So we’ve launched into Module 4, with a hiss and a roar I have thrown myself at Google Analytics, watched Avinash, dug into the depths of the Squared website and tried to turn the metrics into insights.  There was the hiatus of Christmas which has slowed things up a bit, but tonight, 1 week left of the assignment, I think we may have had everyone from my new group in a hangout. I don’t know, as I don’t know everyone’s name yet.  Bonding this time around has been quite static, I’ve got to know one member as we’ve caught each other online and had a chat. Also we both needed to get our heads back in the game post New Years and rattled some things around last night which was good.

But why has this just got me yearning for my old group? Domus Viridus come back!  There were only 4 of us in the end, but we managed to just crack on and move mountains. I feel if there are too many in the group, it descends into chaos and that is precisely where I feel now with my new group. Too many people, too many opinions, no consistency and no planning. You have to go by consensus in these things, state your point and then what? Back away?

If you have ever been part of a focus group there is always a moderator. They sit slightly to the side, introduce, and then usually just allow the flow of conversation, they keep it on track, throw in questions, and they also stop the dominant loud ones from swaying the conversation/direction/flow of the group. They allow all opinions to be heard. This is even harder when you are working online, via a hangout and a lack of personal interaction.

I know personalities play a huge part, but my desire to hit mute just keeps growing. As it is, I feel there are group members who are drifting and can easily not participate through this entire assignment.

What is frustrating, is that I am loving the analytics side of things. Digging in, focusing on the customer experience, what isn’t working and how we could change it, so I am ensuring I am taking as much knowledge from this assignment as I can. But I am still disappointed with the group dynamics, and it is annoying how this being a group assignment, I feel the final mark for this assignment is a lot further out of my control.

Where to from here? Supposedly we keep the same groups for Module 5, an assignment I know will be a lot more interactive. Guess it’s a watch this space at this rate.