3.3.2 Weekly Progress Report (Project Management components) WeeklyProgressReportsarediscussedmorefullyinSection7.6ofthisCourse

Manual.ThefirstWeeklyProgressReportisdueinWeek3ofthesubject.Here,weaddresstheteambuildingcomponentsofthisreport.Thesereportstypicallytakeeitheramemoformat,inwhichprogressisdescribedusingprosewithaccompanyingtablesandfigures,orpresentationformatwithbulletedlists,tablesandfiguresasappropriate.Dependingontheformatused,ashortparagraph(~0.5pg)orslideisexpectedthataddressesSection4(“Team”)issues.SpecificinstructionsforwhattoincludeinSection4onaweeklybasisaresummarizedhere;moreinformationmaybefoundattheProjectManagementwebsite,underModule&7,7.4.And7.4.a.ActivityListsfortheweekareaddedto“WorktobeDone”.

Module 7.4.a Weekly Progress Report Example #1

Rotation 1 Example Week 3 How is your Project Leader managing the team? Literature Search Ground Rule System Active Listening Team Life Cycles Thelibrarysessionwasuseful.Wechangedourliteraturesearchgroundrules.UsingaCImeetingexampleoflistingafewusefulcomponentsofapaper’ssummaryforourproposal.Wefirstreadthepaperslistedinlastyear’sfinalreport,givingusagoodoverviewandasummaryofthemotivationbehindourproject.Thiswasusefulbecausetheteamlackedaclearunderstandingofwhattechnicalconceptsshouldbestudiedtobenefitourproject.Tomovepasttheformationstage,theleaderboostedteammoralebybringingsnackstomeetingsandgeneratingideasforteambonding,whichstrengthenedourinterpersonalrelationships,allowingustomovepastcriticizingeachother.Theleaderestablishedtheprojectobjectivegivingourworkinlab,intheteamandfacultymeetingsmoredirection,helpingustoenvisionabetterexperimentalplanandwritingtheproposal.Thecriticismstagestartedoutwell.Wewereunitedintermsofourprojectgoalandteamculture.Duringthebeginningofthisstage,thevariousindividualstrengthsofeachpersonwereestablished.Theroadblocktomovepastthisstagewaslackofcommunication,includingwhenteammatesfailedtocommunicatelatenessorabsenceforameeting.Eveneffortstotextourteammatesthatwewouldbelatewerethwartedbythefactthatthelabwasinthesub-basementofbuilding66,wherenoonehadasignal.UsedFacebookmessaging10-15minutespriortothemeetingorlabsessionifoneanticipatedtardinessorabsenceincreasingcommunication. Example Week 4 Situational Leadership Logical Framework

Thesituationalleadershiploweffectivenessresultsisdisconcertingbecauseusingthestyleseffectivelywillleadusthroughsolvingdifficultproblems.Therefore,wearecompensatingbylearningourprimarystylesofleadershipandusingamore

effectivestyle.Forinstancetheleaderhasbeenusingdelegatinganddirectingmore,whichisbenefitingoureffectiveness.

Theleaderisstillquiteunclearastothescopeanddetailsofourprojectandisnotaveryassertiveleaderbutaswesettledinsheismoredirectiveandcoaching.SheislearningtousedelegationthroughthecreationofActivityListsandtheteamisbecomingmoreeffective.Designingthebridgehelpedtoseehowquicklytheleaderneedstochangestylesduringdesigningaproject.

