It happens to all of us. We dread the time when we get assigned groups for a project because we know we may get put into a group of uninvested people. Those few seconds of fear wash over us as we seek out our new assigned group members. If you manage to get stuck with a group of people don’t touch the project until the last week of the term, then there are ways to problem solve.
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Accept what it is. Realize that you have a group member who has no motivation and no time management skills. Also know that you most likely cannot change their habits of not showing up or being committed (they are not ready for the real world).
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Split the work up evenly, and do your part first. If you get started on your own portion of the assignment then you will feel on track.
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Set small deadlines. Make a written out schedule with things that need to be accomplished for each meeting ahead. If you set mini deadlines for each group member, they may feel the need to get tasks completed on time because the whole group is relying on them to.
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Talk to your professor. Your teacher is there for help when things turn south. They may be able to re-assign you someone or grade your group member differently than the rest of you.
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Do not feel bad for their excuses. Usually when a group member is absent and putting in zero effort time and time again, it means they do not care. They have chosen to not be committed to a project and it is not your job to do their work.
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Ask your group for assistance with the missing pieces. If the absent group member has not done anything all term, you may have to ask all remaining members to pitch in and finish the portion that never got done. Sadly to say, sometimes this happens where someone does not pull their own weight, but do not let this burden fall on you only.
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Write a peer reflection. Most classes have you write out some sort of an evaluation of your group members, so use this space to explain what happened. You are not alone in this, and most likely your group will have similar thoughts to yours. Most likely you will receive a separate grade apart from your group, so don’t be afraid to speak your mind.
We know group projects can turn into a nightmare (yikes), and not all are like this, but if you find yourself in one, there are ways to still succeed. Don’t be discouraged right off the bat. You will find that hard work pays off and your efforts will be rewarded in the end.
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