Ground Rules

Choosing Ground Rules

Ground rules are systems that are used by teams to define the way the team members will work together. Ground rules also establish boundaries for the team; they specify how the members will act when completing the project. Ground rules should be clear and specific and not general or ambiguous. Ground rules should be used to establish the following systems:

• System for Meetings which includes system for dealing with lateness and missed meetings, and establishment of the time meetings will be held and reporting activities during and after the meetings.
• System for dealing with conflict inside and outside the team.
• System for dealing with unmet expectations of team members.
• Project Planning System for adjusting project plans, reporting progress to others, and distributing work.
• System for communicating with each other.
• List of team rotation of roles (if relevant).

We are providing you with a list of ground rules created by other students who have created successful teams in the past. You can look over the list individually and then decide as a team, which ground rules you would like to use for your team. You may also make up your own list of rules.

Team Leader Responsibilities:

1. The team leader is responsible for convening a meeting at a team member or faculty’s request.
2. Facilitate the team meetings.
3. Team leader has primary responsibility for keeping in touch with the faculty advisor and scheduling meetings with him.
4. Team leader is responsible for reminding the group of upcoming deadlines, tasks, etc. via e-mail.
5. Team leader should organize and send weekly progress reports.
6. In case of dispute, final say on task delegation goes to the team leader.
• The team leader mediates any "heated" discussions the group may have.
7. If one member is controlling a discussion, the team leader will inform him/ her to let others speak.
8. In faculty meetings, the team leader will present the previously prepared group thoughts/proposals to the advisor.
9. Team Leader will write up lab schedule (list of tasks to accomplish that day in lab) for the week. The lab schedule will be discussed and changed as team sees fit during team meetings and during lab as needed.

Recorder Responsibilities:

1. Team recorder should prepare and send meeting minutes 48 hours after each team meeting.
2. The recorder will record all pertinent information from the meetings.
3. The Recorder records data if he is available. If multiple data sets are being recorded, the relevant person will record it.
4. The recorder will be responsible for assembling the written report from the individual sections and distributing copies to all team members.
5. Keep a neat and orderly lab notebook.
6. The recorder maintains the Monthly Team Calendar which contains the time and place of meetings, team’s milestones, goals, and scheduling conflicts.

Meetings

General

1. Members are expected to maintain a formal atmosphere and to minimize distractions at all meetings. For example, no cell phone calls during meetings. However food and drink are allowed.
2. Be on time to every meeting.
3. Inform of schedule changes in advance.
4. Each member shall give advanced warning to all associated parties when he will be late to or absent from a meeting.
5. Speak effectively - don't waste time in meetings by repeating what is already been said or is irrelevant.
6. Only one-minute tangents allowed.
7. Read agenda before attending meeting.
8. For all formal meetings, an agenda will be set in advance. The agenda will be flexibly followed.
9. At least one team and one faculty meeting shall be held each week.
   • Be willing to add more meetings to schedule when necessary.

Team Meetings

1. Keep discussion focused on relevant topics by following the set agenda.
2. Members check in with each other at beginning of meetings.
3. Each member has the opportunity to speak.
4. Each member shall participate in each team meeting.

Meeting Topics

1. Review the week’s accomplishments and setbacks.
2. Determine if any changes need to be made to overall experimental plan.
3. Discuss broad goals for the next week.
4. Discuss the progress of the team’s time management plan weekly.
5. Plan time of next meeting.
6. Have open discussion on any ideas the team members have related to the work or team process.
7. Review deadlines and action plans during each team meeting, The team schedule will adjust to the progress of the team.
8. End with a summary of what has been covered and what still needs to be done/ assigned.

Faculty Meetings

1. Be prepared to present written or oral work to faculty advisor upon request.
2. The faculty advisor has final control over all matters concerning the project.
3. All team members should be present at important meetings with advisor when possible.
4. The advisor is available as an interested consultant. His time is to be respected.
5. All team members should feel free to utilize the resources of the advisor on their own.

Lateness to or Absence from Meetings

1. If a member is later than X minutes, the meeting shall be started without him and he shall be filled in with the minutes when he gets there.
2. Continuous lateness or missed meetings will result in a team discussion to resolve the problem. If it becomes a chronic problem, then the team coordinator will be sought out.
3. If a team member misses a meeting, he is responsible for catching up on the material by the time specified by the other two team members.

Lab/ Outside Work

Lab Sessions

1. Spend a few minutes reviewing previous work and lab schedule prior to beginning experiments.
2. Be prepared for the experiments, having read and completed the necessary material and work.
3. Complete each assigned task deadline.
4. Be on time for lab sessions.
5. Labs can only be missed under extenuating circumstances.
6. Perform duties of role to best of ability.
7. Remain in agreement about what needs to be done before leaving lab.
8. Team members not running experiments will complete graphs and tables as soon as the data is available during lab time.

