Describe one skill you have developed that will be useful for your future

The most valuable skill I have learnt so far in our project is that of working in a team. This mainly involved learning about how others worked well together and understanding the extent of my own and others abilities. Through achieving this I was able to convey to the other team members my capabilities and abilities and was hence able to apply my self to the tasks assigned to me. However, throughout the course of the semester I became more confident at certain aspects that our project required and I found it important to tell my team members of these extended capabilities. This involved becoming more self sufficient in programming with java.

Describe one problem you have had that was caused by working in a team

The one problem that I have encountered during this semester of project relates to the skill that I have developed mentioned in the previous paragraph. This involved having difficulties relating to how other members in my team worked together and how I fit into the team. For example each individual has different work habits that may not agree with the other team members. This problem resulted in difficulties in holding group meetings and general problems regarding group organization.

How did you overcome the problem?

This problem was overcome about a third way through the semester by quickly holding well structured and routine group meetings. This provided us with consistency in our meetings, which allowed us to work better together and make better decisions regarding our project. Through doing this we soon became accustomed to the work habits of other individuals in our team and were soon able to work more efficiently.

Provide constructive advice for future students about forming a team or about choosing a project

The first thought before the start of the semester regarding team formation for me was to be in a group with my friends and those whose abilities I know well. However in retrospect this does not seem to be the best way in which to form a team. As it happened I ended up forming a team with four others whom I knew little about. This proved to be a benefit for a few reasons. Firstly I was involved with people whose knowledge bases differed from that of my other friends, allowing me to learn new things from them. Secondly it also allowed me to get to know some new people.

Choosing a project for us proved to be quite simple as we all were content with doing the Voice Over IP project and the group roles we each had preferred suited the other team members. However the project proved to be quite a lot more challenging than we expected. simple advice would be to choose a project that is definitely within your skill range but still provides a challenge.

The unit provided a good learning experience because...

it allowed us to work with a real client, on a real project, in a real world situation. Basically this unit has allowed us to be immersed in an environment that simulated that of a real world industry situation.