Monday, September 29, 2008

Planning Exercise Analysis

Overall, the "Eggs-cellent" planning exercise was very interesting and engaging. It taught me some lessons about the planning process. My group was not very specific about each step in the planning process. I think we tried to accomplish as much as possible in a limited amount of time so we rushed through most of the steps. However, we were successful at reaching our goal due to each member's strong motivation and willingness to get the 5 extra points.
Talking about each planning phase, my team spent some time on step 1 where we tried to understand our task as precisely as possible so as not to have any surprises. In the beginning, we thought it may be a trick exercise so we did not want to be misled. In step 2, we examined the objects we were expected to work with and we decided not to use the scissors as we had no urgency to utilize it. Speaking of step 3, we were evaluating alternative strategies throughout the whole exercise. Even when we drew the sketch and had a strategy in mind, we revised it again because we thought of a better solution. In step 4, we did not allocate any roles to the members. Everyone contributed to the team as much and as fast as they could. In my opinion, step 5 was the most crucial for us. We kept revising the plan all the time in the hopes of finding the perfect egg construction. 
I think we skipped some of the steps because of the lack of allotted time. However, this did not prevent us from reaching the goal. Our team work was very efficient and to the point. We could not afford to waste any time on sharing the responsibilities or identifying the necessary tactics to implement the strategy. Perhaps if we had more time and the resources were not limited we could have been more effective. Nevertheless, I am satisfied with the work we have performed and the great result we have achieved- after all, our "Unbreakable" egg did not break! 

1 comment:

Irenelovesgreen said...

While the eggs were being dropped, and did not break, I was impressed. Since our egg broke, all I kept thinking was, what other groups did that we did not. As I read about your challenges, I thought we did it all except the delegation of roles, even though your group didn't really plan that out either, however your group somehow managed in the end. For us, we started with a plan that two people hold the egg, two people tape the straws, and one person oversees/observes and assists with any materials needed to be handed over. Just like in your case, it came down to time, and due to the lack of it, and added pressure for 5 points toward the exam, we all panicked. Unlike your group, we did not alter our design at the last moments with the egg, and what we hope wouldn't happen, did! These types of plans are usually easier said than done, and our egg was proof.