Work and Work Distribution

1. Rotate roles in lab and on assigned work so that everyone has a chance to learn.
2. Tasks will be distributed based on team consensus.
3. Make tasks as clear as possible.
4. Perform tasks to the best of your ability.
5. Proofread all material.
6. Double-check all calculations.
7. There will be an even distribution of work between team members. The distribution will take into account the schedules of the team members, and will be agreed upon by all.
8. The entire team will review the each individual's work before it is graded.
9. Work quality will be decided by consensus among the team.
10. Team will be flexible at times when a particular team member may be busier than others.
11. 1 Start work early so assigned tasks are completed on time.

Decorum

1. Follow common courtesies.
• Do not interrupt.
• Avoid being facetious in any communications.
• Team members should act politely to one another at all times.
2. Be courteous and respect the faculty advisor and team coordinator.
3. Think of how actions/ words affects others on the team, before acting.
4. Respect each team member for who he is. There shall be no racism, sexism, homophobia, etc.
5. Be willing to make compromises.
6. Be honest and open with faculty on all matters.
7. Attempt to maintain a positive attitude.

Conflict Management

1. Disagreements should be discussed in a calm and rational fashion.
• Every team member will have a chance to express his opinions.
• Each team member should remain open-minded instead of getting defensive.
• If one team member is too agitated to discuss rationally, a break will be called, followed by calm resolution of issues.
• Attempt to understand each other's motives before getting confrontational.
2. Discuss problems openly and immediately with the team as they occur.
• Communicate with everyone whenever you are uncomfortable or unhappy with anything.
3. Everyone's opinions are equally weighted.
4. Every effort should be made to compromise. In cases where there is no way to satisfy everyone, majority will rule if two agree, and team leader will decide if none agree.
5. If conflict arises, the team should try to resolve it internally before resorting to outside sources such as the advisor or the team coordinator.
6. In order to change a rule, one member proposes the change and the whole team votes on it.
7. Summarize agreements and disagreements and then make decisions.

Project Planning

Action Plan

1. Try to stay on schedule and follow the action plan.
2. Make the action plan comprehensive and update it as new aspects of the project take shape.
3. Read over the action plan weekly.
4. If the team falls behind schedule in lab or with any aspect of the report, the team, as a group, will modify the action plan to reflect the new deadlines.

Written Report

1. Start Early
2. Complete each report or section of the report by the set deadlines.
3. Have significant pre-planning of the report that will allow time for revisions.
4. Be aware of other team members' schedules and conflicts. Plan ahead to allow for such difficulties.
5. Write reports efficiently and effectively.
6. Produce the highest quality reports of which you are capable. Do not sacrifice quality for speed.
7. Divide all teamwork equitably with each team member writing the sections they are most comfortable with.
8. Provide the necessary support to each group member – both professional and personal.
9. Be considerate to other members' wishes to edit and modify portions of the report.
10. Break team-writing projects into sections and write them individually.
11. 1 Everybody should be involved in the proofreading of all materials.
12. 1 All team members are ultimately responsible for the entire report.

Oral Presentation

1. Oral presenter is in charge or organizing data and staying on top of the presentation.
2. Oral presenter will make slides; group members will make suggestions and act as sounding boards.
3. Oral presenter should practice at least twice in front of other team members.
4. General organization and planning of the presentation will be in the control of the presenter.
5. Presenter is expected to thoroughly understand the material in order to field questions.

Effective Communication

1. Team members should feel free to express concerns openly.
2. Communicate all ideas and opinions to entire group by including all team members in team discussions.
3. Respond to all communications as soon as possible.
4. Be open and nonjudgmental when communicating.
• Do not put down others ideas and suggestions.
• Use constructive criticism.
• Be open to constructive criticism from others.
• Be respectful and understanding of the abilities of other team members.
5. Collaborate.
6. Refer to the Monthly Planner in order to know each other’s schedules.

GROUND RULE EXPLANATIONS

Team Leader Responsibilities: This category of rules covers what is expected of the team leader during his/her rotation.

Recorder Responsibilities: This category of rules covers what is expected of the team recorder during his/her rotation.

Meetings

General: These are the general practices that should be used at all meetings including team, faculty and industry consultant.

Team Meetings: These are general things that should take place at team meetings but do not necessarily apply to all meetings.

Lateness and Absence: These rules outline the consequences of being late to or missing a meeting, without notification.

Lab/ Outside Work

Lab Sessions: This rules are guidelines for how to prepare for and utilize a lab session.

Work and Work Distribution: These are guidelines for how create an equitable division of work between the team members while making sure that each team member works on and learns every aspect of the project. These also outline how to go about actually performing your individual work.

Decorum: These are general rules about how team members should treat one another and all people involved in the project.

Conflict Management: These are basic guidelines on how to deal with conflict and disagreement within the team.

Project Planning

Action Plan: The action plan is a road map of the semester in 10.26. These rules help the team follow the "map" and find the "main road" if they "take a wrong turn".

Written Report: These are rules to help in the delegation and completion of written reports in a timely fashion and to the standards that the team has set down.

Oral Presentation: These are the responsibilities of the oral presenter during his/her rotation.

Effective Communication: These rules outline how to work as a team as to avoid conflict in the first place. They emphasize the need for good listening skills and open mindedness.