Team Contract, ECE 3400, Fall 2017
By Team “Lucky 13”, September 1st 2017
ECE 3400, Semester: Fall 2017 Team #13
Team Members: Julia Currie, Nicholas Sarkis, Norman Chen, Eric Cole, Wenhan Xia, and Divya Gupta
Team Procedures
It is important to keep all members of the team aware of the time and date of all meetings. It is a good idea to pick a day, time, and place for regular team meetings. We will have a regular two-hour meeting during a time slot which will be determined from a WhenisGood poll filled out by next week as well as meet whenever there are designated group work times in class on Fridays.
Who will set each agenda? How long before the meeting should this be announced? How will team members be notified/reminded? Who will be responsible for the team following the agenda during a team meeting? What will be done to keep the team on track during a meeting? The team leader for each lab will set the agenda for each meeting and will be responsible for the team following it during the meeting. A brief outline of the agenda should be posted in the meeting minutes at least three hours before the meeting.
Agree on how your team will make decisions. By consensus, majority vote, leader has veto rights, etc.? We will try out best to reach a consensus, however if that is not possible we will go by majority vote. Team leader will have tie-breaking powers.
Always keep a written record of what was agreed upon in the meeting. Who will be responsible for taking these notes? How will they be disseminated? Where will all agendas and meeting minutes be kept? Responsibility for taking meeting minutes will be assigned on a rotating basis. Last week’s team lead will take meeting minutes. Meeting minutes with agenda will be posted on the website.
All members should agree to a preferred method of communication (e.g., e-mail, cell phone, face-to-face), and be individually responsible for answering in good time as agreed upon in the team. Please note what method(s) and response delay you agree on. We will use primarily use Facebook messenger for short, chat-like communication and email for longer correspondences. The typical expected response window will be within 24 hours unless it is an urgent matter, in which case it should be noted that a sooner response is required.
Team Expectations
Work Quality
Agree on a (realistic) level of quality for website updates, individual work/design, peer reviews, etc. We will stive for great quality and innovative work, as we all want our robot to win the competition.
Agree on when individuals/sub-teams must finish their part (on the deadline, or hours or a day before the deadline such that other team members can check their work): Each individual/sub-team should complete their assignment two days before the deadline so that the whole team can review the work.
Strategies to fulfill these standards: After each lab, the team lead will assign each member a task/section to complete with a clear deadline. We will all fill out a short Google Form survey at the beginning of the team meeting in which we will all indicate how long the assignment from last week took to complete, self-grade the quality of our work, do a peer review of others’ work, and note if there were any issues or concerns you would like to bring up.
Team Participation:
Strategies to ensure cooperation and equal distribution of tasks: Everyone should inform the group or team leader if they need help. If someone is doing a difficult task one week, we will try to lighten up the load for the next week. The team leader will review the surveys from the meetings as one factor to help ensure equal distribution of work.
Strategies for encouraging/including ideas from all team members (team maintenance): We will start our meetings withopens and status updates from everyone. Additionally, it is the team leader’s responsibilty to monitor the conversation and make sure everyone is getting a chance to talk to the whole group during the team meeting.
Strategies for keeping on task (task maintenance): We will use a Google sheet to keep track of everyone’s task assignments and their progress and post a viewing link on the website.
Strategies to get help if you’re stuck: Reach out to the whole group if you have a problem, and the team leader can coordinate how to resolve that issue.
Personal Accountability:
Expected individual attendance, punctuality, and participation at all team meetings: Everyone is expected to be at every meeting, unless you have an unavoidable conflict or valid excuse. Let the group know as soon as possible if you cannot make it. Everyone is expected to be punctual (arrive within five minutes of the meeting start time) and an active participant in group discussions (not distracted by other work or tasks).
Expected level of responsibility for fulfilling team assignments, timelines, and deadlines: You are expected to complete your task with a high level of quality. If you are concerned that you will not be able to complete your assignment on time, inform the group well before the deadline.
Expected level of communication with other team members: Update the Google sheet regularly to keep the group updated on your progress. Inform the group either by messaging the whole group or the team leader if you run into any issues well before the deadline.
Expected level of commitment to team decisions and tasks: We expect a strong level of commitmentment to the team and project. Everyone has other classes and activities going on, but we expect everyone to meet the expectations outlined in this document.
How should a team member catch up if they have to miss a meeting: Read the meeting minutes. Make sure you understand what occurred during the meeting and follow up with the group if you have any questions. Complete the work assigned.
Consequences for Failing to Follow Procedures and Fulfill Expectations: Bring food/snacks to the meeting.
Describe how, as a group, you would handle individuals who do not live up to this contract: The Google Form surveys should be a forum for people to write about issues or concerns with a teammate. The team leader can bring up the individual during the team meeting.
Describe what your team will do if these infractions continue: If infractions continue despite expectations having been made clear, the group will raise the issue with TAs/Kirstin.
Team Leadership
Every person on the team will have to take the role as a leader for at least two weeks. The role of the leader will be to organize meetings and make sure that everything is submitted in a timely manner. Here are some hints on what the leader should do. Please note here who will be responsible when:
Aug 28th - Sep 15th (Lab 1, work on lab 2): Julia Currie
Sep 16th - Sep 29th (Lab 2, Milestone 1 and 2): Divya Gupta
Sep 30th - Oct 20th (Lab 3, work on lab 4): Wenhan Xia
Oct 21st - Nov 3rd (Lab 4 and Milestone 3): Eric Cole
Nov 4th - Nov 17th (Milestone 4): Norman Chen
Nov 18th - Dec 5th (Final competition and deadline for the website): Nicholas Sarkis
(If you are more or less than 6 people, please adjust the time periods accordingly).
I participated in formulating the standards, roles, and procedures as stated in this contract. I understand that I am obligated to abide by these terms and conditions. I understand that if I do not abide by these terms and conditions, I will suffer the consequences as stated in this contract.
Norman Chen date 9/1
Divya Gupta date 9/1
Nicholas Sarkis date 9/1
Wenhan Xia date 9/1
Julia Currie date 9/1
Eric Cole date 9/1