Team Communication Guide

CMSE / Data Science / Software Engineering Projects

Core Principle

This course is built on trust. You are trusted to communicate honestly, and part of your role is to become someone your team can trust.

Communication is part of the work, not something separate from it.

Successful problem solving is not just completing the work. It is also building and maintaining the working relationships on your team.

Stories, Bias, and Miscommunication

We all naturally create stories about situations and people:

“They don’t care”
“I’m doing more work”
“Something is wrong”

These stories are automatic and often based on incomplete information.

If left unchecked, they lead to misunderstanding and conflict.

Trust in Communication

Because our first interpretation is often incomplete, we start from trust:

• assume good intent
• do not assign motives
• do not build a negative story too quickly

Trust also requires follow-through.

If something happens repeatedly, address it.
Do not ignore patterns or hope they resolve on their own.

Trust means communicating what you observe over time and working together to improve.

How to Communicate Clearly

Separate facts from interpretation.

Use:

Expectation:
    What should happen?

Observation:
    What actually happened?

Next Step:
    Can we talk about what happened?

The goal is shared understanding, not defense.

Communicate Early and Often

Do not wait for problems to become large.

• small issues grow when they are ignored
• early communication prevents confusion and conflict
• raising issues early is a professional skill

Working with Instructors

Instructors are part of your team.

If something is not working, bring it up.
If a situation is unclear, ask.
If a team issue is developing, involve us early.

We can help clarify expectations, reframe problems, and guide conversations.

Communicating early, asking for help, and engaging with problems is professional. This is part of what we expect and value in this course.

Bottom Line

Good teams do not avoid problems.
They communicate early and clearly to solve them while maintaining strong working relationships.

Trust is built through consistent, honest communication.

Putting This Into Practice

These ideas are reinforced through the structure of the course:

• Daily check-ins → practice communicating early and taking responsibility
• Weekly 3x3 reflections → surface perspectives and align as a team
• Team Charter → define expectations and how your team will respond to challenges
• Weekly milestones → keep teams aligned and moving forward through small, consistent progress

These are not separate assignments.
They are tools to help you build strong communication and professional habits over time.