Creatingalogicalframeworkallowedustobreakdownthecomplexproblemweweregivenintomoretangiblegoals,givingusconfidenceinourabilitiestosolvetheproblemtimely.Italsotaughtusabouthowtomeasuresuccess,allowingustomotivateeachothertoimplementtheproject.Inourlogicalframeworkweplannedoutourentireprojectandmotivations.Thelogicalframeworkisingrainedinourmindsets;weknowwhereweneedtogoandhowtogetthere.Quantifyinggoalswasthemostimportantexerciseintheframeworkbecausethegoalsareclearandattainable.Theframeworkhasdefinitelyprovedtobeusefultowardteambondingasweworktogethertodefineourgoalsandmovingtowardsasuccessfulproject.Example Week 5 Conflict Management Ground Rules Team Life Cycle

Weareinthecriticismstage;theexpectationthatmemberscontributeandberesponsiblefortheirassignedworkwascompromised.Atmeetings,Risoftensilent.Thisisespeciallyaproblemwhenaquestionisposedbyanotherteammemberaboutwheretheprojectshouldprogressbecauseitdemonstratesherlackofregardforherpeerswhoaredependingonherjustasmuchassheisdependingonthemtoachievesuccessinthisproject.WhenaddressedDcitedherresponsibilitytotakegoodminutesasthereasonwhyshewasnotactivelyparticipating.Tocombatthiswehavedecidedtoadoptaperiodof“breathingtime”toalloweveryonetoprocessthediscussionuptoacertainpointandafterwards,Dcanarticulateherideaswithoutthedistractionoftakingnotes.Wechangedourmeetinggroundrulestoreflectthischange.Wechangedourconflictmanagementsystemsowenolongeravoidmember’stensionandfrustrationandareprovidingfeedbacktoeachotherduringlabanddecidingontheproposalcontent.Tasksaredividedwhenpossiblebytheteam’sstrengthsandweaknesses.B’spositiveaccommodatingnaturehasbroughtfreshenthusiasm,especiallyaswebegintocollectdata.Theleaderisbeingmoredirective.Casksquestionsandoffershisopinionsmakinghimproficientatcollaboratingratherthanavoiding.Wearguedaboutthedirectionoftheproposalandinsteadofavoidingwecollaboratedsettlingtheissuequicklybeforeitcouldescalateintoneedingmediation.Example Week 6 Writing the Proposal Executing the Oral Presentation Time Management Issues Activity Lists The proposal ensured we individually understand the project’s scope and objectives. By writing theproposalwegainedunderstandingofeachother’swritingstylesbeforewritingcollaboratively.Wehadtochange our ground rules;we didn’t read each other’s draft Proposals. Our contentwas similar due toindepth discussions and the implementation of the rest of the ground rules. Because of the largeworkloadbetter timemanagement isneeded. The rulesareupdated.Before theoralpresentation,we

slightly regressed into the criticism stage. There is somemajor conflict on how the oral presentationworkload isbeinghandled. Wehavedifferences in viewpoints; ground ruleswerebroken.Weplan tomeettorevisetherulestosettleourdifferences.Onerulewillbethatthepresenterwillsubmitanoutlinethefirstweekoftherotationwithtasksforeachmember. Activitylistshelpedtheteamorganizeweekly.Allmembersreviewedthembeforelabandbeforetheteammeeting.DuetounexpectedresultsinlabthetasksdeviatedfromthoselistedontheListsbuttheleaderapprovedchangesbeforeimplementation.Listsareusedduringteamandfacultymeetingstodiscusstheplansandchanges.Thelistingofthedeadlinesandestimatedtimeforcompletionalsohelpedteammemberstostayontopofdeadlines.IncludedinourActivityListsisasectioncalled“FutureDates”whicharelargetasksthatneedtobestartedwellinadvancedofthedeadlineorthatrequiresomeotherkindoflongrangeplanning. Rotation 2 Example Week 7 How is your Project Leader leading the team? Mission Statement Team Life Cycle

