Roles and Responsibilities

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

Define the various roles within your team and write your 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.

Ask each individual to identify their top 3-5 responsibilities for this project in the “Responsibilities (what I think)” column.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.