Disorganized group projects usually result in a lot of needless drama and a low-quality product.   Therefore, it is best to organize information and define expectations for every group member. Two weeks ago, I recommended using Google Drive to increase the quality of your group projects. This week, I want to recommend that you reduce the drama from the start with two elements: a group contract and a Google calendar.

Organize with a Group Contract

A group contract clearly defines the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of every member of the group. There are a lot of options for creating a group contract, and what you choose to include depends on your project, your instructor, and the makeup of your group, but there are some elements I consider essentials. These include:

• Contact Information: Include everyone’s contact information. Decide as a group, how much information to share,  but include your email addresses, since that’s the how you share documents in Google Drive. Cell phone numbers help communicate quickly, but not everyone feels comfortable sharing personal information.  Group members should never be pressured to include more information than they are comfortable sharing.
• Roles and Responsibilities: Misunderstandings and misplaced expectations are two of the biggest hurdles in successful group work. Avoid them by  listing the roles and responsibilities for each group member in detail. Stating things clearly helps avoid conflicts due to procrastination and last-minute scrambling to get work finished. Don’t forget to include writing an introduction and conclusion, formatting, and proofreading in your responsibilities. These tend to get overlooked and can result in a lot of last minute drama.
• Project Description: Include a brief description of your project. This will help maintain focus on the big picture while group members work on their individual parts.
• Questions/Notes/Suggestions: Include an area for miscellaneous questions, ideas, and suggestions. You will be glad you did.

As I said before, these are the elements I consider essential. There are other elements your group could add if you need them. Just remember that your goal is  efficient, effective, and drama-free group collaboration that results in a successful product.

Organize with the Google Calendar

Using a calendar improves your group’s time management and helps avoid missed deadlines. Create a Google Calendar for the project. Then make sure you post the following:

• Due dates: Include due dates for outlines, rough drafts, bibliographies, etc. When you add the due dates, add notifications to serve as reminders. You can add more than one notification to an event and elect to have alerts sent as an email, so figure out with your group members how you will set this up.
• Class meetings: Group work is often led by what you are learning in class. Post all your class meeting dates so you stay on top of your workload.
• Group meetings: Whether you are meeting online or face to face, get meeting times on the calendar so everyone is aware of them. Take advantage of the calendar notifications to make sure everyone gets a reminder.
• Status checks: How often will group members need to check to see that everyone is accomplishing things on time and on deadline? Use the notifications settings to send out reminders.

Share the completed calendar with the group. Use the notification features for each event. Let the technology do some of the work. Reminders get sent automatically once they are set, which means that nobody has to remember to remind everyone else.

A contract and calendar define expectations and keep group members on track. Set your group up for success. Use them to reduce the drama and increase your product quality.