Ourmissionstatementsumsupthegoalsofourprojectandisreferencedtokeepourteamfocused.Itisstatedinourwrittenreport,oralpresentationandweeklyreport.Whenwehadtore-assesstheprogressofourprojectandre-evaluatethescopeofourproject,themissionstatementwasreferencedoftentokeepthebigger-pictureoftheprojectinmindthroughoutthistime.Ithelpedasadrivingforcefordesigningthealternateplanofactionfollowingthechangeinthescopeofourproject.Theleaderquicklygainedthetrustoftheteambyhavingefficientmeetings.Theleaderfocusedonchanginghisleadershipstylefromcoachingtodelegatingsothateachmemberwasabletodohis/hertasksregularly.Theleadersentoutreminderspriortowhenweeklyprogressreportsweredueaswellasotherdeliverables.Theteammeetingsfollowalogicalorderandeveryonecontributesduringthesemeetings.Themeetingsareusedtore-orientourdirectionfortheprojectandbringupanynoteworthyupdates,sowehavetreatedteammeetingsassuch,whichwasafruitionoftheteamduringtheformationstageandintothecriticismstage.TheteamisintheSynthesisStage.Tasksarenowbeingdelegatedmoreefficiently,allowingmemberstoutilizetheirstrengthsandworkontheirweaknesses.Butilizedhiseditingstrengthstotaketheinformationfromourproposalsandwritetheintroductionandmethods.RatherthandeferringtoC’sstrengthofcalibratingtheUV/VIS,Ilearnedtocalibrate.UsingmydataanalysisskillsIcreatedtablesandplotstoanalyzedata.

Week 8 Spring Break Example Week 9 Team Life Cycle Writing the Progress Report Collaboratively Time Management Issues

ProgressReportgroundrulesneedchanges.Thedeadlinesnotwelldefined,andteammembersconfused.Advisordislikeddraft.Thereweremanyinconsistentsentencesandgrammaticalerrors.Newruleswereinstituted.Duetothetimeconflictsinourschedules,thetimelinecreatedfortheProgressReportDraftwasnotfollowedandtheeditingfelltotheleader.Theleader,followingtheGroundRules,didthefinaledit.Ourgroundrulesaftertheproposalchangedtocreatingaroughoutlineofwhatcontentshouldbeincludedineachofthesections.Weassignedsectionsbasedonthestrengthsandweaknesses.Forediting,eachmembermadecommentsonthe

documentandmemberreadcommentsonhis/hersection.Changesweremadeorcontentclarifiedastowhychangewereunnecessary.Leaderdidafinaledit.Thesechangeswerenoteffective;reportcontainedrun-onsentencesanderrors.Weimplementedamorerigoroussystem.Aftereachpersoneditedtheirsection,teameditedforconsistencyandorganization.Teamisincriticismstage.Theleaderwillactivelyboostthemoraleofstrugglingteammatesinordertoensureprogresstowardimplementationofourgoals.Changestogroundrules:1. Leaderresponsibleforproactivelyassigningworktoteam;willsendreminders.2. Teamwilldevoteadequatetimetohelporalpresenterprepare.3. LeaderconfirmsmeetingtimesthroughFacebookatleast24hoursinadvance.4. RecorderupdatesCalendarwhenchangesaremadetomeetingtimesetc.WebelievethattheseruleswilladvanceusintotheSynthesisStage.

Rotation 3 Example Week 10 TKI Conflict Styles results MBTI Team results Dominant Conflict Styles on the Team – Benefits and Weaknesses Principled Negotiations Sharing the Team Experience

WediscussedourDominantconflictstyles:“compromiserteamwithsecondarycharacteristicsofanavoiderteam.”Benefitsareavoidingpettyissuesandbycompromisingwesavetimenotcontemplatingunrealisticsolutions.Overusingthesestylescausesustoavoiddifferencesuntilalargerconflictensues,thenwecompromiseratherthanfindingacollaborativesolution.Weavoidconflictsthathaveemotionalties.Weplanwhenmakingsignificantdecisionstochoosethebestrouteratherthanthefamiliarroute.Usingavoidanceandcompromisecontributedtoarelativelyproductivecriticismphase.Problemswerenotoverlookedanddidnotescalate. AsanISTPteamoursimilarityindexis85%.Weeasilyexpressourselvesandeasilyunderstandeachother.Wehaveexcellentcommunication.OurresultsindicatethatanISTPteamgenerallypreparesbeforestartingaprojectandthatproceduresarecreatedtominimizetheamountofworklater.Thisisconsistentwithhowourteamperforms.Sharingandhearingotherteam’sexperienceswashelpfulbecauseweadvisedotherteamsaboutproblemswealreadysolved;i.e.gettingconflictingadvicefromfacultyandindustrialconsultants.Weadvisedateamtogetathirdopinionbecausewhenwesoughtmoreopinionsonlabproceduresanddecisionsweweresuccessful.Wealsolearnedwhatwasn’tworkingonotherteams.Ateamwasdealingpoorlywithtimepressuresbyneglectinginitiallyagreeduponwritinggroundrulesanddidn’tallowtimeforedits.Wediscussedthisanddecidedtofocusonstickingtoourestablishedgroundrulesevenundertimeconstraints. Example Week 11 Individual Strengths and Weaknesses Logical Framework Team Life Cycle

