Lessons Learned
For projects to be successful, they include milestones, tasks, lists, and notes that should all be incorporated to make it complete. An individual cannot make the right decision of a project if other members are not involved. A project requires involving different people and stakeholders who will participate in the project to ensure its success. From our project of establishing affordable housing for the homeless and those that are underprivileged, each member was given a task to complete so that the project could be successful. From the team, several things that I learned included the importance of having a goal for the team. A team should have one leader who should advise on what is best for the team and decide on the project that should be done by the overall team.
Assigning tasks to team members is a positive aspect of a project team. This is evident from the tea members where each of them was given a task, and they could report on a weekly basis the progress of their activities. Sharing of ideas was encouraged where the team members were not limited to their activities all by themselves. The idea of the project was suggested by one of the team members, and others contributed towards the same. This made it a success because the research was fully done regarding the topic which was used as a justification for the project. This means that it is important to conduct thorough research on a topic so that it can be supported and funded to make it a success.
A group with similar personalities and few differences is likely to prosper because team members are usually ready to assist each other. This is evident from our team because since we met, we have been supporting each other both on individual assignments as well as group assignments. Another lesson learned is that culture affects teamwork because individuals will have different views on projects. Culture can easily be managed by the team members share common ideas and objectives which is the reason that made out team successful. Communication is important for all project teams. This is evident where our team did not have proper communication means which led to delays in the progress of the project. Communication should be effected so that all the team members keep checking on each other’s progress to avoid delays. The team has managed to come up with project ideas which were supported rather than creating conflicts. The project decided upon was successfully accepted by all members.
A team charter is important for project teak and our team successfully made it. What we learned is that team charter indicates the position of each team member and the ways the team members will communicate to make the project successful. The communication strategies developed worked for our team where we communicated in person while in a classroom and when outside, we used iMessaging to keep in contact while also sharing ideas. The charter also ensured that all team members completed their activities on time where penalties were initiated as a way to control deadlines. The use of in person meetings and Google documents acted as good sources of information and ideas for the project which was a positive lesson.
The negatives of the project included lateness in the completion of activities due to improper communication. Controlling the team members was also a challenge where they were involved in a conflict. The penalties also did not work to improve the condition because the team members were ready to incur the fine rather than ensure timely completion of their projects. The means of communication suggested during the first week was email which did not work for the project. It is also not the best way to communicate in a team which makes it a negative strategy for the project.