The outcome for every project is always different. This is because group-mates are never the same person. During project work, we have to deal with various personalities in the team, get through conflicts, accommodate to one another, all while handling an impending deadline. But by getting through a project successfully, it means that we have nailed it. We are one step closer to becoming effective communicators and good team-players.
I really enjoyed working with Jolene and Indah. I have to count my lucky stars for meeting group-mates with such similar working styles as me because this is quite rare in group projects. We know our priorities well and the way we allocate our time is coincidentally alike. Online communication has always failed for me in other projects, but for this one in particular, I learned that it can be successful and efficient too if used in the right ways. Although me and Jolene are early workers, while Indah prefers getting her work done closer to the deadline, we managed to work around it. I can understand her stand well because I used to be in her position. Back then, I wished that my team-mates could have more faith in me because I knew I could finish my work in time. So this time, I chose to place my trust her. I can't deny that there are times when me and Jolene worry as well though. But those situations made us learn how to push and encourage each other, producing a satisfying end product (the proposal) which we are extremely proud of. Without stress, good things wouldn't have surface. Wouldn't it?
Honestly, I am not sure what I can change for this group project because everything worked according to plans. But one thing we could have done differently would be interviewing more people for our project. Interviews can give us multiple perspectives which could have brought our project to a higher level. But due to time constrains, I think that we did the best we could and had no regrets.
I would definitely bring the soft skills I have learned in this project to my next project, to benefit future project mates. It wouldn't be all smooth-sailing, but when the time comes, it would be yet another rewarding experience for me to gain.
Hi Kaylyn, nice picture and thanks for the candid blog entry. I certainly agree with you that every group project turns out differently, because the content and approach of each assignment is directly related to the people that are involved. Although unfortunately I didn't get to see much of your presentation, from what I gathered I think that your group did a great job and I also thought that your group topic was very well chosen. HIV is a tricky subject matter and to address the social aspects/effects in the context of Singapore, it touches the needs of something that is usually given so little thought but has such great impact.
ReplyDeleteCommunication and trust are both very important when working in groups and especially when members run on different time lines it can be very effective to establish group deadlines. However, it seems like you had great group members who worked it all out, used challenges to push you onto success and I hope that all you have learnt will also guide onto greater success in future projects :)
Hi Kaylyn! I apologise for the stress I put on you and Jolene. I never knew the both of you were worried. Thank you for the faith in me! I know that for group projects, it is preferred that we complete the work early. Perhaps, in the future, you should send your teammates regular reminders. I know I would not have minded it. For another module where we had a big presentation too, my teammates frequently made reminders on what research we should do before we met up again.
ReplyDeleteI think you did great, with the interview, and with the presentation, even with the unfortunate circumstances that befell you.