. You also likely won’t win friends with your above-and-beyond contribution to the group grade. But you set your priorities: fairness to all, including you, or getting the grade you know your work will get by producing the quality of work that is important to you.

Or you can seek to pull the group up by consulting with the instructor. Early in the project, two or three of you should meet with the instructor to outline the group’s approach and progress. Pointers and expectations from the instructor flesh out the syllabus, and their expected level of performance will become clearer. This is especially useful if your group has been painting your expectations as perfectionism. If group conflict is the problem, your instructor may have pointers or resources for working out the issues.

You can also see the instructor on your own, but a word of caution here. You need to have done everything you can to move the group in a positive manner, and you need to have solid documentation. Your approach needs to be concern for the project, the group, and your own grade. You may not wish to do this, not wanting to be seen as a snitch. If you have tried to do good team and have documented everything, you do have your own grade and reputation to look out for. There have been cases where such students have been assigned to better-motivated groups or have been allowed alternate projects to complete on their own. 

And sometimes despite all effort, the project is a dud and so is your grade. I really, really, hope this does not happen, and so do you. That’s why effort now to spot the red flags, strategize, and act sooner rather than later is worth the pain. At least you will know who you will not choose to work with on future projects.

Group work is at a key stage right now, and midterms are coming soon. Connect with me if you’d like to explore how we might work together on tools for your academic success. [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.