Decide who will be in the group.

 Have a clear idea of what the group is to do.

 Select a group leader and group recorder -- one to keep projects moving and one to record what is done and what is left undone.

 Decide what needs to be done and assign someone or several someones to each subtask.

 Have periodic meetings to check progress. Help each other with the hard stuff. Ask people outside the group for their help if you need it. Try to identify problems early so that you can solve them in time.

 If you are preparing a report, give yourself time to have it edited before submission. If you are making a classroom presentation, rehearse your presentation as a group so that you will finish within the time allotted.

 Be patient with the other group members. Everyone has something good to contribute.