Memorandum
To:
Julie Freeman, W231 Instructor
From:
Melanie Student
Date:
2/16/2016
Subject: Personal Performance Review
The purpose of this memo is to summarize my performance in this course by demonstrating my
understanding of literature review, synthesis and integration, and collaboration. I will also
discuss my achievement of course goals.
Literature Review
The purpose of a literature review is to provide information from current publications on a
particular topic. Unlike a thesis-based research paper, a literature review presents only the
authors’ views from recent articles on a particular topic. The writer of a review is not to take a
stance or include any personal thoughts on the subject matter as one would when writing a thesis
paper. The key to composing a well written review is to address all of the key issues related to
the topic and to keep the literature as the subject of the paper. Our team successfully compiled a
literature review by identifying five reoccurring subtopics related to volunteerism within our
articles. We organized these topics in a logical order and provided all relevant information from
the various authors. Beside remaining on topic and only including the authors’ views, we also
synthesized the subtopics into a well developed literature review. A key aspect in writing a clear
and cohesive literature review is good synthesis.
Synthesis and Source Integration
Synthesis, the linking of two or more ideas, is an integral part of writing documents that are easy
for readers to follow. Similarly, smooth integration of sources is also necessary in order link
agreeing or disagreeing ideas from multiple authors. When integrating source material, it is
important to introduce the idea, provide the authors views without stacking quotes, and finally
provide a closing sentence to wrap up the section and provide transition into the next subtopic.
Our team was especially effective in synthesizing the authors’ ideas for our literature review
while maintaining a smooth transition between all subtopics. As a group, we each wrote a
literature review for one of the subtopics (I wrote two). As coordinator of the library research
phase, I compiled the individually written reviews for each subtopic and revised all of the closing
sentences from each in order to link all of the subtopics together.
I was also effective in integrating information from multiple sources. A grid of all authors and
relevant information about each subtopic aided me in composing my two individually written
sections on volunteer training and volunteer retention. Although well written documents with good
synthesis and integration were important in composing the final project, the synthesis of group
ideas through collaboration was also a key aspect to the success of the project.
Collaboration
My team was somewhat successful in attaining the goal of becoming a cohesive, effective unit
and producing a well-written and polished final project. My personal contributions and the team
dynamics played a key role in the success of our team in overcoming concerns and challenges
and producing a successful final project.
Team Dynamics
At the onset of the assignment, we chose to have each group member be coordinator for one
phase of the assignment. This strategy was relatively successful, with the exception of one group
member who did not take as much responsibility for her chosen phase.
I have learned that working in teams requires excellent communication and listening skills. It
also involves a great deal of trust. I feel I still need to work on trusting my teammates, and
believing in their capabilities, even if their styles of accomplishing tasks differ from my own. I
have also found that I tend to want to take charge when the other group members are passive.
Many times, I took on a leadership role when no one else would. I still need to work on
encouraging others to take charge as well. Working in teams has proven to be a challenging, yet
rewarding experience.
Personal Contributions
My personal contributions have aided the team in its progress. As a group, we chose to have one
member be responsible and act as coordinator for each part of the overall proposal. I chose to
lead the library research phase of the project. During this phase, I provided the team with four
relevant articles that address the solution to our problem. I wrote four annotations, one for each
of these articles, to be included in the annotated bibliography. As a team we chose five subtopics that were prevalent throughout most of our sources. While the other group members each
wrote one topic, I elected to write the literature review for two of the topics since I was
responsible for this phase. I also compiled all the individual sections of the literature review into
the final draft to be handed in. This included organizing the order of topics, writing and
introduction and closing paragraph, and ending each subtopic with an appropriate transitional
statement into the next topic to be discussed.
