Group Projects

I always hated group projects. Every semester while I was in school, there would always be at least one instructor who would assign a group project, usually a paper or presentation. Whatever the circumstances, whatever the situation, there's one rule that seems to hold true 95% of the time: all the important work ends up being done by a few people or by one person, and more often than not, that one person somehow ends up being you. It's like a tired old play that's seen one too many performances, with the same scenes and roles enacted over and over again, only with different supporting players each time. No matter how many grandiose ideas are put on the table the first time everyone meets to brainstorm, there always seems to be at least one person in the group who ends up barely participating, who doesn't show up for group meetings, who doesn't take an active role in either planning or execution, and whose final contribution usually ends up being something cobbled together at the last minute. There's also at least one person who disappears altogether and who is never heard from again, often the one who comes to the first meeting practically frothing at the mouth with big plans for the whole direction of the project. Add to the mix the two or three people who have never read a book in their lives except those required for school (and possibly the occasional TV Guide or Sports Illustrated magazine), and who therefore have no reading or writing abilities of any consequence, and your typical experience ends up being something like this:


TIMELINE:

03/05   first "official" group meeting 
        Diane, Thomas, and I discuss project after class; exchange 
           pager/cell-phone numbers

03/16   brainstorm for about five minutes at bookstore (18:27-18:32)

03/26   Amy, Sherry, Sean, Tammy, Thomas, and I hold quick group meeting
           at start of class

04/02   Amy, Sherry, Diane, Sean (late), Tammy, and I hold group meeting
           in library for about 1 hour
        call Thomas after class; message never returned

04/08   brainstorm at bookstore from about 5:30 to 6:40;
           consolidate ideas
        prepare progress report sheet for group meeting from about
           10:20 to 2:00 AM 4/09

04/09   make copies of progress report before class
        second "official" group meeting
        stop by Dallas bookstore in search of books pertaining to
           fundraising and event planning (for Amy); nothing found
        Amy calls me about project after 8:00

04/16   Amy, Sherry, Tammy, and I hold group meeting in library for about
           55 minutes; receive drafts from Sherry and Tammy for corrections;
           plan next group meeting for 04/23

04/17   work some on Tammy's paper at bookstore
        work on and complete corrections on Sherry's paper at bookstore;
           total of about 2 hours' work counting periodic interruptions

04/21   talk with Amy, Julie, and Sean about project between classes;
           receive draft from Julie
        talk to Amy on phone about project

04/23   quick work on Julie's paper (5 min) just prior to group meeting
        Amy, Sherry, Julie, Tammy, and I hold meeting in library for
           about 45 min to 1 hour; give back drafts; encounter some
           irritation on part of Tammy over proposed improvements;
           group agrees on Tuesday deadline for input from Diane and Thomas

04/24   receive draft of Amy's chapter over fax machine

04/26   work on Amy's draft about 1 hour at bookstore

04/27   work on Amy's draft at bookstore from about 7:30 to 8:45;
           many interruptions
        work on Amy's paper at home from about 11:15 to 12:20 AM 4/28

04/28   receive draft from Thomas; receive Julie's final draft through
           Sean; Sean has no draft
        talk with Thomas during class; agree to meet at my work on
           Friday (5/1) to discuss paper
        give Amy corrected version of draft after class; argument ensues
           for about 30 minutes over corrections

04/30   hold "group meeting" with Sherry, Amy, and Tammy; Sean is a no-show
        receive final drafts from Amy, Sherry, and Tammy
        go searching for Sean after about 40 minutes; find him in University
           Center; plan on receiving his part of paper via fax machine
           Friday morning (5/01)
        talk about project with Sean for about 45 minutes

05/01   wait for Thomas at work; never shows up or calls
        check fax machine in evening after work--no fax from Sean

05/02   call Amy (no answer), Sherry, Tammy about Sean
        look for fax from Sean twice; nothing in fax machine

05/03   work on putting final paper together at bookstore for about
           45 minutes to 1 hour
        look for fax from Sean after work; nothing in fax machine
        transfer other members' chapters (except Sean's) to disk after work

05/04   talk to Sean at school about paper; gives me a disk containing his
           chapter
        transfer Sean's chapter to disk
        put finishing touches on my chapter; format and print paper

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