Final Debriefing OGL 343 2021-08-05 | Sarahbeth Gareis

Sarahbeth Gareis
OGL 343
Team Collaboration
Final Debriefing
08/05/2021
 Final Debriefing OGL 343 2021-08-05 | Sarahbeth Gareis

Question 1: How Do You Feel about the process of working in your team?
The process of working with a team in school can be difficult for those older, working
full time etc. When I see group projects such as this I initially cringe and get frustrated that my
efforts can be reflected on the efforts of others I have never met. But most of the time once I
have engaged with the team(s) and get a clear understanding of the goal I tend to dismiss my
initial feelings. The most difficult part in group/team projects in school is finding time(s) which
work for everyone. Whereas in the workplace more than likely there are meetings scheduled for
the team to meet during work hours. This team process was a success and I hope that we each
receive the grade we had hoped for. Although we all were not able to meet regularly, we
communicated via WhatsApp and allowed each of us to see and understand schedules, roles, and
expectations.
Question 2: How did it go?
Overall, it went well with my team. It was a slow start, and everyone was remarkably
busy with quite different schedules, but being able to come to a conclusion and goal of
completing our effort was great. As with anything in life, communication is key, and even
though we were not able to meet via a call/video we communicated with messages and each
person was able to catch up on the conversation when able or review back on roles and
responsibilities. Each of us brought our own skills to the team and I think that in this group it
worked out well. Each person stepped in at the level they felt they needed to, and we came
together to complete the project. Fortunately, each person on my team was ‘just’ accommodating
enough and willing to adjust when needed, but also give clear direction as to what our goal was
and when it needed to be complete.
Question 3: How Did this process relate to your real-world experiences with groups or in
other courses?
This process relates to real-world experiences in many ways. As always in life, someone
always has something going on, cancels, reschedules etc. In my current position it can be weeks
before I am able to get time on someone’s calendar for 30 min and our projects are incredibly
involved and large. Understanding we as a team had a much shorter period to complete our tasks,
I found us to be successful in completing what we did in such a short time. In the real-world not
everyone is always satisfied or participates in the capacity as they should such as in any team
project. There are those which will give a little more and those which will give a little less, but
the dynamics of the group as a whole is what matters, and everyone plays their part. It is
important in the real-world and in educational group projects to stay flexible and have an
understanding of the team/those around you.

Question 4: How were your team members? Who was great and who wasn’t and why?
I lucked out with my team members in this group project. I have experienced team
projects which not everyone was on the same page or had a clear understanding of what our goal
was. I have even experienced people which did not want to complete the task which was
required. Although my team on this project did not connect right away, we were able to
 Final Debriefing OGL 343 2021-08-05 | Sarahbeth Gareis

communicate and jump on board as soon as the chat was created. My team members were kind,
accommodation, and sincere, but also had a drive to do well and ensure we accomplished our
goal well. I was not great at communicating at the beginning and know some others had a death
in the family, but as we started talking, it helped us all to see how our team would be great at
ensuring everyone was involved, double checking, and supporting areas when needed. There is
not one person specifically I can think of that was not “great.”
Question 5: How were you as a team member? Were you a good one or not? What could you
have done better? 
When the project team started, I was at a funeral and missed a lot of the initial
conversation and initial zoom call. I messaged the team and apologized that I had missed it but
let them know I was still engaged and involved. Once we began reviewing the presentation, I
was able to pick a slide to own and ensure I gave my efforts where needed. I did not want to be a
bottleneck or disconnected as I was initially. Outside the beginning I was a good team member. I
helped clearly identify the final process of submitting the doc and ensuring we had a key contact
to do so, following up on content and tried to fill in any gaps we may have had. What I could
have done better is organize myself and engage with the team at an earlier level or even advise
them earlier of my current situation.
Question 6: What did you learn?
I learned that even when things arise and you have team members you have never met,
people genuinely care and work to accommodate any situation to assist in making things better
for all. As a team, even never meeting, people wanted everyone to succeed and benefit from the
project. Since we all were in it together, we each had more accountability in doing well because
our grade counted on them also. I also learned, reminded, on how to accommodate and make
things happen when not everyone is one the same schedule, plan, or lifestyle. We each had quite
different lives going on around us during this time, but even still we conquered and came
together which was great. I also learned that it is important to stay on track even if you feel you
cannot. Simple things such as just reading the dialogue, touching base, giving an update etc. can
all help in keeping others aware of what is happening. One cannot expect people to know or
understand what is happening in their life without communicating it.