In nearly all group projects, there are predictable types of people who take part in the project. They range from those who do all the work to those who do absolutely nothing, and everyone in between.

The Leaders

These are the people who initiate the first group meet-up. They keep everyone organized and sometimes accountable. The people create the Google Doc. The poor things try to wrangle everyone else in and get things done. They set deadlines for the group, divide up the work and are the ones to email professors with questions.

The Followers

These people do not take charge or initiate any work, but they do respond to the group chat and complete the work that is assigned to them, no more and no less than is assigned though. They follow the leader in all aspects of the project, but they often sit quietly in the background of group meetings and rarely push for their own opinions.

The Doers

The doers are the ones who always end up taking on other people’s workloads and do over half of or sometimes the entire project. They put their heads down and get things done. Often, they are the perfectionists who do not mind taking on a heavier workload because they know it will be done correctly versus trusting another group member who is not as invested.

The Slackers

These are the disappointments of the group members. These people occasionally show up or respond to the group chat and promise to do their work, but often forget to do their share, or send in work that cannot be used because it is such low quality. The slackers worry all the group members because they are the ones who can easily bring down the group’s grade.

The Last Minuters

These people are the ones who after being MIA for the previous month of meetings and work, come in during the last week giving some lame excuse as to why they were missing for weeks on end, but are here now. They ask for work, knowing that most of it is already done just to show they are trying in order to get their name on the project. They have an entire game plan about how to be minimally helpful, but still receive full credit.

The Mystery Members

These are the group members, who no one ever meets or knows who they are, because they never show up to class, let alone come to the group meetings or reply to the group chat. They do absolutely none of the work for the group, yet often get their names put on the project anyway simply from their fellow members being good people.