I have difficulty dividing the tasks among the team members (A5, G4, G7, G8, G12).
The basic aim of the group report is to identify the starting position of the group and anticipate possible problems that might appear in further stages of the project due to initial weaknesses of the team. A detailed discussion of these aspects can be found in Skill Sheet G2.
The group contract defines the actual rules of engagement of the group. A smart contract takes the starting position of the group into account and on the basis of that decides upon goals, individual tasks and evaluation methods. Working in teams means that different people work on the same project at the same time, so it becomes vital to divide specific tasks adequately. This requires clear agreements on the subdivision of work. There are many methods to achieve this. For Goal setting, the S.M.A.R.T. method is particularly useful, for establishing individual goals, the 4W model can be applied.
3. Output/design: the SMART – method
S.M.A.R.T. is a technique to formulate functional and effective goals and agreements. It provides criteria to take into account when formulating goals. An important precondition for the SMART method to work is that all team members agree that these criteria are useful for the whole group. The SMART acronym stands for:
• Specifc: goals and agreements are specific, formulated in terms of concrete results.
• Measurable: goals and agreements are measurable in terms of quantity, quality, and time.
• Acceptable: goals and agreements are acceptable for yourself and others.
• Realistic: golas and agreements are realistic in sense of its feasibility and practicability.
• Time: a certain time period is mentioned and are provided with a (end) date.
4. Implementation: Divided tasks: 4W-model
The sub division of smaller tasks can best be done when all team members are present. In the specification of tasks, people often tend to forget – for various reasons – a number of dimensions of the taks, which lateron in the process might become problematic. One of the reasons is that other team members are also not able to check progress with team members if the specification of the divided tasks is not done appropriately. In order to take all relevant practical dimensions into account, individual assignments have to answer four questions:
•What needs to be done exactly?
• Who is responsible for which task?
• What needs to be done exactly?
• Why does it need to be done?
• When does it have to be finished? It is an essential part of effective team-management that everybody, in principle, can indicate at every moment what all other team members are doing and how this fits within their own work. Fill-out the following form:
