Team Collaboration - The Next Steps
A fourteen-week journey finally came to an end for our team, which we named ‘3 Amigos’. It was fun and a whole new learning experience working with my amigos. As we went through the first semester of the Interactive Media Management program we had an in depth learning of Project Management, Content Planning, Interactive Strategy, User Experience Design, Development tools, Graphic applications, Emerging Trends for Media and Video Production. Throughout these courses we got an opportunity to work in our team and learn how one can collaborate with the help of different applications or collaboration tools.
As a team, 3 Amigos used tools like Basecamp, Google Drive, Skype, Emails, Text messages and phone calls for collaboration. Apart from these we had face-to-face meetings scheduled throughout the semester. We used variety of tools and it was up to each member to choose their tool. For e.g. One team member preferred communicating through Basecamp while the other was comfortable communicating via emails. It was a matter of adapting to these tools and personal preferences. However, the team data and documents for each project were stored on the Google Drive accessible by each team member. These tools had their own advantages and disadvantages. When we posted team status updates on basecamp, sometimes we had to notify team members through text messages or phone calls to check the project group. This was because every member did not get notified always through his or her email via basecamp. Therefore, one of my suggestions would be using a tool that integrates chat with data storage, which would provide faster communication. Another option is to have the mobile application on each team member’s smartphone if using an application like Basecamp. This will provide instant notifications and hence solve the issue.
I also realized that a face-to-face meeting is the best way to collaborate and work in a group. I felt this because our Skype sessions were only useful to have a discussion about the elements of the assignment and distribute responsibilities. We couldn’t really complete projects over Skype meetings. The difference is that in a face-to-face meeting members are aware of each other’s body language and know exactly what everyone is feeling about the conversation. Moreover, even if work is distributed during a face-to-face meeting, members could work side by side and provide suggestions and recommendations to each other.
I learned the importance of meeting notes, which help in documenting the minutes of the meeting. Meeting notes give a clear picture of the main highlights of the meeting and also help in keeping a record of the responsibilities assigned to each team member and the due dates.
If we were to do work together again, I personally would recommend working side by side collaboratively. This will not only enhance the communication process but will also save a huge amount of time which is otherwise wasted in waiting for replies or feedback from other team members. Overall, through this semester our thoughts were aligned most of the times, but we had our occasional difference in opinion that we resolved by finalizing on common choices.
We all have to work in teams in our respective careers and this was a useful lesson learnt about the obstacles that one can face in group projects.