In addition to performing extra work during the library research phase, I also played a key role in
developing the surveys used for the primary research phase. As a team, we had decided to
individually write the volunteer survey questions we thought would be most useful, and then
bring them to class so they could be compiled into the final volunteer survey. I was the only
group member who had typed my questions in a Word document in a survey format. One other
teammate had hand written her questions. The other two teammates had not written any
questions prior to our meeting. They approved of my questionnaire, so it was used as the final
survey with some minor tweaking. Due to time constraints and the concern of not receiving
completed volunteer surveys, I suggested conducting a secondary survey via email to several
local non-profit organizations that rely on volunteers. I researched local agencies and provided
the group with a list along with contact information. Another group member wrote the survey,
but I was chosen to be responsible for emailing them and forwarding replies to the coordinator of
the primary research phase, since she was not comfortable dealing with email attachments.
Once we received results from our primary research, I volunteered to write the methodology
section of the recommendation report and the title page as well as make the visual to be used in
our primary result results. Since I felt I had done extra work on other phases, I tried to allow
other team members to take on some of the heftier portions of writing the recommendation
report. Because I have the convenience of owning a computer and printer at my home, I was
chosen to print out all of the documents to be included in our final portfolio. The coordinator of
the final phase gave me her binder with previous drafts and left me to organize it, and supply a
table of contents with corresponding tabs. One of our group concerns was this particular team
member’s contributions.
Concerns and Challenges
Our team encountered a few challenges during the course of the project. Our initial challenge
occurred due to the low response in volunteer surveys. Fortunately, I had initiated the process of
conducting a secondary survey. Another concern is my personal contribution. I felt that perhaps
I volunteered to do a larger amount of the work when no one else would volunteer. I also feel I
did not effectively communicate my concerns when other group members did not make their
expected contributions. Throughout the project, one group member did the bare minimum of
what was expected, if that. When we were all expected to contribute at least three articles and
written annotations for the bibliography, she had only one which she had not even written before
class. After this, as a group, I believe we did not allow her to be responsible for large or
important parts of our project, for fear that she would not complete them well. She chose to be
coordinator of the final phase of the project, which should have been one of the easier phases,
with little writing and more organizational type tasks. We tried to keep her on top of it by asking
her what she had accomplished and trying to provide her with the items she needed, but in the
end she still did not take charge. I compiled the final portfolio. With the exception of this one
member, we worked well as a team. We communicated well and planned a good division of
labor. In some ways I feel we failed as a team in that we did not effectively communicate our
concerns. Each of us recognized the problem, but failed to address the individual responsible for
the problem. Ideally, we should have been honest with her and provided constructive criticism.
In order to be a successful in any workplace, I will need to work on developing my skill of
confronting individuals when there is a problem, without fear of hurting their feelings.
Achievement of Course Goals
As demonstrated in my writing throughout the semester, I have successfully achieved the
specified course goals. I was able to apply the appropriate content, format, and style in order to
create effective documents. The student handout I wrote on evaluating websites is a good
example of how I successfully used proper content and format by using an appropriate hierarchy
of headings and organizing information so that it could be read and understood easily. Besides
using the proper format, I was also able to adapt my writing to a particular audience. The request
for a recommendation letter is an excellent example of how I effectively wrote for my audience
using the appropriate tone to a previous supervisor. This assignment also shows my ability to
write clearly and concisely since I was writing to a busy professional.
The final project proves to be an excellent example of how I was able to develop my teamwork
and collaboration skills. With the exception of developing my constructive confrontational
skills, I was able to successfully work with a group to resolve issues, divide labor, and create a
polished product. Through this final project, I became familiar with the importance of
developing a research question that is not too broad, nor too focused, and the importance of using
effective research strategies, such as using reliable library databases to conduct secondary
research and then developing a survey for primary research based on the library research
findings. I learned and successfully implemented the techniques of writing an annotated
bibliography and then constructed the information in a grid in order to effectively write a
literature review. Finally, the assembly of the portfolio demonstrates my ability to produce
accessible, well-designed documents.
Conclusions
Each project throughout the semester expanded my understanding of the importance of
developing clear and concise documents that implement the proper tone and format for
professional business writing. Through my understanding of literature reviews, synthesis and
integration, collaboration, and the course goals, I believe I have become a more effective writer.
The skills I have developed in this course will enable me to communicate more effectively in my
future professional endeavors.