The University of Georgia
FTP EMBA XIV
Team 4 Contract and Agreement (“Contract” or “Agreement”)
PURPOSE STATEMENT AND OBJECTIVE
Team 4 (“the UGA Executors” or “The Executors” or “the team”) consists of an eclectic mix of individuals working toward the completion of a professional MBA at the University of Georgia. The UGA Executors constantly strive for excellence, hold themselves to the highest standards, and will stop at nothing short of greatness. The UGA Executors will utilize the strengths of each member while contributing to the further development of weaknesses in order to deliver the best end product. The team’s ultimate objective is to graduate with a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Georgia while learning the skills necessary for further career progression and development.
AGREEMENT
The UGA Executors hereby enter into the following agreement on the 7th of October in the year 2012 and agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
GRADE EXPECTATIONS
The primary objective of the UGA Executors is to achieve a letter grade of “A” on each assignment. Each team member (“Executor” or “member” or “group member”) is expected to work to the best of his or her ability to help achieve a team letter grade of “A”. Each member is expected to fully understand all areas of responsibility placed upon him or her during each assignment and to complete all parts of his or her assignment by the required team deadline (minimum of 48 hours prior to the due date set by the professor). Each team member is expected to ensure that the final project submitted through collaborative team effort is of the highest quality possible. Lastly, it is expected of each Executor to strive towards the achievement of academic excellence in all team assignments as measured by the University of Georgia as well as strictly adhere to the Academic Honesty Policy and Code of Conduct as set forth by the University of Georgia.
ARTICLE II
EXECUTORS MEETINGS
2.1 PURPOSE
The purpose of each meeting is to allow open communication amongst the team members and to report to other members the status of ongoing projects and assignments. There is no default organizational structure for each individual meeting. It is recommended that the project leader guide the team members in accomplishing all objectives of the meeting set forth by the Project Leader. At the conclusion of each team meeting, it is expected that all individual members be informed of all areas of an assignment by the other team members and that any additional pertinent information be conveyed to the team. It is expected that each Executor understand his or her role and responsibilities of the individual assignment prior to moving forward.
2.2 MEETING SCHEDULE
The UGA Executors agree to have an established meeting time of 7:00 PM every Sunday (“the Sunday meeting” or “team meeting”). All meetings unless otherwise noted will take place in the SunTrust Reading Room at the Buckhead Terry College of Business campus. Additionally, the team will meet briefly after Wednesday class session for a period of 15-30 minutes (“15/30” or “Wednesday 15/30”) to discuss the week’s upcoming meeting(s) and assignment(s). Should the Executors agree by majority vote that the Sunday meeting is not necessary for that week, the team will not meet. The Sunday meeting may be rescheduled for a different day, be held via conference call or video chat, or any other medium the team deems acceptable. Should the Executors agree by majority vote that a team meeting is necessary, the Sunday meeting will take place as scheduled. The team reserves the right to schedule additional ad hoc meetings as necessary at any time of the week for an undetermined duration with the consensus of a majority vote.
2.3 MEETING AND COMMUNICATION MEDIUMS
Team members are expected to be able to have access to a uniform online communication medium as necessary (i.e. Skype, Google Hangout, or another form of video chat) or by conference call when face-to-face meetings are not possible or necessary. The presence of every team member is not required at every meeting or conference call but proper notification of an Executor’s absence must be given to the Administrator in advance of the scheduled meeting time. If a team member is going to be significantly tardy to a group meeting (more than 15 minutes), proper notification must be given to the Administrator.
2.3.1 All meetings, conference calls, video chats, etc. will be posted on The UGA Executors’ blog (“the blog” or “Blog”) via announcements and the Calendar function.
ARTICLE III
PROCEDURES
3.1 INSTRUCTION
The UGA Executors will follow all procedures set forth in this agreement and those provided by the Project Leader for each group assignment. Each member will follow the deadlines and timeline of each assignment as indicated by the Project Leader. All members are responsible for keeping the group informed of any discrepancies or problems that should arise due to personal or business conflict. Should a group member not fully understand his or her role or assignment, it is up to that group member to ask for additional clarification. It is expected that all Executors adhere to the procedures set forth by the Contract and Project Leader.
