Teamwork!

Group projects are a significant part of this program.  Just about every accounting class at UT assigns group work, though the format, weight, and intensity of the projects vary greatly from class to class. In some classes, you’ll have one or two projects that barely carry any weight. In others, the projects will become a significant part of your grade. My Cost Accounting class, for example, has a total of three cases, one big one and two little ones, that in total comprise 20% of the course grade.  These cases are generally problem-solving based (“determine why company A is losing money”), and they can be pretty involved. The big project of the semester requires a five-page write-up and a 15-minute group presentation accompanied by PowerPoint slides and in business casual dress. The smaller cases are just two-page executive summaries.

In Intermediate Accounting, the cases tend to be more analysis based (“how would this item be classified on the balance sheet in light of FASB codification and industry practice”).  The write-ups in Intermediate are short, just three double-spaced pages, but the stakes are much higher. The three projects make up 18% of the course grade, and for me, this is a critical 18%.

Grading tends to run from liberal (a completion grade) to competitive. In Intermediate Accounting, the grading is relative to the rest of the class. Groups are essentially pitted against each other. This means that receiving an A on a group project depends in large part upon how well or how poorly the other groups perform. This is the Texas MPA program after all, and you can imagine that with a dozen talented and motivated groups to contend with, the competition is stiff and the intensity is high.

Of course, you will be heavily reliant on your teammates’ contributions to get a decent score.  Therefore, some team member management (and personal management) is necessary.  After a semester and a summer of team projects, I have come up with the following general rules for successful team work.

Focus on getting everyone on the same page: This is should be the goal of every group meeting.  Make sure that everyone understands the assignment, discusses all potential arguments, and nails down the general direction of the project.

Dole out the responsibilities: Team writing–four to six strong-willed people arguing and agonizing over every single sentence of a write-up–is an exercise in futility.  The best strategy is to divvy up responsibilities, and let everyone work on their own.  Meetings are best used for determining general direction and answering big questions.

Play to people’s strengths: Definitely, some some group members will be better at some things than others.  Excel and PowerPoint experts should be put in charge of the tables, graphs and presentations.   Finance folks are probably best at doing the calculations and analyzing theory. Liberal Arts grads have some control over the editing of written drafts.

Trust is key: This is the MPA program.  Everyone is smart, and everyone is motivated to do a good job.  People work hard when they feel that their contributions are appreciated, and their opinions are respected.   These projects are MUCH easier to do when morale is high and everyone in the group is allowed to contribute.

One thought on “Teamwork!”

  1. Pingback: MPA Courses

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *