A2 Group 7

Members: Gesina Sands and Liane Wong

A2 website: Link to A2 website

In our previous group, we learnt a lot whilst working on assessment 2 for the ‘Introduction to Information Technology’ project. During this time, we worked closely with our group and got to know each other a lot better. Reflecting on what went well and what could be done better, we endeavour for an even stronger and cohesive group experience with our new group for assessment 3.

We were lucky that all group members were overall very polite and conscientious towards each other; everyone had a mature attitude and were willing to try their best to have a unified group experience. Elements that we can improve on based on previous experience are ensuring that we have an open and honest discussion about different goals and performance expectations from the very start. Though we did have a discussion regarding this at the outset of the assessment, we were perhaps too hesitant to be as open as we may have needed to be. This later caused minor issues regarding the pace and output of work. There were also some variances in each person’s idea of the scope of the project. In hindsight, further detailed planning at the outset of the assessment may have helped us to avoid any scope creep as we would have been able to clearly see the work that needed to be done and to what level of detail.

The lack of a dedicated leader and project manager of the group in assessment 2 resulted in certain group members having too many tickets and a slightly unbalanced workload. This was remedied by adopting the Kanban board system, regular assigning of individual tasks, a master task list pdf and sharing the responsibility of keeping track of agenda and minutes.

Through the process of working together with our group in assessment two, we discovered the value of collaborating on smaller tasks. We found that this enabled us to learn and inspire each other, as well as help each other whilst we worked on a particular section of the assessment. This enabled us to have constant feedback from peers and resulted in higher quality work than what we produced when we were assigned tasks to do completely alone. We aim to collaborate in a similar way in assessment 3.

As a wide gap was left by a departing team member, we decided to seek out like-minded coursemates to embark on assessment 3 with high hopes of excellence and efficiency. Through this new team, we hope to have healthier and more candid discourse with a common goal of attaining knowledge and achieving outstanding results.

Finally, we aim to have better time management and allocation of tasks as well as more detailed planning at the outset of the group work. We hope that being with team members who have similar goals and performance expectations will lead to a smoother group experience with equal contribution across the board. We hope that we will be able to push each other to do our best work possible in an inclusive and holistic way as well as learn from each other.

A2 Group 4

Members: Colin Stock, Michail Christofis, Samuel Saad

A2 website: Link to A2 website

In our previous group, we all enjoyed the general structure and organization of the team, as we felt that it was a major part of the collaboration and one which truly displayed our strengths as a team. Moreover, whenever a team member had any form of issue, the rest were always more than willing to help him complete the task assigned to him. Furthermore, each member was given the opportunity to work to the best of their abilities, with everyone focusing on each other’s strong points to get the best possible results. In addition, the consensus is that as team members, we worked more as a unit than as individuals, by allowing for us to bond well as a team and to develop into a form of family.Without a doubt, each project and collaboration will have its issues and complications, factors that weren’t absent in the assessment twogroups. We often underestimated the difficulty as well as the tediousness of the different tasks, and sometimes, were surprised by the magnitude of work thathad to be completed. Certainly, finding up-to-date information and studies for use within our project also posed a great difficulty, as most of the data was outdated or generally unusable.

There were a plethora of factors that were rather surprising to all of us, amongst them being the pleasure that we derived from the coalition of our different personalities into one cohesive mass that led to the creation of a great project. We also worked together with great effectiveness, considering the different personalities with which we were surrounded, to be as efficient as possible. The enormous number of different ideas which presented themselves, from all team members, was also surprising.

Our determination and great versatility were crucial values that allowed for the creation of a project, which is the product of all team members respectively. We developed and cultivated our skills, throughout the duration of this project, in a multitude of different domains. We discovered the strengths of working within a group environment and leveraging the power of multiple people with different backgrounds, working on a single project. We also understood how to handle people, how to think of the benefits an application could have for the hoi polloi, and generally how to be good team members.

Even though it was a pleasurable experience, which resulted in both exceptional work and the general betterment of the ethos of all team members, we felt it necessary to approach assessment three by forming an entirely new team. We felt that by doing so, we would be able to diversify our knowledge and experience by getting to know new team members, which undoubtedly have vastly different experiences from which we might benefit. Moreover, upon forming the new teams, we will consider all the valuable lessons, knowledge, and experiences, which we accumulated throughout assessment two by working with our previous team members. In addition, we plan on implementing changes in the organisation of the group by using applications such as Kanban to simplify the process of management and to improve the general organization of the team. Without a doubt, our past experiences will prove invaluable in this group endeavour.

Assignment 3 Group Processes

Upon forming this team, each member discussed and agreed upon the desired grade to be achieved. Keeping the grade expectation as utmost importance, the team had sought to derive the best possible project management plan, priority list, and commitment level expected.

We have prepared a team charter to help the team maintain the quality of work produced and the collaboration process throughout this assessment period.