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“Just because you have been lumped together in a cluster of six or so doesn’t make you a team. You have to work at becoming a team and the work you do at the start will be very important.”
Starting off a groupwork project well is essential for a successful outcome. Setting expectations early is key to preventing a lot of frustration and dissatisfaction later on.
What is expected of you and your group?
The first thing to do is be aware of what is actually expected of you by the assignment. For example, some group work tasks are only assessing the final product (marks allocated based on the thing you submit or deliver), whereas others also assess the process (with additional marks allocated for how well you work together as a team or a percentage of the total mark awarded based on contribution). You need to be aware of where marks are being allocated to ensure you keep any necessary evidence or documentation needed to support your final submission.
Note that even if only the final product is being assessed, this will almost certainly be stronger if you work effectively as a team!
Creating an effective group
It is worth being honest upfront that groupwork has the potential to be problematic if you don't get things right from the start. However, if you do get things right, then the group can be highly effective and your experience can be both fruitful and transformative. Working together as a team can mean that, together, your group is greater than the sum of its parts as you each develop and build on your own understanding by listening to the insights of others (especially those with different backgrounds and life experiences).
With an effective group and teamwork, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts
Starting with a positive mindset will encourage everyone to contribute to their share of the work throughout the project. That positive mindset starts with the first meeting.
The first meeting
Often a first meeting will be scheduled as part of timetabled teaching, be that face-to-face or online. If not, try using the Outlook scheduling assistant or a doodle poll to find a time when everyone is free. Not everyone will make every meeting during a project, but the first meeting is one you really don't want people to miss - so be flexible!
If you are meeting face-to-face, and it is not arranged as part of teaching, consider booking a group learning room in the Library. If you are meeting online then Microsoft Teams is the ideal option - you can even record/transcribe your meeting as evidence of your interactions if needed.
The most important task at the first meeting is to ensure that as a group, you have a shared understanding of the project and shared ownership of the plans to complete it.
Ideally, in your first meeting you should do the following (not necessarily in this order):
Get to know each other
Introduce yourselves and briefly describe the skills and attributes you believe you bring to the group. This will help with assigning roles etc. Share things that will make working together easier too - like how you prefer to work, your approach to timekeeping, how important getting a good grade is etc. These will help other group members know what to expect of you. If you feel comfortable, share a little of your background - we should value the wide variety of experiences different people bring to a team.
Consider doing some fun stuff too - don't dismiss icebreakers as time-wasting - laughing together is a great team bonding experience.
Set some ground rules
These will be specific to your group but googling 'groupwork ground rules' will give you some good ideas around communication frequency, recording decisions, staying respectful etc. You could consider writing a ground rules agreement - this blog from the University of Bath includes a handy template: Writing a ground rules agreement.
Read the assignment together
Read through the assignment brief and check that you all agree with what it is asking you to do. Break it down together into all the smaller sub-tasks that need completing to successfully finish the overall task.
Create an action plan
Look at the sub-tasks and allocate to different people - try to take account of members' strengths (as shared when you were introducing yourselves) as this will give you the best final outcome. Obviously, tasks that nobody is keen on should be allocated carefully, perhaps sharing between two to lighten the load. Be clear about when everyone needs to have their tasks finished by and what to do if people are struggling to meet the agreed deadline.
A basic job list like this (taken from Gibbs,1994) could help. Only fill the last column when you have completed the other two (to ensure fair allocation):
| What needs doing? | How long will it take? | Who will do it? |
You could even create this as a shared Excel file and add a Progress so far column to help keep a track of things.
Identify group roles
There can be roles in the group that are not related directly to the assignment itself and it can be helpful to recognise and allocate them (or volunteer for them) early.
For example, you may choose to have a group leader/coordinator, meeting chair/facilitator, note-keeper or time-keeper. These may naturally fit in with some of the strengths already identified too. (See the separate box for what would normally be expected of people in those roles.)
Plan next meeting
Before you finish your meeting, decide when the next one will be and make sure everyone knows what they should have done by then.
Make sure you have a way of contacting each other between meetings - in case you have any great ideas or need to discuss problems. Not everyone uses the same tech or apps so to decide what works best for everyone.
Possible team roles
For complex tasks, it can be helpful for team members to take on different roles within the team. You can allocate these based on existing skill sets or ask for volunteers in case anyone is keen to develop new skills in these areas.
There are many possible roles and you may not need them all, and some can be combined for smaller teams. Suggestions are given below.
Leader/Coordinator
Has an overview of the whole project, with an awareness of how everyone's contributions will combine to form the whole. They will usually chair the meetings - though that task can be rotated if more people want to gain experience doing so. When chairing, they should make sure the aims of the meeting are clear to everyone and that the meeting stays on track by following the agenda or topic list. They also need to make sure everyone has a chance to contribute. There is more about the role of the leader on the Working as a team page of this guide.
Secretary/Notetaker
Keeps records of meetings and decisions. If you decide to have a formal agenda, the secretary will create this and send it out. They make notes of important discussion points and decisions made and share these after the meeting.
Progress chaser
Makes sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to be. It's a good idea to assign this role officially and then people don't feel 'checked up on' when they get in touch between meetings. They should report progress at the beginning of each meeting.
Time keeper
Keeps meetings on track. This is a meetings-only role and could be undertaken by the leader or chair. If an agenda is used, it could have timings already on it and the time-keeper makes sure you don't go over that time. Alternatively, with a task list, they could ask how long the group would like to spend on a task and then let you know when the time is used. You can then decide as a group whether to give it a little more or to move on.
Process observer/reflector
Keeps an eye on team dynamics and processes. Things don't always go smoothly and assigning this role to someone can help stop the process breaking down too far. If they notice things are not working as the group agreed, they can step in and try to get things back on track. They need to be good at saying things in a positive way so they do not make things worse! Facilitation skills can also help the group come to common conclusions.
Questioner
Questions decisions to ensure all avenues explored. Sometimes groups come to decisions too quickly in order to move the task on and having someone whose role is to question things will make sure other possibilities or more creative solutions are not missed. Sometimes they also act as a Devil's Advocate - purposefully raising alternative viewpoints even if they are not their own so that counterarguments can be acknowledged.
(Some of this section adapted from Gibbs, 1997)
