What to actually ask in a team formation survey
The handful of questions that improve matching, and the ones that just add noise.
Hari B · Founder · June 2026
Ask only what changes the match
Every question on a formation survey should change who ends up with whom. If an answer would not move a single student between teams, cut it. Long surveys lower response rates and rarely improve the teams.
The inputs that earn their place
A few things consistently matter: the skills and experience someone brings, when they are actually free to meet, the kind of work or problem they want to take on, and a small number of people they would like to work with. Most good formation comes from these.
Be careful with free text
Open questions feel thorough but are hard to act on at scale. If you use them, keep them focused, one on strengths, one on working style, and have a plan for turning the answers into something you can actually compare across a cohort.
Make it quick and honest
Students answer carefully when a survey is short and they trust it matters. Tell them how the answers are used, keep it to a few minutes, and avoid questions that invite a performative answer rather than a true one.
Turning answers like these into balanced teams is the hard part, and the part Teamer handles: it takes structured inputs and proposes draft teams you review.
Want the exact question set, including how I phrase the mutual-preference question, as a starting point? Get in touch and I will share it.
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