Engineering 100-980

Team Contract

Contents

• Team Contract
  • Contents
  • Purpose
  • Task
    • Goals
    • Logistics
    • Etiquette
    • Commitment
    • Accountability
    • Formatting specifications
  • Criteria for Success

Purpose

One of the four main learning goals of Engineering 100 is for all students to effectively collaborate in diverse teams. Specifically, students are expected to create an inclusive team environment where all team members are heard and valued and apply best practices for effective teamwork including mutual accountability, task delegation, and productivity in a diverse team environment. A team contract is an opportunity for your team to 1) reach a consensus on your overarching goals for the semester, 2) practice communicating clear expectations for yourselves and each other, and 3) anticipate potential conflicts and establish a plan for handling them.

Teams that articulate clear expectations, practice open communication, and establish accountability structures from the beginning will likely encounter fewer interpersonal problems later in the semester.

Task

As a team, develop a contract that specifies your team’s goals, logistical plans, expectations for group dynamics, and how you will hold yourselves accountable. All team members should contribute to the development of this contract.

Your contract should include the following:

• Team Name and Logo

Decide on a name for your team that you would feel comfortable using in a professional setting.

After deciding on a name for your team, design a logo. You and your teammates will use the logo at the beginning of the documents that you will produce this semester, including slide presentations, informal reports (memos), and formal reports.

Once done, include your team’s name and logo in the letterhead at the top of your team contract document. It should appear only on the first page of each document.

Then, develop answers to the following questions as your begin to articulate your team norms:

Goals

• What is the team’s overall goal for the semester? Are there any secondary goals that feed into your primary goal? (You could also think about this in terms of minimum goals and stretch goals). Make your goals measurable and not grade-based.

• What are some individual goals that each of you have?

Logistics

• How will you arrange weekly meetings in the future? What time is best for you to meet outside of class?

• What do “on time” and “attendance” mean?

• What methods will you use to communicate (e.g., Slack, emails, iMessage)?

• How will you share information and ensure all shared info is up to date? (e.g., where how will you share team documents)

• How will decisions be made? (e.g., by unanimous consent or majority rules voting?)

Etiquette

• What behaviors should be encouraged (including but not limited to using appropriate language and stating opinions openly and honestly)?

• What behaviors should be avoided (including but not limited to interruptions, dominating the conversation, and diminishing the contributions of others)?

• What happens when the ground rules are broken? How will you handle exceptions?

Commitment

• How will specific roles (activities, tasks) be assigned for team projects?

• How will the team handle the leadership/facilitation/management activities? For example, will you select a project leader/manager, or will the team share leadership?

• How will the team ensure that every team member is contributing equally to the team work?

• How will the team define constructive feedback? How will you give each other feedback? Are you going to focus only on the positive aspects of their work? Are you planning to review the rubric and the lecture materials to help identify areas for improvement?

• When does the team expect to complete each deliverable so that every member can give and receive feedback?

Accountability

• How will conflict be handled? Be specific. Clearly define what level of conflict would justify bringing an issue to the teaching team, per the team conflict policy in the syllabus.

• What recourse will you take when a team member does not perform agreed to responsibilities? What happens when one of the team members lets the others down (sanctions, second chances, conferences with discussion leaders, etc.)?

As you discuss the items above, consider whether any consequences you’ve agreed to are equitable. For example, if the consequence for arriving late to two meetings is to buy the team pizza, consider how what was intended to be a light-hearted consequence could disproportionately impact students of different financial circumstances.

Once every team member agrees to the terms, type your full names at the bottom of the document in alphabetical order. Typing your names into the document will serve as your signature and agreement to abide by the contract.

Please submit a polished document that contains section headings and well-organized paragraphs. It’s fine to write your ideas underneath the guiding questions as your work on a draft, but your final submission should not include the guiding questions. Only one team member needs to submit team assignments.

Formatting specifications:

• Letterhead with team name, logo, and contact information (either all of your individual email addresses or a created team email address)

• Section headings: Goals, Logistics, Etiquette, Commitment, and Accountability

• Serif font such as Times New Roman, size 11 or 12

• 1-inch margins

• Each team member’s name should be typed at the bottom (this will suffice as a signature)

Criteria for Success

Excellent submissions are characterized by the following criteria:

• Defining Goals: Team goals are specific, measurable, clearly explained, and not grade-based.

• Logistics and Etiquette: Document contains clear plan for the semester, including for meetings, communication, decision-making, and etiquette.

• Commitment and Accountability: Expectations for conduct clearly and specifically articulated; strategies for holding those who violate the team expectations accountable are clear, reasonable, and equitable

• Formatting and Proofreading: Document follows the formatting specifications including a team name and letterhead; is written in paragraph form with clear topic sentences and one idea per paragraph; headings help reader to navigate the document; text is polished and free from typos.

Each criterion will be assessed according to the demonstrated competency level. The final score is the average of the 4 criteria scores.

Full Competency—Work demonstrates full competency	30 points
Moderate Competency—Work demonstrates moderate competency with minor areas for improvement	27 points
Some Competency—Work demonstrates some competency but requires significant improvement	24 points
Little Competency—Work demonstrates very little competency	21 points
No evidence provided—Partial submissions may receive some points based on completeness	0-20 points