This section will introduce three common structures for collaborative writing: face-to-face, skill-based division, and progressive tiered. When thinking about how your group completes a project, keep in mind the fact that there is more than one way to write effectively as a group. In fact, we recommend you try all three of the approaches outlined below throughout a group project keeping in mind the advantages and drawbacks for each. Each approach is best suited for certain aspects of team writing We also advocate teams begin a project by first electing a project manager whose primary responsibility is to ensure the group is communicating and that the project is completed on time. The most effective project managers tend to be highly organized individuals who are able to keep the team communicated and consumed on completing quality work on time.

Face-to-Face

As the name implies, this approach involves getting together as a group. Your group can and should meet in person (or using available technology like Skype) whenever possible early on in a project and again periodically depending on the size and scope of the project. Face-to-face collaboration is ideal for brainstorming ideas, planning the document’s goals, or discussing and addressing problems or concerns related to the project.

However, think about three people sitting at the computer trying to draft a document. One person is typing, perhaps another person is dictating his or her point to the typist, and the third individual is following along, making comments and suggestions as the draft unfolds. There is also a decent chance the person who is neither typing nor dictating becomes disengaged from the project when he is unable to see the screen or have his ideas also dictated into the draft.

As this example illustrates, it can certainly be harder to try and write a draft during a face-to face meeting. However, in projects that have a quick turnaround or on which team members have limited availability, this may prove your best option.

Skill-Based Division

It is not always necessary or productive to meet face-to-face at every stage of the writing project; there are times during a writing project when dividing and conquering the work based on team members’ individual strengths, skills, and availability makes more sense. In order for this approach to be effective, team members must be self-aware and disciplined, and the group must trust each other every step of the way.

Progressive Tiered

Lastly, think about the advantages of having one team member (perhaps someone who feels less confident in her skills as a writer) create the initial draft of a document and then forwarding it on to the next team member to add, delete, and ask questions. Depending on the number in your group, you may pass the draft to a second and third reader, each one adding to/taking away from the original draft. [Note: you should always keep a copy of each draft so that content is never lost for good.] Finally, perhaps one person, designated as the general editor, will act as a final reader.

Can you see how having a series of different writers revising and strengthening a draft can result in a much stronger document?

Common Collaborative Planning Documents

When given a collaborative project, it’s tempting to quickly divide the work into individual tasks and then just get the work done. This strategy might be successful in smaller projects, or with a group that has already developed a process for working with each other. For larger projects, or when working with new people, taking the time to establish ground rules for how the group will work and how the project will be completed will save time, reduce frustration, and typically yield a stronger finished product.

Team Charter

You likely will want to meet face-to-face to create a team charter; this document acts as an official record that group members have agreed upon.

A charter often consists of group as well as individual goals and objectives. More importantly, it will detail how the group will handle stressful situations.

What will you do if someone misses or cannot make a deadline? How will your group handle work that is subpar your agreed upon standards? How will the group measure success? What will the group do when there is a disagreement? These are the sorts of situations groups in the real word are likely to encounter at times, so having a plan in place that all team members agree on for these issues is essential.

Creating a team charter basically involves developing policies and procedures for how the group will work together. The self-reflection questions you and your group members answer at the beginning of your work together will help you with developing these policies. Creating a policy document does a lot of things for you and your group. It helps you all develop a clear idea of how the group has agreed to function. A good policy document will also have established policies on anticipated problems that group members can reference later on. Some things team charters typically cover include:

• Team and individual member goals
• Commitment of each team member
• Methods for communicating including meetings and other modes of discussion
• Conflict resolution
• How to handle missed deadlines and unacceptable work

Below is a sample team charter for a collaborative project in designing a brochure and writing an accompanying analysis of the group’s design. This example includes what we feel are important questions to address as a group.

 

Figure 14 Sample Team Charter

Once you have written your group’s charter it is much easier to be accountable to one another. Such accountability often goes up the ladder in the workplace, as well, as the document gets shared with supervisors and other members of higher management. For these reasons it is critically important that everyone agrees to the charter’s content. For your own protection (and mental health), don’t be afraid to speak up if you have questions and don’t sign anything until you are absolutely clear about the expectations.

Next, turn your attention back to the actual project. This means designing a document that breaks down the larger end product into the series of tasks required to successful complete the work. This is where a project schedules comes into play. Here, the goal is twofold:

• Breakdown the complex project into a series of more manageable tasks that take into account what you are learning about the writing process, planning, design, writing, and editing, for example. You want to include group due dates that allow plenty of time for revision before the final product is due.
• Delegate these specific tasks among the members of your team in a way that is fair and that maximizes each individual’s unique strengths as much as possible

Sample Task Schedule

The sample task schedule below is incomplete: The team is still working on the project and not all tasks from start to finish are entered.

Figure 15 Sample Task Schedule

Notice how the sample task schedule keeps track of each team member’s contribution total in addition to listing tasks and deadlines for each team member. This helps the team keep track of the workload and make sure work is evenly divided. Right now it looks like Joan is contributing a little less that the other two team members, but she will likely be assigned more work later in the project to balance things out.

Communication and Documentation

You should get in the habit of documenting all group communication. Doing so greatly improves a group’s ability to work efficiently and lessens the chance of breakdowns in communication. Consider how much time is saved when a project manager creates and distributes an agenda to the group before a face-to-face meeting – team members then know exactly what to expect and how to prepare for the meeting. And, as we have been learning, clear expectations leads to more efficient and effective communication which leads to an overall productive (and pleasant) workplace. Traditional forms of documentation include memos and emails, but there are other available means of communicating that we’d like to look at now.

Agendas and Meeting Minutes

Writing and using agendas and meeting minutes are standard practice for groups, committees, and all types of collaborative work scenarios in the workplace. It is super important to remember that these tools only work if everyone in the group has access to them in a timely manner. Agendas are basically a list of announcements that need to be made, topics to discuss, and a plan for upcoming work and meetings. Busy schedules demand that groups are organized. One of the biggest complaints of students about working in groups is the lack of time and wasted time in unproductive meetings; a well written agenda can solve this problem.

Also, remember that everyone needs to have a copy of the agenda before the actual meeting. The agenda allows for an organized and productive use of time. Too often student groups simply decide on a location and time for their meeting, but “wing it” when it comes to the actual goals and objectives for these meetings. As a result, different students bring different concerns and expectations to the meeting and more often than not, time is wasted as groups try and figure out what they need to discuss and address.

Figure 16 Sample Agenda

You may not be as familiar with the idea of keeping meeting minutes within team projects at work as you are with them in an organization you may be involved with, such as those of an honor or professional society, but the same fundamental purpose is served: a record of what was discussed and decided at every step of the project. These records can be invaluable if a team member becomes ill or gets unexpectedly replaced, or if the boss requests an update, as they provide concrete information and proof of progress.

Figure 17 Sample Meeting Minutes

Collaborating is a highly valued skill; employers want professionals who know how to work with others in order to complete workplace projects. Taking the time to know your strengths and weakness as well as those of your teammates is an important first step. From there, it is important to utilize a variety of approaches to collaborating. And, lastly, a group’s ability to work together efficiently and to address problems is greatly improved by employing the team documents discussed in this chapter.