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Recitation 2: Team Contract Workshop

Overview

After this recitation, students will have met their teams and completed a rough draft of the teamwork contract they'll submit for Project 2. Students will meet their teams and discuss important aspects of team work such as setting expectations, managing communication, and distributing responsibility.

Prerequisites

  • None!

You will be doing the activities in your teams. Sit with them!

Activity 1: Get to know your team!

See team assignments here. Do some quick intros, then get ready for..

Activity 1a: Similarities!

In your group, spend 5 minutes finding 5 things that every group member has in common. Try to avoid simple things like: everyone is a CMU student, everyone is enrolled in 313, everyone loves 313, etc…

Activity 1b: Team Name

As part of Project 2, you’ll need to come up with a name for your team. Do so now!

As per the project handout, your name should be “unique, pronounceable, short, and something you would be proud to shout in your team cheer on the streets of Pittsburgh in the presence of small, impressionable, multilingual children.”

Activity 2: Team Contract

In Project 2, we'll ask you to write up and submit a team contract, which will be a written record of how your team will work together.

In this activity, we'll create a rough outline of the team contract and start the discussions around important team building and teamwork topics.

First, determine where you'll write your contract and how you'll keep track of the talking points you discuss today. We suggest creating a shared Google Drive folder and doc for easy access and editing.

Next, you'll work through each of the following sections with your team and as a class. Think about your prior experience working in other teams (work, school, sports, etc.) and try to anticipate what might come up over the course of the semester.

At the end of class, we'll discuss your ideas and see what you came up with!

Activity 2a: Expectations

Here are some of the important questions to consider regarding setting expectations:

  • How much time is each team member expected to be putting into working on projects?
  • How will you deal with unforeseen circumstances affecting team members (sickness, interviews, competitions)?
  • How will team members be kept accountable for their contributions?

Activity 2b: Communication and Scheduling

Here are some important questions to consider regarding team communication:

  • When will your team meet? Setting aside a day and time to have recurring meetings is an important marker of team success.
  • What platform(s) will your team be using to communicate?
  • How quickly should team members respond to written communications?
  • Will you meet in person or through Zoom? What will / will you not accommodate?
  • What happens if a team member can't attend a meeting?
  • If a deadline is approaching and there is still work to be done, how will you meet / communicate?

Activity 2c: Responsibilities and Conflict Resolution

Here are some important questions to consider regarding distributing responsibilities and what your team might do in the case of any conflict:

  • How will you divide responsibilities and tasks between team members?
  • Who prepares the agenda for team meetings?
  • Who will be in charge of organizing, running, and taking notes during meetings ? How will you rotate this responsibility?
  • How are key decisions made?
  • How will you address any teamwork issues that may come up?
  • What are the steps the team would take to address teammates who are contributing too little, and when will the team bring this up to the instructors?

Remember to do Recitation Quiz 2 on Gradescope! Please only open it after you have completed all the steps above.

Activity 3: Group Reflection

Think of this as your team's very first meeting! Spend five minutes reflecting on it. What went well? Did you notice anything that can be improved upon in future meetings? For instance, were everyone’s ideas heard? Did everyone do their best to contribute? Do you have anything to add to your team contract? Remember to be constructive and tactful!

Activity 4: Class Discussion

Share 2-3 interesting things your team added to your contract!