For many students, working on project teams can be challenging and frustrating.  Doing group work doesn’t have to be stressful if you approach the group assignment with some proven approaches.  These same approaches are the things you need to do when you graduate and are assigned to work in a group.  The reality of most work places is that work is done in groups.

What are the things you need to do to make project assignments a success?  Here’s the approach:

1. Select team partners who complement each others’ skills
2. Develop team rules
3. Develop a project plan
4. Determine team responsibilities
5. Develop a communication plan
6. Select a strong team leader
7. Develop a decision making process
8. Get to know each other
9. Conduct periodic team practice reviews
10. Conclude the project with a lesson learned review

Each of these practices are developed further in the following topics.  These practices may seem like they involve a lot of extra work, but the reality is that learning how to work effectively with others may be one of the most important career skills you will learn in college..