REFLECTIONS ON THE CHALLENGES THAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED IN MY PROJECT TEAM.

Some members that were part of my IFS 231 group last semester left and joined other groups. We then had to look for other students to replace them which was difficult to do because its not easy to find hardworking and reliable students.

My group and I also struggled to find a suitable day to meet up at university because everyone had different timetables as well as busy schedules.

Delegating task was also a challenge because we had to make sure that all parts of the assignment was equally distributed amongst the group.

Building trust is also another challenge because it is difficult to trust a stranger and at the end of the day you need to put your trust in them because they can affect your assignment final mark.

HOW WERE THESE CHALLENGES ADDRESSED

 We asked around for students who wanted to work with us and were willing to give 100% to the assignment. We got a few recommendations from our fellow students. We were able to find 3 students who were really excited about our project idea and were willing to give 100% to the assignment.

So, because we were unable to meet up in person we decided to meet over WhatsApp so that we could always refer back to what we discussed. This was sometimes challenging because not everyone would reply on time.

We also agreed on the fact the everybody chose parts with which the were okay with and felt like they could do well in , when we were delegating tasks.

REFLECTIONS OF THE LESSONS LEARNED WHILE WORKING WITH MY PROJECT TEAM.

I have learned that even though it is a group project, you still have to do individual tasks. Because our IFS 233 group assignment is so big and consists of many components, we are unable to do each section together as a group because there is not enough time to do that. So the only solution to that is to delegate tasks among the group.

Another thing that I've learned is that we all have busy schedules, so it's difficult to find a time slot when everyone is available. Either someone had a religious commitment or another one is at work, etc. Although there are negative sides to working in a group, there are also positive things. Like we are able to guide each other as well as help one another if we don’t understand some things or you are unable to complete a task that one was supposed to do.

Working with this group, I have also learned to become a more patient person because things aren’t always going to go my way because I’m so used to wanting things to go my way. This is because I always want things to be perfect but it's impossible because you cannot control the way others do things and how they think.

REFELCTION ON THE SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES THAT I HAVE LEARNED WHILE WORKING WITH MY PROJECT TEAM.

While working with my project team I have learnt the skill of critical thinking. Critical thinking was so important in order for my group and I to complete the assignment. The assignment required us to think outside the box and well as brainstorming ideas as a group and choosing the most suitable option to our questions. Critical think was also important for our group because we really wanted to do well in our group assignment so we really gave 100% and we were able to be creative thinkers because of this critical thinking skill that we all learnt while working together.

Another skill that I learnt while working with my project team was problem solving. Problem solving was so crucial during our group assignment because we five different members with five different ideas, we all had to negotiate and compromise with each other in order to work together and to make sure that everything ran smoothly. There was also one or two clash of heads amongst each other with regards to the delegation of tasks but we were able to sort that out almost immediately.

Another skill that I learnt was to, how to negotiate with others, which I really enjoyed.

REFLECTION ON WHAT CAN BE DONE IN THE FUTURE TO ADDRESS ANY CHALLENGES AND ISSUES I FACED FROM WORKING VIRTUALLY WITH MY PROJECT TEAM.

Try to work with a group who is willing to avail themselves when it comes to working on a group project. Another one is to establish clear communication guidelines within the group to ensure that there is no miscommunication. Also select a strong leader who is always going to set up meetings and constantly check up on other group members to ensure that they are on the right track. Being able to build trust is also difficult to do because your only form of communication with your group members is virtually and you have no idea or background information about your group members. Also if you are able to choose your group members, you should choose your group because it is better to work with people who you know because you are able to trust them fully.

How groups were formed

My group from last semester, we were supposed to work together again with each other this semester but then three of our group members left due to certain reasons. We then had to look for realible and hard wroking students who wanted to join our group. We asked around for students who wanted to work with us and were willing to give 100% to the assignment. We got a few recommendations from our fellow students. We were able to find 3 students who were really excited about our project idea and were willing to give 100% to the assignment. This would then be my group for the rest of the semester.

We then added the new group members to our existing WhatsApp group chat, which we could use to communicate with each other frequently. We each introduce ourselves to each other via the WhatsApp group chat.

Meetings

My group and I mainly had our meeting via WhatsApp because it was difficult to find a time when everyone was available to meet because we all had busy schedules. We did however make use of a WhatsApp voice call which we used to discuss about who is going to do what for one of our tutorial group assignments. We kept the voice call as short as possible because some of us had other commitments but we were able to sort out what we wanted to do. We also made use of google meets. Our group leader created a link and then sent it onto our group chat. We used google meets because we wanted to see who we were actually working with so therefor we had to switch on our cameras just for a second so that we were able to put names to faces.

Individual assignment

For the individual assignment I need to create a digital portfolio of evidence (Poe). This is basically a report of personal experience, reflections, and evidence. I did this last semester but this semester i basically had to do the same but for IFS 233 now. This individual component counts ten percent towards my year mark. I need to complete the PoE using google sites. For this PoE i could just add new imformation to my PoE from last semester. I need to reflect on this module, my project team, IFS 233 as well as myself.

My contributions

For many of our group assignment tasks we would split the questions amongst ourselves within the group. I am doing the Work Breakdown Structure and the progress report as well as lessons learned report and register of the group assignment. I am also doing the feedback question about IFS. I will also be making sure that the report layout and format will be followed. We decided to stick with our organisation that we chose last semester which is the South African Education Project (SAEP) organization. Overall I am impressed with my contributions to the group but I am always willing to do more. 

 REFERENCE 

IMAGE 1:Allthings.how (e.b.). Google meets screenshot. https://allthings.how/how-to-turn-off-camera-on-google-meet/

IMAGE 2: KMP, H. Group. https://kmpplus.com/en/group-mentoring-becomes-more-and-more-popular/