Chapter 1 of 8 · 4 checks · 3 min
Pick teammates and agree expectations
Your teammates matter more than your idea. Choose people you can rely on for a full year, check the group rules and write down how you will work together.
Check your department's group size and eligibility rules firstMust
Why it matters and how to check
Departments set rules on how many students can be in a group, whether members can come from different programmes or sections, and when groups must register. The University of Lahore's Islamabad campus guidelines, for example, allow at most three members, all from the BSCS programme.
Read your handbook before you agree to form a group, so nobody is surprised by a rule that splits the team later. Check it is done: you can state your department's maximum group size, eligibility rule and registration deadline.
Do
- Read the group rules in your handbook
- Note the group registration deadline
Avoid
- Forming a group that breaks the size or programme rule
Choose teammates for reliability, not only friendship or gradesMust
Why it matters and how to check
The most useful question about a potential teammate is not "are they the best programmer?" but "do they finish what they say they will, on time, without being chased?". A reliable average programmer is worth more over a year than a brilliant one who disappears.
Look at evidence: how they behaved in earlier group assignments, whether they meet deadlines, how they communicate when they are stuck. Be honest about yourself too. Check it is done: for each teammate you can name a past group task they completed reliably.
Do
- Look at how people behaved in earlier group work
- Talk openly about each person's availability this year
Avoid
- Choosing a team only because you are friends
Aim for complementary skills and shared interest in the ideaShould
Why it matters and how to check
A team where everyone wants to do the frontend, or nobody wants to write, struggles. List the skills the project needs, such as backend, mobile, machine learning, design, testing and writing, and check the team covers most of them, with at least one person keen on each.
Shared interest matters as much as skills. A teammate who does not care about the problem is more likely to drift. Check it is done: you have a short table of needed skills with a name next to each.
Do
- Map needed skills to team members
- Pick an idea everyone is genuinely interested in
Avoid
- A team where every member has the same strengths
Write a one-page team agreement in the first weekMust
Why it matters and how to check
A team agreement sets expectations before problems happen. Keep it short and practical: weekly hours each member commits, how and how quickly you reply to messages, when the team meets, how decisions are made, how work is reviewed, and what happens if someone misses deadlines repeatedly, including when the supervisor is told.
Everyone signs or approves it, and the supervisor gets a copy. If a problem arises later, you point to what everyone agreed instead of arguing about expectations. Check it is done: a dated agreement exists in your shared folder and every member has approved it.
Do
- Include hours, response times, meetings and escalation
- Share a copy with your supervisor
Avoid
- Relying on unspoken assumptions about effort