Group Project Pitfalls to Avoid

03 Jun Group Project Pitfalls to Avoid

Individual worker or team player? The question is always a battle when it comes to a working environment because shared responsibility in the workforce means another individual has the opportunity to drop the ball. However, if seen in a positive perspective, it could also mean you have the opportunity to leverage your time and resources based on another individuals involvement. In the last 2 weeks, we have engaged in group projects that showed us weaknesses as well as strengths. The objective was to build a fully functional site for the Good Earth Safari client and help them to increase membership enrollment as well as educational resources around animal conservation.

My role in the grand scheme of the project was as the QA Engineer, which meant much of my work could not be completed until the other members of my group were done, or almost done, with their portions of the project. My role was to ensure the functionality of the site and troubleshoot any issues we may be facing. Of all the tasks associated with my role, I found the most challenges in the areas of: 1) Handling incomplete tasks, 2) Dealing with differences of opinion amongst group members, and 3) Stepping into a role I had never filled before. It took a major amount of patience, understanding, and self-control to get through these issues because it involved me dealing with an irate team member.

My strengths were definitely highlighted during this group project because I was able to display my leadership skills without being asked to act in the capacity of a leader. There was a moment when were short a team member and it required us all to fill in to complete the necessary tasks. Rather than sitting back and waiting for a task to be assigned with me, I moved into conversation with my content manager and filled the gaps. Ultimately, we collectively split the responsibilities that were left and we were able to complete the tasks. I was also able to utilize my skill set in attention to detail.

This was ultimately a moment when I enjoyed catering to my strengths. As a QA engineer I was responsible for the small details that make a huge difference. Ensuring that the client’s site is discoverable in Google searches, and ensuring the highest possibility for visibility amongst Googlers was my ultimate responsibility. Tasks associated with meta tags, key phrases, title structure, and duplicate content all landed in my lap. My ability to formulate and organize a checklist that allowed me to check all areas that affect the SEO was vitally important. Completing that initial task in connection with my role proved to be very beneficial because it allowed me to double check my own steps.

Double checking and triple checking along the way added a necessary step towards project completion. Because we were all placed in a position of filling in the blanks, it was necessary that we kept open communication, however, the communication was not there to begin with. The greatest challenge we faced as a team was having too many people who wanted to lead. In some situations that is a great issue to have, however, in the world of project development, too many leaders can cause friction. We experienced a major mishap in communication and it caused us to have an over-the-top verbal disagreement. It negatively affected the progress of the team and led us to restructure some things. Ultimately, we were able to move forward and find a solution to the problem, but it cost us time.

Moving forward, I would make it a point to have clearer communication and go out of my way to make every team member feel included and important. Sometimes, with the fast pace of the working environment, we are unable to see our faults and we are unable to see how our fast pace may lead someone else to feeling left out. Next time, if ever in the same situation, I will slow down and pay closer attention to the details of my team members feelings. In working with my team, I had an amazing experience and was happy to see the final product of our hard labor. I was also excited to see how we improved as individuals in our skillset. My major take away is to not be intimidated by a role that I have never filled because it will only intimidate you as long as you do not try.