SM: Group projects can often be difficult when a team is made up of ambitious people with different ideas. What are some good ways to get everyone to work cohesively?
Kousser: One of the great-yet-challenging things about college is that it is full of shepherds rather than sheep, so you need to set some ground rules to figure out which way your flock will go. Since there are bound to be disagreements about the direction that the project should take as it moves along, you need to start out by deciding how those problems will be resolved: by consensus, by a unanimous vote, by giving each team member absolute authority over one portion of the project, etc. If you can agree about how to disagree before the fighting starts, this will give you a way to work through contentious issues.

SM: Why would you be inclined to assign a group project instead of individual work?
Kousser: Life is a group project. Whether you are going to be serving on a jury, being part of a team at work or enjoying the loving skirmishes of a marriage, you are going to need to figure out how to work and resolve issues together, and group projects can give you useful practice.

SM: When working together on a project, it’s obviously crucial to have meetings and keep one another informed on individual progress. What are good ways to be time-efficent?
Kousser: Start every meeting with an agenda. It doesn’t have to be anything more formal than an e-mail or a text message, but if you begin with a plan for what you want to talk about, you can keep a meeting short and effective.

SM: Any other advice or comments?
Kousser: Please take all of my comments with a grain of salt, because the worst grade I ever got in college was on a group project!