This semester, I'm involved in a team-class-project to solve an engineering problem. This happens a lot throughout my education, for obvious reasons. And once again the professors are distributing the usual teamwork-is-awesome stuff. Some of it pretty good this time around. However, in my experience with teamwork so far, there have been some disasters, and I was wondering how I might help steer the group clear of them, avoid causing them myself, and contribute more effectively.

My question is this: Are there any teamwork strategies that have worked extremely well from your experience, over others? Are there any failure modes that commonly happen that turn your team into a disaster?
If you were in the leader's position, how would you ensure that everyone had what information they needed? Keep meetings on task?
If you were in a follower position watching one of these failure modes occur, how do you counter it?
Do waterfall diagrams signify anything corresponding to the project? /sarcasm

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ASEI, that question has spawned an industry. You should know this before you start.

In brief, there are several strategies that can be applied. First, try to remain focussed on the goal. Is the goal clearly defined, how are you going to reach it, and how is the work to be divided (both in time and among people) to get there?

As a team leader, encourage others to voice their opinions and ideas, but don't let any individual dominate the discussions. Watch out for people getting upset (which is all too easy if they feel their opinion does not matter). Try to ensure that everyone is engaged in discussions, and that the agreed means of reaching the goal is indeed a consensus. Also try to ensure that you play to each person's strengths.

As a team member, try to ensure that you let others have their say, but not at the expense of suppressing your own opinion. Watch out for people becoming withdrawn or upset - you may be able to bring this to the attention of the team leader before anything gets out of hand.

In general, remember that the team works best when all its members are agreed on what the goal is and on how to get there. Remember also that there are several ways in which a team can work well (e.g., each member could be given an area of responsibility to work on, or members could work in 2s or 3s but with a wider remit for each piece of work, etc.).

For more information about team working, there must be thousands of web pages dealing with this. However, one particular thing that can be quite useful is the Belbin team-working assessment (I'm sure if you Google "Belbin + team" you'll find a link to it). Have a look and see what you think.

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The quarrelsome oarsmen were rowing,
The great violinist was bowing;
But how is the sage
To tell, from the page:
Was it pigs or seeds that were sowing?

As dr Nigel has mentioned, there is much more data on this subject then you can handle at one go. I guess the idea with all this teamwork stuff is that you can build your own experiences of it. Don't get too discouraged if you end up trying to strangle your teammates. It's better to make all the mistakes before you get into the professional life.

I will limit myself to only two tips as far as the teamwork itself is concerned.

1. As a team leader: listen. A team leader's job is to organize work, not necessarely to get everyone to work on your idea.
2. As a team member: don't assume you are the one with the best solution. Defending your ideas is fine and even right, but you're probably not the only thinking member of the team so others might have come up with good points too. It is sometimes better to move on at a faster pace then to find the optimal way forward. Haggling often takes far more time then it would take to go with the less effective solution.

/Adam

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There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
(Hamlet; act 1 scene V)

Here's another general issue to consider. One flaw with group design is that often, whoever is the strongest student does the majority of the project. In part this is because they have the highest grade objective (if others are happy with a B, who do you think will have to do that A level work?), and in part it is because they know what they are doing. But it will foster resentment if there is a sense that others are not "pulling their weight". Thus it is often best if each group has matching levels of ability, rather than spanning the full range from A students to D students. If your group does have a range, then think about splitting the project into tasks that each have differing required levels of ability, and mete the work out accordingly. Are there any basically "bookkeeping" tasks? Let the weaker students do that. If they feel involved, they are less likely to detach and just expect you to do everything.

I have had stunning success with task delegation by using a whiteboard.

I write the tasks up on the board with two columns on the right hand side.
Team members choose the tasks they will do by writing their initials next to a task. When they show you their completed work and you are satisfied ,they tick the second box. Keep a log of the tasks and initials. The overachievers will be happy that their extra efforts are recognised. Lesser skilled members can choose task that are within their capacity. This technique and its effectiveness can be included in the "Methods and Problems" section of your end report.

Try to design your tasks to take 20 minutes or less to complete. If they need longer than that, they should probably be two tasks.

In my experience as a team leader ASEI, the structure of the team you lead
is paramount. Do they relate as equals to the task in hand? Will each back
another if things go awry? In a team of say 8, each has a different background, with different attitudes and commitments. In a SWAT team,
those differences are sublimated to a common response. each being equal.
Hope you understand ASEI where I am going with this. One further point
ASEI, as a true leader, respect has to be earned, it dosen't come with the
title
If your team respects you, they will follow you, if they respect you, you
can control them. I never had a disaster with any team I ever lead.
Got to know and understand them all at the point of formation.
Hope the above helps,
Nokton

I think the best way to handle inevitable team issues is the way Univ. of Phoenix Online structures a team. Complete a team charter that contains skills of each team member, team goals, potential barriers and solutions, communication methods, ground rules, and conflict management/resolution.

I provided a team charter already filled-out to give you ideas. This method works because team members cannot slack, guidlines are predetermined, and lines of communications are established. The best part is the ways to avoid conflicts and how they are resolved. Each team member participates with developing the charter; therefore, everyone agrees to the guidlines and the group work can commence.

One step further, have an evaluation team charter for each member to complete at the end of the group work. If you know you will be graded by your peers at the end, you will work a little harder (if applicable in your situation).

A .doc is not a valid file extension to upload on this BB, so I'll have to email you the team charter if you want it. email me at rockinreel@yahoo.com

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ooh baby! Is that pogy oil you're wearing?

Do it all yourself. You are there to get good marks, not learn about teamwork. Unless you already have teamwork skills it probably makes more sense to put in the extra effort and do a good job on your own than to waste time trying to cooperate. If you want to learn about cooperation you can watch an episode of Sesame Street after the real work is done.

Well... in engineering it's about teamwork... In the time that I have spent in industry over the last four years, the groups I have been involved with were extremely interested in finding team players.

That was my method throughout high-school, and it actually worked and worked well there. That was because precious few of us were capable or interested in the work, and the project tasks were manageable by individuals. It doesn't transfer to the task at hand, though, and probably won't throughout most of the rest of my career.

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http://amssolarempire.blogspot.com

That's certainly true in many work situations. However, if you get good marks on a team project by doing all the work yourself, potential employers may take it as evidence of being good at team work. Of course whether or not this is the best course for an individual to take will depend on if they have morals, how they feel about lying or misleading omission and so forth. And of course, by the law of poetic justice, you will always end up with someone from your team who let you do all the work being your boss.

Moved from Questions & Answers to Babbling.

1. derive team members first
2. chalkout the design of the project
3. assemble all tools related to your project or project report, take all information in detail, fragment this work into the members, so that your work will be easy, deside one captain of the team, all team member will interact with him and give him the reporting concerned with the topic or project
4. train them in all respect to face the examiners or professors as far the project knowledge is concern equaly
5. the number of members you can select limitless but see the volume of the project or work and assign the jobs to the members accordingly, but it is useful to assign limited people while compiling your project.
6. good communication and interpersonal relations maintainence within the team mebers, 7. the captain has to support to all team members and proper guidelines in respect of the actual work, 8. boost their morale about the project, 9. wipe out their small mistakes if they are doing so, 10. test the good fruits of your projects finally, you will be succeed over the task. "nothing is difficult in this world", just remind it.
There are many points I can add here but above are the important and easy to follow.
convey me if I am correct or wrong!

sunil