THE SINGLE GREATEST FRUSTRATION

If I were to count the most frequent complaints I hear from my clients, the top winner would be Group Projects! Not only in terms of the number of complaints but also in terms of sheer blood-pressure boosting frustration.

I’ve blogged before on doing good group. This go-around, rather than my usual positive focus, I’m going to share what often goes wrong so that you can recognize red flags before things get too far out of hand, and move to remedies. If a group project is on any of your courses this term, you will have already picked or been assigned your group members and had your first meeting (you have done that, right?).

So what can go wrong?

Some group members are not pulling their weight. This is the most frequent complaint. One or more group members don’t show up at meetings, ghost you, and haven’t done what they had agreed to do, so the project is falling behind.

• Remedy 1: Document everything. Send emails before each meeting outlining what needs to be done and brought to the meeting. Send emails after each meeting, noting any changes and what has been agreed to. 
• Remedy 2: Reassign the tasks early enough so that the project can stay on track.This can mean that motivated performers end up doing “more than their share,” which leads to the second complaint I frequently hear:

A few group members end up doing way more than their fair share of the work, but everyone gets the same grade. It’s not fair.

• Remedy 1: If documenting and holding meetings doesn’t work, you may have to take the long view. To relieve that burden, collaborate with those who are motivated and carve out the work so the project gets done. The long view is that you want the grade: If someone else unfairly gets a good grade as well, that will not hurt your GPA. Yes, if the two of you are competing for placements, that really does suck. You know who won’t be on your team for future projects, and word does get around.
• Remedy 2: If your class has a choice about how the project is graded, you and others in the group may be able to cast shade appropriately.
• Remedy 3: Discuss with the instructor. Usually this is not a good idea, as part of group work is learning how to form a team, be a team member, and manage the team. There are exceptions, but you don’t want to risk being a whiner.

Key presentation players are either unprepared or unavailable when it’s time to present.

• Remedy 1: Always have more than one presenter or presenter pair. You can arrange this immediately.
• Remedy 2: Rehearse the entire presentation, so that there are no technical or timing surprises. Schedule rehearsal now, as it means the project needs to be completed sooner than otherwise.

Group members can’t agree on important matters–such as the topic, or how many slides, or what the key points are.

• Remedy 1: Review the requirements in the assignment and the syllabus. Have the contenders draft up their proposals and present them to the group. Then vote.
• Remedy 2: Review the requirements in the assignment and the syllabus. Have the contenders draft up their proposals and present them to the group. Then consult with the instructor, respectfully presenting both plans and requesting direction.

(Background: Start each meeting on a positive tone, with some activity or topic that everyone agrees about.)

There is a lot more that can go wrong, but these are the big four. If the groundwork for each remedy is laid now, rather than two weeks before the project is due, the likelihood of any of these problems is much reduced!

Tell me your own group horror stories, or project-rescue stories, or the project that sang and landed all of you co-op internships!

Connect with me before midterms: [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.