Answer

     The problems identified from the contract template

The first issue is with the arrangement of the contract template. I feel the arrangement is not to levels of satisfaction as it can create some confusion because of the mixing of roles and others seem to be repeated. An example is the team name should have started followed by the names of the members and background information concerning the group. The team operations and responsibilities are separated on the template which might confuse the members because the two sounds similar. Having the two separate brings the element of duplication of the team members’ duties which is unnecessary. The above issue must be discussed to avoid conflicts within the group due to the unclearly defined arrangement of the various headings of the template.

The other problem is that the template does not contain the code of conduct that will guide the team members in doing a professional job. Work ethics are essential on a group project thus must be highlighted on the template to bring sanity on the group members. In addition, each member must agree and sign on the acceptable code of ethics so as to confine themselves to executing their duties professionally. Matters such as discussion, time of meeting and mode of communication will be easily moderated through instilling project code of ethics.

The sections of the template are a bit many which might make it vague and lengthy for the member to easily comprehend. Discussion on the sections to collate will assist the members easily memorize the temple and follow wholeheartedly. Nowadays people are living on the era of short and to the point information thus the problem of the nine sections of the template must be reduced and summarized for the members to understand better as compared to the current state. Justification to reduce is supported by five steps of Tuckman’s ladder which emphasizes in clear and concise contract template.

                         Recommendations to improve the problems on the team contract template

The issue of template arrangement can be improved through brainstorming sessions with the members of the team project. A consensus will be easily reached depending on the kind of project the group is undertaking. The first section to appear is the name of the project and its team members. Having this first will provide any person with quick information concerning the project being undertaken. This is followed by the section of the history of the project. Next are the purpose and team goals and objectives. Next is team operations and duties. The next is the team evaluation and assessment. Finally, the code of ethics is important for each member to sign. 

Project members come from different cultural background thus is important to have a uniform way of doing activities within the group. This is only possible by having rules and regulations to be followed by the team members. It is essential to document them in the contract template and have the members read before signing so that they can commit themselves to obey. The ethics can be on matters of solving conflicts, how to behave, the language of communication with team members and individual contributions to achieving the goals of the project.

Ideally having sizeable sections of the contract template brings efficiency to the team due to fast understanding. Ideally is recommendable to have five to six sections. In this case, the nine sections can be reduced to six. The team assessment and support can be joined into one. The purpose, objectives and goals can be joined into one section. In addition, the team duties and operations can be merged into one section but clearly articulated.