Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
11. Filling a gas tank
12. Writing a check
Roles versus Responsibilities
The two are often confused. A project is broken down by functions (e.g.,
architecture, development, and QA [quality assurance]). These functions
identify roles (e.g., architect or developer). Each role has a certain distinct
responsibility; for example, it is the responsibility of the regional sales
manager to manage sales in the region.
Certain things to watch out for are:
It is important not to mix people's responsibilities across roles.
Crossover will cause delays and confusion.
When there is more than one person performing a role (e.g.,
multiple sales representatives in a region or a ten-person QA team),
responsibilities within the same role become more important. Each
person must have a clear set of tasks that they own and for which
they are accountable.
Individual contributors and those who work independently on their
operations must also have their roles and responsibilities clearly
defined.
A good set of metrics is needed to determine how each person is
suited to, and fits into his or her responsibilities. A simple exercise
is to take any process, say the QA process, and ask each team
member to speak about his or her role and responsibility. However,
before stating their own role and responsibility, they need to state
the role and responsibility of the person speaking immediately
before them, as understood by them. This provides an opportunity
to correct any erroneous perceptions of roles and responsibilities,
and ensures that each person realizes how he or she fits into the
overall vision.
If a person's responsibility increases while working in a predefined
role, it might lead to a process failure. If a person is hired for a specific
role but is then utilized to pick up work in other areas, this could signal
another person slacking, a missing role, or an inadequately staffed role.
Although multitasking is a necessity in all business environments, staff
tend to lose their focus and motivation in such environments.
