Group projects are inevitable at university. Whilst most of us would like to complete our assignments on our own terms, it is good to learn how to work well with others and develop skills for working alongside others. Balancing everything from people’s working methods to schedules for meeting up, there is a lot that goes into group projects and this is how you navigate them.
Introductions
Firstly, you need to get to know the people in your group if you don’t already. You want to get off on the right foot if you are going to be spending the next few weeks or months together. Try to engage in an icebreaker to try and get everyone to open up a bit more as well.
You should also make sure you get a contact number or social media handle for everyone in the group, so you can stay in contact. It would probably be best to find a platform that everyone uses and create a group chat on there.
Delegate
This is the most important way to navigate group projects. Sometimes a person comes forward on their own, but it is probably best to name a leader of the group. This is usually a confident, outspoken person who can delegate tasks, book meeting rooms, etc.
You can then go around the group and figure out what everyone’s strengths are and what they are willing to contribute to the group. This can allow you, as a group, to get the best out of everyone. If someone has a specific interest in one part of the assessment and is confident in their abilities completing that, then you can assign them that task.
Delegating out group work tasks can make it much easier to know what everyone is doing. It also means that next time you meet up, you have something concrete for everyone to bring, as they were assigned a specific task.
Organise Meet Ups
If you give everyone tasks and then just leave it at that, you will get to days before the assessment is due and realise that you haven’t met up once. Realistically, everyone has other classes and a personal life, so people can forget things.
To make sure this doesn’t happen, make plans to meet up during your first meeting. And then every other time you meet up, be sure to schedule your next meeting before you all leave.
Make it a priority not to miss theses meetings as it will mess up everyone else up as well. Think of it as though a real meeting. You would not be allowed to call off a meeting five minutes before it is due to start in the real world.
Communication And Dedication
When you are working on your portion of the project, that doesn’t mean you can’t communicate with the other members about it. If you get stuck or confused, don’t hesitate to put questions in your group chat. Someone else may be thinking the same thing.
You also need to stay focused and dedicated to the project. It is easy to forget about the task or get overwhelmed with other classes, but you have just as much work as everyone else and you wouldn’t want to be the one weak link in the group.
