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!