ES2007S Project – Reflections on the Teamwork Involved

Similar to what one would experience in the workplace, the project given in this module had a tight deadline and once-unfamiliar group members are expected to work together and deliver. Hence, this experience provided a few key lessons that could be valuable input when I eventually step into the working world.

The Good

The first characteristic that I cherished in my group was our ability to work independently on the tasks allocated. The team consisted of members from different faculties and ages, meaning that face-to-face meetings were difficult. Given the short span of time, tasks would have to be allocated to each member and everyone would need to have the responsibility to complete them before the agreed deadline. Although task allocation was an issue in the beginning, I was fortunate that every group member eventually worked with much efficiency and completed the tasks expected of them.

In the workplace, scheduling meetings would probably also be an issue as well and thus, every member would need to undertake the responsibility of carrying out his or her work independently within the agreed deadline. Hence, working independently and taking responsibility are key traits required in working well in teams, be it in the module or in the workplace.

In addition, I realized that even if the team members have to work independently, there is a need to be open to opinions and feedback. My group was rather slow in the beginning due to the need to change our project idea and the time we took to get to work. Thankfully, when this issue was brought up by one of us, the team took this as constructive feedback and improved our way of task assignment rather quickly.

The need for open feedback channels was also important when evaluating the product as a group. This not only keeps other group members up-to-date on one another’s progress, but also allows for standardization and improvement on the product based on the other members’ feedback. This becomes especially critical when the person is experiencing difficulties in handling his/her work, something which would commonly occur in the workplace. Hence, being open and responsive to feedback is essential in group work.

Some possible improvements

As mentioned earlier on, the group experienced difficulties in initiating work during the earlier weeks of the project commencement. I personally felt that this could be due to the lack of specificity in tasks assigned to each of us. While all of us were given a particular role, this may be too vague and even overwhelming for one to handle, especially under time constraints. Members may not be able to break the bigger task into smaller bits and work on these bits step-by-step, hence leading to delay. In addition, while the general deadlines and expectations were discussed in the first meeting, it was not followed closely as we soon disregarded the document. This may have also caused the delay in work progress.

Thus, it may have been better to have someone to keep track of deadlines and expectations closely and update everyone on the progress made. Tasks assigned should also be given in smaller bits and with agreed deadlines. Thus, the first meeting is very important in establishing the efficiency of the team, where specificity of roles and expectations must be clear and constantly reiterated to the team.

Lastly, teamwork would need open communication channels and honesty. Although each of us had to work independently, there is a need to update the rest of one’s progress and difficulties faced. As one would have many other assignments to do, it is natural for someone to have a period of time where he or she is less able to contribute to the project. This should however be communicated clearly with reasons to prevent possible misunderstandings and tension within the group.

Keeping feedback channels open at all stages is critical to allow every group member to understand the current progress of the group. It would also to enhance the spirit of teamwork by sharing one’s opinions, expertise and assistance to one another.  One room for improvement for my group was the lack of feedback channels of each other’s work during the earlier stages. While this may be difficult in the hectic workplace (where efficiency is valued), I feel that this is a critical element in understanding one another’s work ethics and thus, ease the transition in working as a team.

Overall, I feel that responsibility, honesty and openness-cum-responsiveness to feedback are important traits to have in team-based projects. Open communication channels and specificity in tasks allocated are key elements in increasing the efficiency of the team while allowing for understanding between team members.