Download Team Proposal

Team Proposal
Like all memos, this team proposal memo should have an accurate and
interesting subject line (NOT the name of the assignment), an introduction that
previews the memo, and a clear sense of audience and purpose. Your team
proposal should be written in the form of a memo to your instructor.
To create your team’s proposal, work together to revise and add to the
preliminary proposal of the team member whose project your team
selected.
Do the following:
1. Revise the introduction so it is clear that this is a team proposal, not a
preliminary proposal. After describing the problem the project will
address, explain why your team chose this project over the other
available topics. Your team proposal should show your instructor that you
have made a thoughtful decision about the topic of your project.
2. Revise the body of the memo, keeping the sections already there, and
adding any that were missing. Be sure to address all concerns noted on
the original draft, being especially careful to address areas where the
preliminary proposal did not meet the criteria or did not clearly explain how
the project meets the criteria. For example, the preliminary proposal may
not have clearly defined the problem; it may have neglected to name the
target audience; or it may have failed to mention the possible type(s) of
primary research that might be appropriate.
3. Add to the proposal the following three sections:
Group strengths and weaknesses: Every group has strengths and
weaknesses, and the key to successful teamwork is to be aware of what they
are. That way you can work around the limitations and maximize the strengths.
Although you’ve just started working together, you can still share and assess the
strengths and weaknesses of your team. So in this section, you will describe your
team:
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What talents or skills do each of you bring to the work? For
example, are any of you experienced at doing library research?
Have any of you used APA documentation before? Does anyone
on the team have a major area of study related to the topic? Does
anyone have particularly good editing skills?
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What are other interests or skills of individual team members that
will contribute to the team’s work?
What limitations do you think your team faces? Do you foresee any areas where
the team will be lacking or will need extra help?
Policies and procedures: What policies and procedures has your team
developed to help you become a successful team?
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How will your team keep track of deadlines and who’s doing what?
What specific strategies from our handbook Group Work and
Collaborative Writing (see link under Tools in Oncourse) will your team
incorporate to help you get past disagreements?
Is your team going to appoint a coordinator or co-coordinators for each
phase of the project? For the entire project? (Will your team rotate the
leadership?)
What strategies will your team use to discourage groupthink? How will
your team work together to insure that everyone’s voice is heard?
How will your team handle issues such as excessive absenteeism, chronic
tardiness, late or missing work from team members, etc.?
How will you decide when to involve the instructor in resolving problems?
I require teams members to post their drafts on Oncourse prior to class.
What other procedures will you follow to ensure that the work is completed
and available to the team? Explain.
Preliminary Questions: What questions do you have for your instructor as you
begin?