Good communication is key to success in any group project. It’s crucial to be able to ask your team members questions and get fast answers during the process. Also, there are many cases when students develop new great ideas while discussing the approaches they want to take to manage an assignment.

The good news is that the era of technological advancement gives you multiple opportunities to stay in touch with your peers when working on all kinds of projects. Texting is one of the tools that sends instant messages and keeps everyone informed about the progress. 

The speed of communication matters as it’s crucial to address every relevant question on time. For instance, you might decide that it’s time to use a paper writing service and hire an experienced writer to help you.

Then, all your group members need to agree with this decision or suggest an alternative solution. It is only one of the possible ways you can use texting to go through the step-by-step process of managing group projects. Here are some more ideas on how to use it effectively after you’ve created a group chat.

Set Ground Rules

Doing so will help you avoid chaos in your group chat. Instead of creating a space where everybody is doing what they want, establish expectations for response time, language, and the types of messages to send. For example, you can have a rule that forbids sending memes during serious discussions or using voice messages during nighttime. 

Share Contact Information

Every team member should be able to contact each other with urgent questions. Moreover, addressing questions directly to someone instead of asking everyone in the chat can be a more effective approach.

Therefore, make sure students have each other’s phone numbers for quick communication. You can also use text messages to assign tasks and responsibilities to each team member individually.

Make Quick Updates

One of the key goals of a group chat is keeping everyone informed about the progress. That is why there should be regular updates on the amount of work done, deadlines, or changes in plans. On top of that, you can send quick check-in messages to see if everyone is on track.

Share Documents and Links

Use file-sharing apps or cloud storage to share documents and links via text. After all, you will need to use reliable sources of information to support your ideas. You can also ask your teammates what sources they use to manage their part of the assignment. Some of them may have fee-based access to online libraries and can find exclusive data.

Brainstorm Ideas

Texting can be a great way to develop ideas and generate creative solutions. Whenever you get stuck during the process or read a text from one of the group members who can’t find a way out, try to collaborate and look for possible solutions together. You can set up meeting times and locations through text messages to discuss all important details.

Resolve Conflicts

Whenever there are many people involved in one project, there is a high probability of conflicts. If there are any disagreements, use text messages to discuss the issue professionally. Give yourself some time to calm down and decide how you want to handle this situation. One of the benefits of working together offline is that you can process your emotions and avoid contact until you are sure what to say.

Back-Up Important Conversations

Consider taking screenshots of important conversations for future reference. It can be time-consuming and distracting to scroll through all the messages with the goal of finding that one important bit of information. Also, remember that people can edit their messages and then tell you that you’ve misunderstood something.

Supplement with Other Communication Tools

Texting alone is not the key to a successful project. Use it together with other communication tools like email or video conferencing for more complex discussions.

While texting solves many problems and makes the flow of the process more structured, it should not be the only tool you use.

More Valuable Tips on Managing Group Projects

If you are looking for more ideas on how to create a smooth flow of the process while working on group projects, here they are:

• Define roles and responsibilities. It’s crucial to assign tasks to each group member to avoid confusion. Everyone should be aware of what they are responsible for and how much time they have to present their work.
• Respect diverse perspectives. Criticizing other students’ ideas can kill all the creativity and innovation of your project. Engage in polite discussions with your peers to explore your disagreements and decide what option is the most suitable to choose.
• Conflict resolution. Sometimes, you don’t choose whom to collaborate with. Therefore, there might be conflicts in the group. You aim to address disagreements calmly and professionally. Even if you are not fond of the person trying to prove you are wrong, try focusing on the issue rather than personal attacks. Treat your group members with respect, even if you think they are wrong about certain aspects
• Use project management tools. Depending on the scope of work, you might need to use tools like Trello, Asana, or Google Calendar to organize tasks and track progress. However, don’t make things overly complicated when there is no obvious need to do so. If your group can manage this project using Google Docs only, so be it.
• Celebrate successes. Although you and your peers will pay close attention to all kinds of inaccuracies and mistakes, it’s also important to acknowledge and celebrate your team’s achievements. You all work hard and deserve to be recognized for your contribution.

Summing Up

Now, you should have a clear idea of how to create a supportive and collaborative environment that empowers everyone to reach mutual goals. Effective communication is a cornerstone of any collaboration and often requires extra effort from all participants.

Nevertheless, using effective tools for texting and meeting with group members regularly will help you get through this process without stress.