team agreements

1Gateway Engineering Education Coalition

Team Agreements

or How to get teams moving in the

right direction…


Does this sound familiar?During class, Team Dysfunctional is formed to work on “The Big Project”.

The team brainstorms numerous good ideas, but no one takes any notes.

At the end of class, everyone goes their separate ways.

Although the team needs to show progress before the next class, they make no plans to meet and have no idea how to contact each other.


Two team members manage to meet, but they can only guess at what the rest of the team wants.

Once everyone meets up in class,the rest of the team is unhappy withwhat the first two decided on theirown.

Eventually, the team requests more time from the instructor to work on their ideas.

They set a meeting time for later that week.

Somehow…


Two people are 20 minuteslate. One person never evenshows up.

The meeting starts late, and before much gets done, one person leaves because of a prior commitment.

The team members go their separate ways, and since the whole team wasn’t there, make no plans to meet again.

At the meeting…


One of the team members assumes most of the workload in order to survive in the class.

The project continues, and in time the team starts to work together. The workload is distributed and the team meets regularly.

Unfortunately, the early missed meetings and work imbalance causes animosity among the team members that never completely goes away.

Eventually…


The final project looks like the thrown-together mess it was and gets a poor grade.

The team vows to never work with each other ever again.

In the end…


How could this situation have been avoided???


Team Agreements


Team AgreementsTeams that don’t set ground rules from the start almost always fight an uphill battle to coordinate work.

Creating a Team Agreement when a project begins is an effective way of getting a team started.

Having each team member author and sign the agreement increases individual “ownership” of the Team Agreement.


Team Agreements

Responsibilities and expectationsCommunicationParticipationDecision making and problem solvingManaging disagreementsConduct during and between meetingsConsequences

Address such issues as:


Facilitator – makes sure all members have an opportunity to participateMediator – keeps the discussion directedRecorder – makes written records

These roles may rotate.

Team AgreementsAddress the issue of team member roles:


What typicalposition may be

missing?

Team Agreements


Team Agreements

In the Team Agreement there may be NO one assigned team leader.

Rather, leadership can be a naturally shifting position that changes with the needed knowledge base to complete the present problem. The team needs “leadership”, not a designated leader.

This can alleviate many problems in the group dynamics as well.


In PracticeWhen forming groups in class, have students create and sign a Team Agreement that covers:

Communications – e.g. meeting times Participation – e.g. responsibilities of the individual

members Decision Making and Problem Solving Responsibilities and Expectations – e.g. team goals Methods for Managing Disagreements Conduct during Meetings – e.g. who is facilitator,

mediator, or recorder Conduct between meetings


Sample Team AgreementsTeam A

We pledge to follow the Golden RuleWe will work together to complete group work and labsWhen meetings are established, we will do our best to attend and come prepared and on time When working together, we will help to establish a positive work environment If problems arise, they will be discussed with any or all of the group membersEach group member must have input at every meetingNo member will have a permanent job as jobs will be flexible and go with each person’s strengths


Sample Team AgreementsTeam B – Part 1

Group Organization Two group meetings to be scheduled before the end of

class every Monday Check e-mail regularly and stay in contact with group

members Minimize absences and inform group members prior to

absence



Meeting Format Focus on current task and work to accomplish it before moving on

to other business Work efficiently during group meetings and minimize tangent

conversations Major decisions always involve three or four group members

present Keep group members informed as to all important issues and

concerns - no surprises Any divisive issues are to be discussed thoroughly before any

voting is done Document all group discussions and collective ideas



General Guidelines Address personal or work problems as they arise Always turn in journals and remind other team members to do

so Divide work fairly and discuss any problems Arrive at class meetings on time and be prepared to work Be open to all new ideas Keep good documentation of your work and distribute it to

others This team agreement is open to modification and will be

reviewed regularly


Questions? Observations? Experiences to Share?

?


ReferencesProject Management and Teamwork, Karl A. Smith, McGraw-Hill, Boston, 2000.

Using Student Teams in the Classroom: A Faculty Guide, Ruth Federman Stein and Sandra Hurd, Anker Publishing Co., Bolton, MA, 2000, p. 51-54

Tools and Tactics for Design, Peter G. Dominick et al, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 2001.

team agreements

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