GROUP…

PROJECTS… 

These words can bring you relief and excitement or drop you into a bottomless pit of fear. While collaboration is a skill we will forever need in school, work, or life, navigating team dynamics can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. Especially when you're dealing with conflicting schedules, uneven workloads, or communication breakdowns, group projects can be challenging.

But fear not; having the right mindset and strategies goes a long way and will help you survive and thrive during the school semester! Here's how:

1. Have a group contract

This sounds a bit silly and a little formal...but setting expectations and boundaries will help you thrive later in the rest of the tip and overall as a group. This contract will clearly define roles and expectations early on so everyone knows what they are responsible for; this helps the group engine run smoothly.

2. Establish clear communication from the start

Miscommunication starts any problem and is the most significant challenge group work faces. To avoid "miscommunication," setting up and noting this in the contract will lead you to success. Confirm where you'll be communicating: WhatsApp, Canvas, etc, and what project management tool you'll use to support your communication, like Google Docs, Google Sheets, or Notion, to help keep track of tasks and meet deadlines.

3. Set goals and deadlines

Having a timeline helps avoid leaving everything until the deadline. Breaking down the project into small, realistic tasks with individual deadlines will make the project smoother and ensure work is distributed evenly to prevent last-minute panic and hard feelings.

4. Look at what everyone can bring to the table

Playing on each teammate's strength elevates the experience overall. Everyone has a skill they are more potent at, for example, research, data analysis, writing, design, or public speaking. Identifying them and assigning roles and tasks accordingly to maximize efficiency and quality.

5. Be accountable and hold each other accountable

Make sure you, as a group member, can do your tasks. However, refer back to the contract when encountering members who don't hold their weight without emotionally reacting. There, you can remind members of their responsibilities and deadlines. Should the situation not improve, reaching out to the professor is the best way.

Feedback is your friend, and Compromise is your link.

Be open to feedback and constructive criticism; remember it is not a person; this is to help refine your idea and improve your work collectively. This may raise disagreement, but handling them professionally is key.

6. Keep organized and make sure you keep records

Keep track of meeting notes, contributions, and decisions to avoid misunderstandings. Clear documentation will be beneficial if your professor requests evidence of individual contributions.

7. You did it - now let's celebrate

Once the project is complete, take a moment to appreciate everyone's hard work. A simple thank-you message or a quick debrief on what worked well can strengthen relationships for future collaborations.

If you want, go out for a coffee or dinner to celebrate this win, especially when it was a whole semester's work!

And with that, next time you're assigned a team project, take a deep breath, apply these strategies, and confidently tackle them! 

And, like always, signing off with love,

Alex