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Project 4 Team Contract Template

[Download a copy of this contract template in MS Word format.]

At a minimum, the contract should address the concerns listed below. Depending on your group’s rhetorical situation, you may decide to add other areas of concern to the contract. This contract will help hold your group accountable and keep you on task and on schedule. Be as specific as possible.

  1. Group Expectations
    1. What are your group goals for this project? What do you want to accomplish? Be more ambitious than “Getting things done on time and getting a good grade.” Think about this in the same way you would think about a project for a client. In other words, how will you know that you have created a successful information campaign? Imagine, for example, if a client asked you what your goals were and your response was “To get this in by the deadline and to get paid.” That response would not inspire confidence.
    2. What quality of work do you expect from each group member, and what strategies will you employ to ensure that you fulfill these standards?
    3. How will you encourage ideas from all team members?
  2. Tasks and Deadlines
    1. What tasks need to be completed by when, and by whom? You have already been provided with your major milestones; you need to break these down into smaller tasks and deadlines to ensure an even and fair distribution of responsibilities.
    2. What hardware will be used for the project?
    3. What software will be used for the project?
    4. What method will be used for sharing assets? Create one central method for this, not an ad hoc method that changes from week to week.
    5. What method will be used for creating and maintaining a backup of project files? Create one central method for this, not an ad hoc method that changes from week to week.
  3. Group Procedures
    1. What is the preferred method of communication for sharing information about meetings, updates, reminders, and problems? (For example, will you use email, a project-management system like Basecamp or Trello, texting, phone calls, face-to-face meetings, or some other combination?)
    2. What will be the dates, times, and locations of meetings? Set these up now, not as you go along through the semester.
    3. How will you maintain and share notes and other information generated or shared during meetings? Create one central method for this, not an ad hoc method that changes from week to week.
    4. By what process will you agree to make any changes to the initial decisions made under "Tasks and Deadlines"?
  4. Personal Accountability
    1. Define each team member’s expected level of responsibility for attending meetings, responding to communication from other group members, and completing assigned tasks on time.
    2. Describe how the group will handle a team member who does not comply with the contract. What are the consequences? How will you handle conflict?

Adopted and adapted from Kristin L. Arola, Ball, Cheryl E.; Sheppard, Jennifer (2014-01-09). Writer/Designer Bedford/St. Martin's. 86.

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