Teamwork
Teamwork is a vital part of the project experience. Here are several
things to keep in mind while carrying out your project with your team
member(s):
- The project is too big for one person, and in
fact most interesting software requires multiple programmers to
complete in time to be competitive in the marketplace.
- Cooperation is required for success. Components and modules
need to be defined with interfaces so that team members don't
have to consult each other at every turn or have to know the
innards of their team member's code.
- Teamwork is an essential quality of developing software in
industry, not just a game. Every member of the team gets
the same grade, since the resulting software is the product of the
team's ability to effectively cooperate. If a team member slacks
off, then it is the other team member's responsbility to get him/her
involved so that the project is a success. It's also every team member's
responsibility to pull their weight. That's part of the grade.
- With good teamwork, the sum is greater than the parts. This is the
feeling that true teams get when they succeed, transcending economic
considerations for a kind of ethic or moral system: being part of
something bigger than yourself. With bad teamwork, the sum can be
much less than the parts. Be an adder, not a subtractor!
William Griswold
Sun Jan 3 1999