Group assignments are an essential
component of learning, yet when ‘group assignment’ is uttered it’s often followed
by a collective eye-roll or groan. Thankfully, gone are the days of group assignments being the bane of everyone’s tertiary-education experience. We’ve found the best tools and thrown in a couple of handy tips to
help your group assignment run as smoothly as possible.
Online databases
Most universities and institutes
will have an electronic resource database that students can access for free.
This is where you and your group members can access hundreds of online
resources, such as journals and case studies, which can support your studies
and research.
Depending on the course you study,
The Tax Institute has additional resources available from subject sponsors. For
example, if you are studying a Graduate Diploma of Applied Tax Law you will
have access to resources from sponsors such as Wolters Kluwer CCH and Thomson Reuters.
There are also a number of free or
subscription-based databases and search engines useful for finding and
accessing articles in academic journals, repositories or other collections of
articles. For example, the Australasian Legal
Information Institute is a free online resource with state-specific tax and law
databases, news and journals.
Collaboration
apps
From managing to-do lists to
sharing links and files, Trello is a great
project management application. Trello brings everything together in the one
place and represents your assignments as ‘boards’. Creating a
board is simple to do, as is adding lists and cards. This function makes it
easy to organise work and breaks large assignments into manageable sections.
You can assign tasks to fellow users and set due dates, or allow users to claim
items they would like to complete. Trello integrates files not only with your
computer but with just about every other platform, including OneDrive, Google
Drive, Dropbox and many more. Trello’s basic features are all available
in the free version.
Slack is another great collaboration app
that allows users to discuss ideas, ask questions and share files instantly
with team members, all in the one place. Slack has different channels that
allow for conversations to be organised in different ways from groups to
topics. Slack's basic package is
free to use.
When you’ve complied all your research from online libraries and databases,
you can use Evernote to bring all your
documents into the one place. Evernote is a great app that allows you to save and share web articles with your group
members, as well as take in-text notes. Evernote also has task-tracking
capabilities, which allows you to discuss progress with your team.
Allocate tasks to
each member
Group assignments often go awry
when there’s zero accountability
or if boundaries are blurred. Using a collaboration app, such as Trello, is a great way to
assign roles and responsibilities to each group member based on their talents
and strengths. In saying that,
it is also important to be flexible when it comes to offering support and
sharing the workload. The most effective collaborative projects are a game of
give and take.
Set expectations from the outset
If you want to deliver an
exceptional group assignment, communication is key. Setting clear time frames
and establishing deadlines in advance will ensure that important tasks unfold
smoothly. During your initial meeting, remind group members to flag issues and
obstacles as soon as they occur. Once again, using an app like Slack can help
create on open dialogue, set clear expectations and will get you closer to your
goal.
Embrace active listening
Unlike working independently, group
assignments mean committing to listening to your partners’ perspectives and putting yourself in their shoes. The art of
taking the time to listen and provide feedback on other ideas will make your
fellow collaborators feel respected and trusted. Making every effort to
cultivate strong working relationships can determine whether your joint project
succeeds or fails.
Understand how to negotiate conflict
Even if you set clear expectations
and listen to your team members’ input, problems
will occasionally arise. If team members disagree on something, allow them the
time and space to communicate their issues and vote on the outcome as a group.
Knowing how to overcome conflict and turn criticism into constructive feedback
is an undeniably powerful skill.
It’s worth remembering that career
success isn't related to hard
skills alone. Whether you aspire to become an accountant or dream about a
career in corporate tax, a knack for soft skills such as communicating and
collaborating with clients and stakeholders is more likely to ensure that you
excel. What are your top tips for collaborative working?
Need the perfect resource tool, have a look at membership with The Tax Institute. Find out more today!