3.2 TEAM ROLES AND ROLE SELECTION
3.2.1 The Project Leader (or “Leader”) will rotate on a per project basis such that each Executor has the opportunity to fulfill this role at least once. This position will be determined based on the strengths of the individual the team feels would be best-suited for the project as well as the flexibility of other large commitments and will be voted on by the team for each project. The Project Leader will work closely with the Administrator to have all announcements, items, and timeline obligations posted to the Blog as well preparing the upcoming meeting agenda. Should conflict arise, the Leader will also manage conflict with the assistance of the Conflict Administrator.
i. Responsible for creating an outline of the goals and tasks necessary to complete each project as well as ensuring each task and responsibility is delegated appropriately and accordingly.
ii. Responsible for leading and providing direction at team meetings.
iii. Sets timeline for individual deliverables TO the Leader while keeping all team members informed of each deadline and all timeline entries.
iv. Has the discretion to assign additional tasks for the other Executors in order to complete the final deliverable in a timely manner.
v. Responsible for critique and final edits of each individual contribution.
vi. Responsible for the compilation of the team’s final deliverable.
vii. Must have compilation of final deliverable for the Sunday meeting prior to the due date for review and approval of all Executors.
viii. Responsible for obtaining approval and signatures of all Executors on the Project Approval Agreement (see Section X, Appendix B) prior to submission of final deliverable.
ix. Must upload final deliverable to eLC no later than 24 hours prior to due date assigned by the professor.
3.2.2 The Administrator (“Admin”) shall work closely with each Project Leader to keep the team well-informed of group announcements. The Admin will serve as primary point of contact for anything that is not project-related. If the Admin does not have an immediate answer to any inquiry of a group member, it is the responsibility of the Admin to do the necessary research to find the answer.
i. Updates and maintains The UGA Executives Blog on an ongoing basis which contains all announcements, agendas, calendar of due dates, group members’ extra commitments, any minutes of the team meetings
ii. Responsible for posting all pertinent information to the Blog including any requests by other Executors.
iii. Works closely with the Project Leader to obtain any information to place in the Sunday meeting agenda
iv. First line of defense in managing conflict (also the “Conflict Administrator”) to maintain anonymity among the group
v. Maintain a separate record of all Project Approval Agreements
vi. Maintain a separate record of all completed projects
vii. The team Administrator for all intents and purposes is Brittany Piper. The group reserves the right to select an alternative individual to serve as Administrator if necessary.
3.2.3 Other roles will be assigned on an as-needed basis as determined by project requirements and assignments. Tasks and assignments shall be allocated accordingly for management and completion as agreed upon by the collaborative group.
3.3 TASK/ASSIGNMENT COMPLETION
Each Executor is responsible for completion of all individually assigned tasks in a timely manner. The due date shall be determined by each Project Leader in order to provide adequate time for review and feedback by the rest of the team. All deadlines will be determined by the Project Leader and can be adjusted if necessary. All individual contributions are due to the Project Leader 48 hours in advance of assigned deadlines. For Sunday meeting work, all individual contributions are due no later than Friday evening at 8:00 PM. At Sunday meetings, the team will work on a collaborative basis to determine any additional markups or edits. Upon agreement on the final deliverable for each project, all Executors will sign the Project Approval Agreement (see Article IX, Appendix B) which will be maintained in a separate folder by the Admin.
3.4 PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS
Each group member shall be responsible for utilizing the following tools as necessary
i. Conference calls via designated phone number (given when necessary) and passcode
ii. Video conference such as Skype or Google Hangout when necessary
iii. Central online storage of project documents in Google Docs (will be accessible from the blog)
ARTICLE IV
TEAM PARTICIPATION
All Executors will be actively engaged in each project and assignment and will commit the necessary time and energy to successfully complete each project. All team members must work to the best of their ability to deliver his or her contribution for the most comprehensive project. As indicated in Article III, Section 2, the team members will elect by majority vote the Project Leader on a project-by-project basis. Although the Project Leader is responsible for final edits and uploading of the final deliverable, each team member is responsible for his or her contribution which must be submitted no later than the Friday before the mandatory pre-submission Sunday meeting. Adjustments to participation will be discussed as a group as there are times of unforeseen circumstance that will hinder 100% commitment by a team member. The team will be understanding of these unforeseen circumstances and will work collectively to accommodate all group members. Upon completion of final edits and markups by the Project Leader, each team member must sign the Project Approval Agreement to document approval of the final deliverable.
ARTICLE V
PHASE AND FINAL DELIVERABLES
5.1 DELIVERABLES
By default, deliverables are due to the Project Leader no later than 48 hours in advance of the project due date. The Project Leader reserves the right to adjust the group due date at his or her discretion provided ample notification is given to all group members.
