Team Projects require that students work with one another collaboratively.  This is not always easy.  Something as simple as scheduling a meeting can sometimes become complicated and frustrating.  Teamwork requires patience, hard work and the cultivation of social skills.  Here are some simple guidelines that may help:

• pay attention to process.

 
• be clear about what is expected from each member of the group; don't leave meetings with issues about responsibility unresolved. Take time to make certain that everyone understands what is expected.

 
• Manage your time carefully: 1) start early (projects always take more time that you think);    2) be attentive to deadlines -- in a group project, the failure of any one individual can often derail the work of the entire group.

 
• Begin your very first meeting by getting to know one another better.  Go around the group giving your name and some general information about yourself  (hometown, campus address, major, goals in life, etc.).  Include some important personal detail: e.g., the most important thing others should know about you, etc.  A good way to do this is over a pizza or a cup of coffee.  (At subsequent meetings, you can use this warm-up phase of the meeting to briefly share experiences -- successes, frustrations, etc.)

 
• At the very beginning of a meeting, decide how much time you will assign to each part of the meeting.  When you reach the end of the allotted time, you must move on or make a conscious decision to allocate more time to that particular task.

 
• Pause, on occasion, to summarize what has been decided and to ask, "what must we do next?"

 
• While each individual is responsible for his or her individual contributions to the project, it may also be useful to assign one or more additional roles or responsibilities to each member of the team.  These roles might include the following:

 
• The Team Coordinator, who would be responsible for scheduling meetings, for keeping the process moving on schedule, and for the timely creation of the project itself. The coordinator would also be responsible for filing an evaluation of the project, describing the process and identifying the contributions of each of the team members.
•  The Team Editor, who would be responsible for the clarity and cogency of the text, and for assuring consistency in style, citation of sources, etc.
• The Team Researcher, who would be responsible for the accuracy of all material contained in the project.
•  The Team Technician, who would be responsible for technical issues, including helping classmates and mounting the final project.
•  The Team Recorder, who would take notes on meetings, summarizing the decisions reached, the responsibilities assumed by each individual, and any deadlines involved. This summary would then be posted to the Team Database, so that everyone is clear on where things stand and what is needed.
• The Team Presenter, who takes responsibility for organizing the presentation.
• The Team Monitor, who monitors the group process, watching to make certain that the process is working smoothly, the everyone understands their responsibilities, who can intervene and mediate when the group has problems. The Team Monitor, like the Team Coordinator, would be responsible for filing an evaluation of the project.




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For more guidance on leading small group discussions, see any of the many books on quality management.  For example, Peter R. Scholtes et al., The Team Handbook  (Joiner Associates, 1988).  For a Florida State University professor's guide to student teams, click on TEAM Organization.  For a gateway to the quality movement that includes many useful links, see the State of Georgia's Quality Homepage.