Students and educators alike know that project groups (including problem based learning or PBL) can be a dream or a nightmare depending on how you run them, so here are 5 tips (from experience working with both types of student groups) on how to make your project work

1. 5 Steps to Do Great Project Work and Prevent Project Team Meltdown
Benjamin Ang

2. Your Project Group can be a HIGH PERFORMANCE TEAM or HIGH STRESS NIGHTMARE
Which would you prefer?

3. There are 5 common reasons for disaster
And there are 5 steps you can take to make a success instead

4. 1. Communication Failure
is not enough
Can you get your part done by Sat?
BBQ on Sat?
LOL, IDK
Sat, OK

5. Step 1: Make a WEEKLY appointment now
“We will meet face to face every Wednesday at 10 am”
Every meeting must end with a WRITTEN NOTE of
What each person has done so far
What each person is supposed to do next
When it has to be done

6. 2. Wrong Assumptions
Obviously she
should ask me
when the
deadline is
Obviously he
should tell me
when the
deadline is

7. Step 2: Clearly Define Roles and Check at Every Meeting
“John will be in charge of patents. Mary will be in charge of trade marks”
At the meeting: “John, please brief us on patents. Mary please brief us on trade marks”

8. 3. No Knowledge Sharing
I only know
what I was
assigned.
I don’t know
anything the
others are
doing
How will I
pass the
exam?

9. Step 3: Brief one another
(and I will quiz you)
John, since you
were assigned
to patents, I will
ask Mary about
patents

10. 4. Poor Timekeeping
Whatsapp “Where is your section? The project is due tomorrow 9am!”
“Sorry I am sick, I will send to you by 11 pm tonight.”
OR worse … silence …

11. Step 4. Set Pre-Deadlines and Milestones; Appoint a Time Keeper
At the MEETING: “John, where are the patents? Mary, where are the trade marks? First draft is due in one week!”

12. 5. Not getting help
Things are not
working.
Maybe if ignore
the problems,
they will just go
away

13. Step 5: Tell your Tutor (me)

14. Recap of the 5 Steps
Make a WEEKLY appointment now
Clearly Define Roles - and Check at Every Meeting
Brief one another (and I will quiz you)
Set Pre-Deadlines and Milestones; Appoint a Time Keeper
Tell your Tutor (me) if you need help