Teamwork

Teamwork is an important part of Engineering. There are so many components to any Engineering project that it's just unrealistic for any one person to be able to bear the entire workload, and, thus, Engineering generally involves teams. In my past two Engineering classes I have had the misfortune of being put into teams with males who clearly believe that women have no place in Engineering. For that reason, I'm glad I'm with two other girls who seem to want to work in a team just as much as I do. While, quite often, "teamwork" translates into one person doing the work and three people getting credit, I don't think that will be the case in this class.

In order to keep everyone doing their fair share and to get all the work done in time we are going to need to budget our time effectively and communicate well. I don't see this as a setback in our group because we are communicating effectively already. We will need to keep this up though, to make sure that our ideas mesh well together and we can work out any conflict that arises.

As a team we are also going to need to work together frequently to get everything done, so it is good that we all live in the same dorm. It makes things a lot easier to work out when your team is just an elevator ride away.

I think that our team will be able to work well together as long as we keep in mind that this is a team effort and we continually communicate and plan together throughout the duration of the term.


~ Stephanie ~

Teamwork

Being able to work well with a group is an important skill, especially in engineering.  Collaboration can be an essential part of creating the best possible product.  This group will work well together but as is possible with all projects, the group may run into some issues.  As the group consists of many members there are many different points of view which can be great when coming up with new designs but also leaves open the possibility of conflicting ideas.  This is where it will be important to be able to calmly communicate with an open mind as it is rarely one persons idea that is best but rather a combination of the ideas of many.  Another possible problem that could arise would be if a group member is not taking responsibility for getting their part done and submitted on time.  These two issues tend to be the main problems that occur when doing group projects.  However with good communication, time management and a diligent work ethic the group will be able to work well together and accomplish the goal of having the best bridge design.

Jacquelyn Durkin

Teamwork

Teamwork

Projects that involve a team effort are extremely common in scientific fields such as engineering. All three Bridge Competition members bring something unique to the table. Our individual skills and inputs, when properly integrated, will result in a smoothly running project. However, some issues will inevitably arise. We must have a strict schedule and adhere to all deadlines assigned; if one person doesn’t finish their part then the whole group is affected. We will allocate weekly tasks to each other during lab time and check in via email or text message a few days before the next lab if someone still hasn’t done their part of the assignment.

A few other issues that could arise include: conflicting ideas about the final design, poor time management, not enough individual participation, or the common idea of “someone else will do it”. To deal with these, we will communicate ideas to each other clearly and considerately, as well as gently “push” our fellow group members away from procrastination. If someone is not putting enough effort into the project as they should be (without explanation), then the group will call a meeting and re-discuss role assignments to ensure everyone is on the same page.

-Belinda Lester