Project teams are rarely successful unless the team members feel comfortable being around each other.  Once the comfort level sets in, you feel more of a commitment to your team mates.  You are less likely to disappoint them.  Also you are more likely to be candid with teammates who aren’t pulling their weight.

How do you get to know your teammates better.  There are several effective ways to do this:

1. Set together as a team in class.  This will build familiarity because you will have time to chat before or after class.
2. Connect with each other on social media sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook.  You can create a group on each site for your project time.
3. Set aside one night to hangout. What works really well is to share a dinner together followed by some activity that the team can enjoy together.
4. Do homework together when this is appropriate within the course rules.

 If you follow some of the approaches listed above, you should find the project goes much smoother and you will find friends who can help you in other ways as well..