ECE361
Engineering Practice
Team Skills - Meetings
“Meetings are gatherings where
minutes are kept and hours are lost”
Murphy’s Laws
ECE 361 Session 2
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Team Skills - Meetings
• Team Assignments
• Team Skills
• “Meetings, Bloody Meetings” Video
• Assignments
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Team Assignments
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Project Teams
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The vast majority of engineers
work in team settings.
Often, an engineer is a member of many
teams, playing different roles in each team.
Understanding teams is a skill that must be
learned…
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What is a Team?
“…a small number of people with
complementary skills who are committed
to a common purpose, performance goals,
and approach for which they hold
themselves mutually accountable.”
Smith, p. 33
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What are some characteristics of
an effective team?
Good participation
Respect
Careful listening
Leadership
Constructively-managed
conflict
Fun
Common goal
Sense of Purpose
Good meeting facilitation
Empowered members
Members take
responsibility
Effective decision-making
Smith, p. 32
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Team Challenge
Diagram the Internet Mail process
from creation to reading
10 minutes…
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Team Challenge - Reflection
1.Did you operate as a team?
2.Did you feel organized?
3.Did you meet your objective?
4.Did everyone participate equally?
5.Was time management an issue?
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Team Skills Must be Developed
Team processing
Roles and Responsibilities
Accountability
Individual and team work
Team communication
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Code of Cooperation
In order to have effective teams, each team member must be willing
to work together as a part of the team. In a sense, this requires
each team member to be a good team citizen. Perhaps your team
members do not have a common understanding of what a good
team citizen is, and so we will develop a team Code of Cooperation
•
•
•
•
•
Mutual agreement of team
Signed and dated by all team members
Enforced by team members
Revisions if needed
Often posted at meeting place
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ECE360 – Principles of Design
S03 – DRV
A Typical
CODE OF COOPERATION
1. EVERY member is responsible for the team’s progress and success.
Should be as concise
as possible.
2. Attend team meetings and be on time.
3. Come to meetings prepared.
4. Carry out assignments on schedule.
5. Listen to and show respect for the contributions of other members; be and active listener.
Personalize, but do
not allow inappropriate
behaviors
6. CONSTRUCTIVELY criticize ideas, not persons.
7. Resolve conflicts constructively.
8. Pay attention and avoid disruptive behavior.
9. Avoid disruptive side conversations.
10. Only one person speaks at a time.
11. Everyone participates; no one dominates.
12. Be succinct. Avoid long anecdotes and examples.
13. The contributions of every member of the team are welcomed and each member is
encouraged to participate fully. Each team member is responsible for encouraging full
participation by all.
14. “Who says what” stays within the team; minutes, results, reports, etc. may be shared with
appropriate individuals.
15. Ask questions when you do not understand.
16. Attend to your personal comfort needs at any time, but minimize team disruption.
17. An agenda should be published at least one day in advance.
18. The team should be made aware of pending personal absences as soon as possible.
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sample available on web page
Calibrated Peer Review (CPR)
• Great way to learn about and
improve your writing
• Used in a number of classes
• Time Schedule is important and
unforgiving…
• See handout on Angel for details
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CPR Minutes Assignment
• Log into CPR now
– You are a new user!
– Afterwards, login with
userid and password
• Look at first
assignment (Keeping
Minutes)
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CPR Submissions in HTML
Don’t forget !
•Construct your assignment in Word (or other
processor)
•Save as HTML File
•View and copy the HTML source code
•Paste HTML source code into the CPR
submission box
Otherwise, there will be much
weeping and gnashing of teeth
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MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
ECE361 Class
Professor Ferguson
5 September 2005
Requested Information
Each team is requested to meet and decide upon two
matters:
1. Team Name and
2. Team Code of Cooperation
Submission of this information and the team membership is
requested from each team in memo format (angel dropbox)
by the end of the day. Any attached documents should have
the team name in the filename. Minutes of the team meeting
are also to be kept by each individual for a future activity.
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ECE 361 Assignments
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT – Obtain bound notebook for
course/project before next class
TEAM ASSIGNMENT - Prepare and submit a memo including
your team’s name, membership, and code of coop.
•
Primary author must be indicated
•
Due ASAP, one per team, via angel dropbox
•
Photocopy signed code and disperse to members and
instructor
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT – Work the CPR assignment
“Keeping Minutes”
•
Submit the minutes you took from the “Code of
Cooperation” meeting of your team
•
Mind the CPR schedule!
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References:
[1] K Smith, Project Management and Teamwork, 2nd ed.,
McGraw-Hill, 2004
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