COMP3615/5615Capstone Projects

Week 32015

This lab and week

• Group work terminology based on Big-5– Cf. XP roles and methods

• First user stories• Grading for Week 5 and 6 assessments

About working in groups

And learning how to do it more effectively

Why is this here?

• Provides vocabulary which aids communication and thinking

• Enables you to report challenges faced and strategies used to overcome them

• Use these terms in reports• Connect them to XP terms, roles and

processes

Why group learning?

Group

Work

SuccessFactors

Learning

IndividualLearning

Motivation

Cognition

Learn to Work in teams

CollaborativeLearning

Values

Social Capital

Learning group work skills is very important

Reflected in accreditation requirementsReflected in University’s generic attributes

http://cusp.sydney.edu.au/students/view-unit-page/alpha/COMP3615Project and Team Skills (Level 3)

Level 3: Small project proficiency. Proficiently applies standard project management tools & methods for assigned project activities on a small team scale.

Problems for groups

• Establishing common ground• Social loafing (free-riding)• Increased rudeness/aggression• Tend to focus on task/production at the cost of

catering to psychological needs• Tend to focus on action at the cost of reflectionFrustration with quality of interactionFeel collaboration overhead too high Groups producing solutions very quickly are often the

least stable

Big Five Theory Team Effectiveness

Salas, Eduardo, Dana E. Sims, and C. Shawn Burke. "Is there a “Big Five” in teamwork?." Small group research 36.5 (2005): 555-599.

3. Back-upBehavior

2. MutualPerformanceMonitoring

4. Adaptibility

Goal: TeamEffectiveness

1. TeamLeadership

5. TeamOrientation

S2. Mutual Trust

S1. Shared MentalModels

S3. Closed LoopCommunication

Support

Team leadership

Ability to direct and coordinate the activities of other team members, assess team performance, assign tasks, develop team knowledge, skills, and abilities, motivate team members, plan and organize, and establish a positive atmosphere.

Mutual performance monitoring

The ability to develop common understandings of the team environment and apply appropriate task strategies to accurately monitor team mate performance.

Backup behaviour

Ability to anticipate other team members’ needs through accurate knowledge about their responsibilities. This includes the ability to shift workload among members to achieve balance during high periods of workload or pressure.

Adaptability

Ability to adjust strategies based on information gathered from the environment through the use of backup behaviour and reallocation of intra-team resources. Altering a course of action or team repertoire in response to changing conditions (internal or external).

Team orientation

Propensity to take other’s behaviour into account during group interaction and the belief in the importance of team goal’s over individual members’ goals.

Three Support Elements

Shared mental models

An organizing knowledge structure of the relationships among the task the team is engaged in and how the team members will interact.

Mutual trust

The shared belief that team members will perform their roles and protect the interests of their teammates.

Closed-loop communication

The exchange of information between a sender and a receiver irrespective of the medium.

Easy case: 3-step communication

How does this relate to XP?

• Leadership• Performance monitoring• Backup behaviour• Adaptability• Team orientation• Shared mental models• Mutual trust• Closed Loop Communication (3 steps on wiki)

Priority tasks for this week

• Based on tutor feedback, refine, improve, complete targets for this week.• Select first target stories, with client agreement that they are the top priority,

with allocation of work to each team member• Research foundations ready to share with the client and to seek advice on

what they would like you to research