5.2 FINAL PROJECT SUBMISSION
Completed projects may only be submitted after each group member has signed the applicable Project Approval Agreement. By signing said agreement, each Executor states they are content with the work and believes it to be of satisfactory standards for final delivery.
ARTICLE VI
DECISION MAKING
The UGA Executors will utilize the opinions of all team members in order to make final decisions. Each team member has the ability to provide feedback and make suggestions to another team member’s contribution(s), scheduling, or any other aspect of the group assignment which affects all team members. Individual feedback may be utilized based on the additional opinions of the collaborative group. Should a disagreement arise, the collaborative votes of the team will resolve any conflict. This allows for all group members to express his or her opinion and have each opinion considered equally.
ARTICLE VII
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
7.1 DEALING WITH CONFLICT
All Executors recognize that conflict is a part of any group or entity containing two or more persons. In most situations conflict is manageable and often productive, however should extreme conflict occur, the group has determined the following course of action
i. Any individual (the “initiating party”) who determines that extreme conflict is present should notify the Conflict Administrator (“Administrator” or “Admin”) of the situation.
ii. The Conflict Administrator will collect all necessary information and attempt anonymous mediation. During this process, the Conflict Administrator will explain the situation to both parties separately and suggest any alternative action(s) and/or appropriate resolution. In an attempt to limit further aggravation, names shall be withheld during the mediation and conflict resolution process.
iii. Should a period of one (1) week elapse from the date of mediation without resolve, a verbal warning may be given to one or both parties if extreme conflict still exists.
iv. Should a period of one (1) week elapse from the date of verbal warning without resolve, a Written Notification of Extreme Conflict (see Article IX, Appendix C) may be administered to one or both parties if group majority determines the extreme conflict still exists.
v. Should a period of one (1) week elapse from the date of written warning without resolve, the individual(s) may be referred to Rachel Elliot with the majority vote of the group.
vi. Note that written record will be maintained by the Conflict Administrator of any warning(s), written and verbal, administered to any Executor.
7.2 REPLACING THE CONFLICT ADMINISTRATOR
The group reserves the right to select an alternative individual to serve as conflict administrator at any time with a majority vote.
ARTICLE VIII
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
8.1 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
i. Executor: Any team member of The UGA Executors
ii. Project Leader: The leader of a current group assignment as determined by the group
iii. Administrator: Executor responsible for administrative-type duties of the team. Also serves as Conflict Administrator.
iv. Deliverable: Any individual contribution or final team project to be submitted to the Project Leader or professor
v. Final Deliverable: The final project to be submitted to the professor
vi. Extreme Conflict: Any collision or disagreement between two or more parties that is detrimental to group productivity or morale resulting from, but not limited to, personality conflicts, differences of opinion, routine tardiness or absence, disrespect, harassment, or any other differences deemed by the majority of the group.
vii. Mediation: An anonymous attempt by the designated Conflict Administrator to resolve any conflict between two or more parties involved in extreme conflict.
viii. Conflict Administrator: Executor responsible for conflict mediation between two or more involved parties.
ix. Initiating Party: The person or persons initiating a complaint of extreme conflict.
8.2 EXECUTOR CONTACT INFORMATION
i. Bryan Engleman
Ø Phone: (713) 257.9288
ii. Abby Gorman
Ø Phone: (770) 845.7502
iii. Terrance Lynch
Ø Phone: (678) 215.7905
iv. Patrick Myers
Ø Phone: (513) 236.0128
v. Brittany Piper
Ø Phone: (678) 650.0665
8.3 ROLE REPLACEMENT
The group reserves the right to select an alternative individual to replace any elected position by majority vote.
8.4 AMENDMENTS AND ADDENDUMS
The group reserves the right to make any amendment(s) to this Agreement as set forth under Article IX, Appendix A so long as all amendments and addendums are passed by majority vote. Should any Amendments or Addendums be added, all Executors must sign a new Contract Signature Page to be maintained with the original signed Contract and Agreement.
8.5 CODE OF CONDUCT
Each Executor agrees to hold themselves to the highest standards and to maintain the Code of Conduct and Academic Honesty Policy as set forth by the University of Georgia. All members agree to treat each other with respect, dignity, honesty, and integrity. All members agree to exhibit behaviors of professionalism and respect in order to maintain a positive and productive environment.
Signed Copy Here
Signed Copy Here
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