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 17-313 projects?
- How will you deal with unforeseen circumstances affecting team members (e.g. 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 for recurring meetings is a big marker of team success.
- What platform(s) will your team be using to communicate? How quickly should team members respond?
- Will you meet in person or via Zoom? What are the expectations or non-negotiables for these meetings?
- If a deadline is approaching and tasks remain incomplete, how will you convene and communicate to ensure completion?
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 responsibilities and tasks be divided among team members?
- Who will be responsible for organizing, facilitating, and taking notes during meetings? How will this responsibility rotate?
- How will the team address any issues related to teamwork that may arise?
- What steps will the team take if a member is contributing too little, and at what point will this issue be escalated 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!