Many of you may have had experience working in groups in the past. Group work can be very exciting and fun, in that a good-functioning group can spark new ideas and creative thinking, can divide up a workload in a way that benefits everyone, and can produce a more interesting result than any individual could by herself. And there have been many more, and the students involved have almost always gotten a great deal out of working with each other. However, there are some potential difficulties in working in groups, and these difficulties can become exacerbated by the fact that each individual student's grade depends on the work of the others. Meet early and often.
Problems tend to arise mostly when the group members are pressed for time at the end.
Think about choosing a leader who will direct the overall work. This person might delegate tasks, coordinate schedules, set deadlines, and in general oversee the project. However, in most groups someone will attempt to lead, whether or not that is made explicit. If a clear definition is made of who will lead and who will perform other roles, each group member can then concentrate on her piece of the work. Be careful of this strategy.