Takingintoconsiderationthesuggestionsofpreviousleaderstheleaderisdelegatingtaskstomembersdependingontheirstrengthsandweaknesses,whicharenowwellestablished.Duringateammeetingwereiteratedourexpectationsintheprojectandwhetherwehavemetornotmetthoseexpectations.Whatwediscovered

wasthatwedidnotevenstartwiththesameexpectationsfortheclass.Examplehere.Thishelpedustounderstandthedifferinglevelsofinterestandpassionwhenitcametotalkingaboutthevariousaspectsoftheproject.Communicationwasnotasstrongasitshouldhavebeenattheaccomplishmentstage,butthisisanareathatisbeingactivelyimprovedbytheleaderasweheadtowardsthecompletionstage.ThispastThursday,afterourlastlabsession,wesattogethertoreviewtheLogicalFrameworkandtotalkaboutwhatwehaveaccomplishedthissemesterandwhatwehadhopedtoaccomplish.Thetalkallowedustofacethesituationthatwhiletherewasstillsomuchmorewehadwantedtotestandunderstand,thiswasthestagewehadreachedandtheamountthatwehadaccomplishedthissemesterwasplenty.Thisgaveusmotivationtowriteagoodfinalreportsothatnextyear’steamwillnotbedelayedbythetechnicalconceptsthatarenotexplainedclearly.Alunchisscheduledwithourteachingassistantandfacultyadvisortodrawthesemestertoaclose. Example Week 12 Writing the Final Report Oral Presentation

Theleaderdiscussedwithotherleadershowtheywrotetheirfinalreportstofindouthowtocreateaneffectivetimeline.Atimelinewascreated.Membersweregivensectionstogainexperiencewritingeveryaspectofatechnicalpaper.Thetimelinewaseffectivebutthenewdivisionofworkwasnot.TheGroundRuleswerenotfollowed.Onemembermisunderstoodhowtowritetheirsection,resultinginadditionalworktocompilethesections.Theleaderhadtoclarifyincorrectlydescribedtechnicalconceptsandcorrectgrammaticalerrors.Additionally,duringthereportoutlinemeeting,includingspecificfigureswasdecided.Thememberincludederroneousfiguresandleftoutfiguresthatwerecrucialtothereport.Thefinaleditwasoverwhelming.

Eachmemberpreparedaconcreteoutline,makingiteasiertodiscussandcreateamasteroutline.Anideaoneveryone’soutlinewasaddedtothemasteroutline,reducingdiscussiontowhetheroneperson’sideawasworthincluding.Eachsidegavetheirargumentandconsensuswasreachedbyreferencingouroverallobjectives.Weallottedmoretimeforeditingandrehearsingthepresentationbecausewelearnedotherteamsimprovedtheirpresentationsbyallottingmoretimeforeditingandrehearsing.Delayindataanalysismeantcertainpartsofthepresentationweredelayed.Inthesecaseswedidasmuchaswecouldwiththecurrentinformationandresultswehad.Wealsousedourstrengthstosupportthepresenter.Weallfeltwewerestrongeditorsandnotasstronginproducinginitialfirstdrafts.