UNIT 4: WORKING ON A TEAM PROJECT

You are now going to start working on your team project. For
this project you will work in teams, which will include
students from different engineering departments. You will be
asked to find a proposal for your project, and then to produce
a written report, and to present this report to the class. This
team project will account for 40% of your final grade. In this
unit we will talk about the topic area of your project, the
proposal, the report, and the presentation. We will talk about
each of these in more detail in the following units. We will
also look at working as a team.

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The Elements of Good Teamwork

Task: Which of the above elements of teamwork do you think is…

1. the most important?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
2. the least important?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
3. the most difficult to achieve?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Give reasons for your choices

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Six Characteristics of a Successful Team
1. They have clear goals and plans
Effective teams first set common goals with clear measurable outcomes. This provides
their members with something to aim for collectively and defines how they will be.
Afterward, effective teams create plans on how to attain their goals, detailing each
individual's contribution and respective deadlines. This allows every member to
understand not only their own role but also their fellow team members’. Plans are then
regularly reviewed during status update meetings to see if the team is on track or if
adjustments are needed for goals to be met.
2. They have strong leadership
A successful team is usually led by an individual who is trusted and respected by its
members. Such leaders unify members toward the same direction by providing focus and
guidance. They also offer encouragement and motivation to keep the team morale high,
even in the midst of challenges. The best leaders even help team members achieve their
individual goals and realize their potential.
3. Members fulfil their own tasks and also help one another
Since members are deeply committed to the team’s success, they make sure to follow
through with the team’s plan by accomplishing their individual tasks excellently and on
time and trusting that their teammates will do the same. However, should a teammate
encounter difficulty with their share of the load, members willingly lend a helping hand.
4. Members communicate openly with the team
In a successful team, members feel that their ideas and input matter, so they are not
afraid to express their own thoughts and opinions, even if these conflict with what has
been presented. In fact, diverse opinions are welcomed and seen as opportunities to stir
creativity and generate fresh ideas.
At the same time, members listen to what others have to say because they believe in the
ability, character, and integrity of their teammates. This culture of trust allows members
to share their knowledge, build on each other’s ideas, collaborate, and experiment.
5. Members resolve conflict constructively
Having disagreements within a team is inevitable. However, in an effective team,
members try to resolve their issues in a constructive manner by doing the following:

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 • Speaking to one another calmly and in a non-threatening tone
• Allowing the other person to speak without being interrupted
• Practising active listening to understand where the other person is coming from
• Focusing on the facts rather than attacking the person’s character
• Respecting each other’s viewpoints
5. Everyone takes full responsibility for the successful completion of the project
In a team, everyone is responsible for everyone else’s actions. If a team member is not
playing their part and not doing the tasks assigned to them, then as a team you have to
encourage this member to increase their contribution to the project. Remember, their
lack of effort may affect the outcome of the project and therefore your reputation too or
if you decide to take over their tasks it is giving the message that it is OK to not fulfil your
team responsibilities as someone will always do the job for you and, of course, you will
not get any credit for all the extra work you have undertaken.

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Project Groups
• You will be put into groups of 5-6 people.
• Each group will contain members from different engineering departments.
• Once in these groups the responsibility of organizing and running the
project is completely your own.
• You should assign roles to each group members.

For example:

It is vital that everyone plays a part in the team. If someone does not,
then they will benefit unfairly from the hard work of others. Do not
let that happen!
You need to organize when and how you will meet. This can be done online at a
time that suits all team members. The frequency of these meetings will depend on
how your project work is progressing. At the end of each meeting, you should have
a clear set of goals that need to be met before the next meeting and everyone
should know their role in achieving these goals.

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The Topic

What is a legacy?

What would you liked to be remembered for at this

university?
In your groups, you are asked to come up with a project which if implemented
at the university would enhance the students’ and/or employees’ experience of
the university. The idea you come up with can be something that:

• improves the physical environment of the campus.

• makes the students’ experience of studying in the campus more
comfortable.
• makes choosing the scheduling and location of classes more efficient.
• saves resources and encourages sustainability.
• improves transport to and from the campus.
• improves the environment surrounding the university.
• helps the local wildlife and nature.

But it should not include any topics covered previously in your FENG101
projects!

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Choosing a Topic for your Project

Task: Group Work: Brainstorming

You will be given one of the above topic areas. Discuss and come up with suggested
innovations or improvements within your chosen area that could benefit the
students at our university. These ideas of course should have an engineering input.
Try to think of as many ideas as possible.

Example:

Helps local wildlife and nature.

Finding a cheap and affordable way to protect the local wild boars from possibly
being killed on the local roads without restricting their environment too much.
Also, this would prevent any possible traffic accidents which could cause injury
or loss of life.

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The Project Outputs

1. The Proposal

You will be asked to complete a proposal template once you have come up with
the idea you are going to present. Proposal writing and the template needed to be
completed will be discussed in the next lesson. This proposal is part of your final
assessment and is worth 10% of your grade.

2. The Formal Report

This report is part of your final assessment and is worth 20% of your grade. Again,
the format of this report will be discussed in more detail in later units. This report
will need to be well structured, include secondary sources and be well written and
edited. You can allocate different parts of the report to different group members,
but the overall report should be written in a consistent style. The report will be a
minimum of 1500 words and must include graphics and an infographic.

3. Presentation of the Final Report

You will be asked as a group to present your final report orally in the form of a
group presentation. Again, this presentation is part of your final assessment and is
worth 20% of your grade. Every group member will be expected to take part in this
presentation. Your presentation should take between 10-15 minutes. These
presentations will take place at the end of the course. Again, more details will be
given in a later session.

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 Meet your team!

You now have some time to get to know each other.

Find out:
• Who your teammates are? What are their departments
and interests?
• Each other strengths – what role could each of you play
in the group.
• When and how can you meet?

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Unit Word List:
word Definition useful other forms
attain (v) to reach or succeed in getting attainment (n)
something
delegate (v) to give a particular job, duty, delegation (n)
right, etc. to someone else so
that they do it for you
diverse (adj) including many different types diversity (n)
of people or things
enhance (v) to improve the quality, enhancement (n)
amount, or strength of enhanced (adj)
something
initiative (n) a new plan or process to initiate (v)
achieve something or solve a
problem
integrity (n) the quality of being honest
and having strong moral
principles that you refuse to
change
mission (n) any work that someone
believes it is their duty to do
proposal (n) a formal suggestion, plan, or propose (v)
idea, often a written one proposed (adj)
resolve (v) to solve or end a problem or resolution (n)
difficulty
setback (n) something that happens that
delays or prevents a process
from developing
unify (v) to bring together; combine unification (n)

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