Class Journal Week 9

Josh Kuroda

1. What kinds of characteristics do you want in your teammates?
   • I would want my teammates to be able to communicate effectively, since I have experienced group projects where communication broke down, and we were forced to do extra work, or not finish the project. I would also like my teammates to be committed to the project in terms of showing up for meetings and working on the project outside of class when needed.
2. What kinds of things make teams go smoothly?
   • In my experience, a group project goes smoothly when the teammates are on the same page regarding the goal of the project. Many times, teammates have different visions of what the end product should be, and that results in a less efficient workflow since people try to achieve what they want to complete, instead of working together to make the project what it should be.
3. What kinds of things make teams not go so smoothly?
   • A group that completely lacks communication skills goes horribly, because of the significance of discussion and communication when working on any assignment with more than one person. In these cases, a project will either end up incomplete or all teammates will do extra work because it was not communicated that the work would be split among them. I have found that working on a Google Doc or simply having a group text eliminates the problem of miscommunication, and encourages a more productive working environment.

--Jkuroda (talk) 15:00, 27 October 2015 (PDT)

Kristin Zebrowski

1. What kinds of characteristics do you want in your teammates?
   • I think it's very important when working in a team that the team members all bring something different to the table. The strongest teams are ones that have people who think in different ways and have different perspectives and strengths that ultimately make the team stronger as a whole. With that said, I want teammates who are willing to collaborate and are open to and receptive of others' ideas. It's also important that team members are reliable and will show up to meetings with the group.
2. What kinds of things make teams go smoothly?
   • Teams go most smoothly when there is collaboration, and when each team member is willing to pull their own weight in terms of the work load. They also go smoothly when team members communicate effectively about what needs to be done and who will be doing it, as well as what time frame. It makes it much easier for a team to accomplish a goal when expectations are laid out ahead of time.
3. What kinds of things make teams not go so smoothly?
   • Teams do not go smoothly when team members do not communicate or do not show up, both literally and figuratively. I feel like this happens often in teams because everyone always assumes someone else will do it. This just emphasizes the importance of dividing up tasks so each team member knows what is expected. It is also detrimental to a team when team members are not willing to give the time to the project because it is not only his or her grade at stake but everyone else's. Teams also do not work smoothly if team members are unwilling to listen to other team members' ideas or are dead set on doing things one way.

Kzebrows (talk) 15:54, 1 November 2015 (PST)

Jake Woodlee

1. What kinds of characteristics do you want in your teammates?
   • Once a baseline of intelligence is reached, which I have no doubt our class possesses, it really just comes down to willingness to work and applying yourself. Also good communications skills per teammate is pretty important.
2. What kinds of things make teams go smoothly?
   • Communication between teammates is vital for a smooth running team. Figuring out who does what work is very important, and comes from communication.
3. What kinds of things make teams not go so smoothly?

Jwoodlee (talk) 20:25, 1 November 2015 (PST)

Veronica Pacheco

1. What kinds of characteristics do you want in your teammates?
   • I think the best characteristics in teammates are communication, patience and hard working. I think when working in a group it is good to communicate to each other what we are strengths lie and what we can bring to the table. Also, it is important to communicate schedules right off the bat so that we know when we can meet up to get the assignment done. Patience is also I hope for my teammates to have. I am not the fastest when it comes to the computer science aspect of the assignments so it would be nice to work with people who would help or just not mind waiting for me to get my mind around the computer science stuff. Overall, I think we are all pretty hard working in the class because I respective majors require so much hard work that it's what we are used to.
2. What kinds of things make teams go smoothly?
   • Teams go smoothly when they are all on the same page. Once we are all able to meet for the first time to officially discuss the project, I find that things will go a lot smoother when everyone is clear to what they are contributing to the project. When the team agrees to the expectations of one another, its easier to know what each individual has to get done. Also, I think teams run smoothly when schedules align better. Its something we don't really have too much control over but I find when there are more opportunities to meet, the smoother the project goes.
3. What kinds of things make teams not go so smoothly?
   • Things can go bad when teammates are not pulling their own weight. We are all given this big project to work on and I think we need all hands on deck. I think its fair to expect that same level of commitment from one another. Also, I think that most problems stem from lack of communication within the group.