Blog for group work

In the following I will be reviewing the group work for the project of producing a game design document. The task was for the group of 4 members to produce a document to fully outline the plan for a game concept.

To start the task off the group had a general meeting to discuss what ideas we all had for games. Once all group members had put forward their own idea we then discussed in more detail the individual game ideas. This helped us all add to our initial ideas and also choose the game we wanted to create the design document on.

At the end of this meeting the whole group decided to create the document on a space simulation game. At this stage we also selected a group leader that would be responsible for overseeing the project and also to make any decisions that the group could not agree upon. At this stage of the group work it was clear the group as a whole had many ideas for the game document but we would only discuss the ideas verbally and nobody within the group took notes of meetings. This sometimes meant ideas were adapted or forgotten.

At the next group meeting we decided to share the work out with each member being given their own section to start work on. This was documented which made sure all work was shared out equally and that no work would be repeated twice. Once every member was clear about their individual tasks no further group meetings were arranged but it was mutually agreed we would stay in contact via email and MSN.

As the project was a long running project work that was completed by a group member was then copied out in an email to all members for feedback and suggestions. This was also vital as some of the sections separated would overlap and help another group member finish their own section. Although the group stayed in constant contact via email and gave encouraging feedback to one another it did sometimes become confusing on what version of a draft piece of work had already been read through.

Towards the end of the project it was decided to not leave one person to put the final document into the finished copy but to do this as a group. This did help with the presentation of the document as constant feedback was given whilst it was all being added together. It also gave a chance for all the work to be re-read over making sure all ideas had been documented as originally intended. Although doing this had its benefits it did sometimes become awkward as again the individual group members would prefer a certain layout to others.

Once all the work had been put together each member then proof read the final copy to check for any mistakes and also to help each person fully grasp the game as a whole instead of just their individual sections.

The group did work very well together. There was always help and support and positive criticism the whole way through the project. It would have helped if the group had documented more of the meetings as this would have saved time later on for when the group split to complete the individual tasks. Designating a group leader also helped through the project as it stopped any arguments arising if there was a conflict of ideas the group leader would always have the final say.