Loud Thinking

Take Time to Define Roles on Your Next Project

You’ve pulled together a winning team, and you’ve set goals. Now you need to establish the roles that each member will play. Not having this conversation can lead to confusion, multiple people trying to jump on the same task, turf battles, etc. Avoid this headache by explicitly laying out who will do what – and define what it means to succeed in each role. You need:
A project manager to set a timeline and hold members accountable.
Task specialists to organize and lead larger portions of the project, like doing research or analysis.
A note taker to record all key decisions and document team progress.
A liaison to inform stakeholders (clients, boss, customers) about team activities – and share their thoughts with the team.

Adapted from the HBR Guide to Leading Teams by Mary Shapiro.