Roles and Responsibilities in action
A team’s whiteboard after completing step 4 of an in-person Roles and Responsibilities session.
This team met over Zoom and used Confluence to capture and summarize their conversation.
What you'll need
Video conferencing with screen sharing or meeting space
Digital collaboration tool (see template)
Whiteboard
Markers
Sticky notes
Timer
Optional templates
Atlassian templates
What are job roles and responsibilities?
In effective teamwork, roles represent job titles or positions, such as project manager, while responsibilities include specific tasks and duties associated with a role. Here are some examples of responsibilites for a project manager:
- Project idea planning and development
- Formation and leadership of your team
- Tracking project progress and establishing deadlines
- Resolution of issues
- Budget and stakeholder management
Assessment of project effectiveness
Why run a Roles and Responsibilities Play?
Teams should clarify roles and responsibilities to ensure everyone understands their duties and contributions to team goals. According to a study published by Small Group Research, this clarity prevents misunderstandings, reduces task overlap, and boosts efficiency and collaboration.
When to clarify roles and responsibilities
By clearly defining these roles at the project's outset, it sets the stage for clear expectations, minimizes confusion, and boosts productivity and collaboration.
Early role definition also aids in avoiding task overlap, reducing conflicts, and guaranteeing that all team members are aligned towards common goals.
As projects progress or organizational frameworks change, periodic reassessment and role updates are vital to sustain alignment and operational efficiency.
5 benefits of defining roles and responsibilities
- Accountability: Clearly defining roles helps in reducing duplicated efforts, which streamlines processes and minimizes wasted time and resources, ultimately contributing to more efficient project execution.
- Clarity: Clarifying roles and responsibilities makes it easier for the team to collaborate effectively.
- Higher employee engagement: Effective communication, which is often a result of clear roles and responsibilities, leads to 72% higher employee engagement and productivity (Atto Time).
- Job satisfaction: Approximately 75% of employees with well-defined roles feel more passionate about their jobs and report higher levels of job satisfaction compared to those with ambiguous roles (Effectory).
- Increased productivity: Employees with clear role definitions are 53% more efficient and 27% more effective at work (Effectory).
How to define team roles and responsibilities
5-SECOND SUMMARY
- Determine and agree on team responsibilities
- Identify unassigned responsibilities
- Document approved team roles
1. Prep the Play 5 MIN
Whether you meet in person or remotely, send a message to the team explaining the Play to ensure that everyone understands what work you will be discussing. At the start of the Play, review the team's mission to set context for what the overall team is responsible for.
Next, prep the collaboration document the team will use. You can create a table on a Confluence page or use our ready-to-use template. If you’re creating your own document, add the following columns:
- Role
- Responsibilities (what others think)
- Responsibilities (what I think)
Unassigned responsibilities
TIP: LARGE GROUPS
Have more than 4 people? Set aside 90 minutes for groups of 6-8.
For groups of 9 or more, break the Play into smaller 1-hour sessions.
2. Identify team roles 5 MIN
Define the various roles within your team and write you role on this project under your name in the “Roles” column.
If there are multiple team members occupying the same role, include the role only once in the table.
Some team members may have multiple roles, such as a software engineer who also serves as a project manager. In such instances, it is advisable to include each role in the table.
3. Identify your responsibilities 10 MIN
Ask each individual to identify their top 3-5 responsibilities for this project in the “Responsibilities (what I think)” column.
TIP: FOCUS
Keep the session focused on roles, not people.
By focusing on the role, the team can identify gaps in what skills are needed to succeed in that role regardless of the people on the team.
4. Identify team members' responsibilities 10 MIN
For each of the other roles identified, write down your understanding of the role’s top responsibilities in the “Responsibilities (what others think)” column.
If you think of any responsibilities that don't fall clearly within a role, add them to the section for unassigned responsibilities.
5. Clarify role responsibilities 15 MIN
Review what others have written about your role in the “Responsibilities (what others think)” column. Add a ✅ if you accept or ❌ if you don’t accept against each responsibility.
Add inline comments if you have questions or comments about others responsibilities.
Following a team discussion, the role holder reviews all the ❌ and decides whether to assume or delegate additional duties. In cases of task overlap, a primary owner is designated, along with potential contributors or backup owners.
Any responsibilities that remain unclaimed or unaccepted are relocated to the unassigned section.
Depending on the organizational structure, the role holder may need approval from their leadership to finalize their role as outlined in this process.
6. Review unassigned responsibilities 15 MIN
Reviewing unassigned items collectively to determine if these items align with any existing roles and why they may or may not be suitable for specific roles.
If these items do not correspond to any role, it indicates the necessity for a new role or a redefinition of an existing one. It is important to designate a responsible individual to identify the owner of these tasks and set a follow-up date.
Look out for responsibilities that no role is willing to undertake. If such instances are identified, bring them to the group's attention for further discussion.
TIP: AGREE TO DISAGREE
If the team can’t agree on some of the roles or responsibilities, note them as follow-up items to work through in smaller meetings later.
7. Summarize and identify next steps 5 MIN
Upon completion, summarize the roles and responsibilities to ensure team alignment. Designate specific individuals to take ownership of each role, and update the shared document with the agreed-upon roles and responsibilities.
Follow-up
Share the final document with the team to gather feedback on any potential gaps or opportunities.
Distribute the roles and responsibilities document to key stakeholders and leaders, informing the team about this action.
Plan to review this Play with the team every three or six months, or whenever there are significant changes within the team. Regular practice will make this process smoother.
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