The Importance of Defining Roles & Responsibilities in terms of Who has to do What and by When — Benjamin Wann.com

In my recent book,” Getting Shit Done: The No-Nonsense Framework for closing the strategy-execution gap,” a central theme is the importance of always explicitly defining Who does What and by When.

When we often look back at failed projects and missed deadlines, we can often trace the failures back to underestimating the importance of defining roles and responsibilities throughout the project. As we assess, we find too often that we thought that someone was going to do something at some point. But it never happened.

Either the “someone” was too broad to lead to action and accountability, the “something” was too loosely defined to translate to next steps and to-do’s, or the “some point” was an ambiguous range left to interpretation.

Is it really a wonder now why so many things can be missed and delayed?

When either the Who, What, or When are muddy or missing, that work gets missed or delayed. When we attend meetings, have discussions, or send off emails to communicate with others, we often set ourselves up by failure by 1) Assuming that others know what we mean and intend and 2) Not using clear, concise language.

As employees strive to balance their workload, we often start by looking at their tasks and responsibilities. We crave order and often seek to complete tasks that are well defined first. When we know what it is us that has to do a specific action and know the deadline, we can plan for the work, take ownership, and produce results.

When we don’t have a clear idea of what our teams are working on, things can get confusing

As work has become more decentralized and matrixed, many employees wear several different hats, completing jobs outside the initial range of their job description. To keep up, we often have to prioritize our work and complete what seems urgent/important to the organization. It is the tasks that we don’t have the energy to better define or the ones that we think no one will follow up with us on that get shifted to the bottom of the list.

The power in Who does What and by When is that it removes assumptions. Since there is no confusion around whether we or someone else should do the work, progress stays on track. We know that someone else will be following up shortly and that there will be repercussions for not following through. We cannot argue our way out of accountability when all loose ends are closed and agreed upon by more than one person.

Examples:

A. An email is sent describing a known issue in the warehouse, that left unresolved, will lead to business disruption. The resolution, next steps, or accountability is not assigned or possible to assume.

B. A meeting ends with an objective, but it is phrased as a nice-to-have. VP of operations: “We should start performing fat/protein testing of our supplier’s milk on a random basis.” Although a department is assumed (Procurement), no timeline or next steps are discussed. No follow-up discussions or resources are made available by the issuer to procurement.

C. A conversation takes place between an IT manager and a business employee. They discuss the need to configure an API between two systems. The employee assumes that the IT manager will begin to work on the issue shortly. The IT manager forgets the conversation and focuses on what is urgent.

What happens If Who has to do What and by When is not determined

What happens if only Who does What is defined?

1. The item will never reach the top of the list of priorities. If the task is completed, there will be a disconnect between the parties on the timing aspect.
2. Whatever “it” is will hang out in space until further meetings occur or instructions are given. When dates are omitted, it is perceived as a low priority.

Examples:

• “I want you to email the supplier and get a quote.” It might happen at some point
• “We need to reconcile the balance sheet accounts.” It needs to happen, but the receiver has discretion on when.

What happens if only What and by When is defined?

1. The resolution does not occur because ownership and accountability are not established. Instead of being low on the priority list, it will not be on anyone’s list.

2. No one will do anything or the bare minimum. The issue slips away, people forget. It often happens in group discussions. Without a name or names being assigned, it will not end up on anyone’s notes or to-do list. People know that blame cannot be assigned, and an excuse is always ready to go.

Examples:

• “The ERP needs to be installed by 12/31.” Without defining functionality, use cases, or modules, the software can be installed but probably won’t be functional.
• “Our new produced needs to be launched by the end of next month.” A cross-functional initiative is left to individuals to decipher the next steps and build momentum. Get reading for finger-pointing.

What happens if only Who and by When is defined?

1. Shortcuts occur. Without having a defined scope of work to meet an arbitrary deadline, tasks and workstreams that don’t fit will be cut. Loosely defined deliverables will turn into a box-checking exercise.

2. The resolution does not occur. Without further guidance, the team will wait for someone else to define the intermediate steps. A built-in excuse for action is in the wording. The onus of responsibility remains with the speaker.

Examples:

• “IT needs to solve the problem by 12/31.” Without defining the problem or indicating solutions, what happens next is left to the interpretation of the Who.
• “We will have a monthly meeting every 2nd Wednesday.” Without clarifying objectives and an agenda, the meeting will consume much valuable time and produce little.

How to define Who will do What and by When:

Back to our original example, properly defining Who does What and by When looks like the following:

A. Head of Operations: “The Supply Chain Team will resolve problem x by 6/30. Manager Sally will take the lead. Reach out to three vendors to get quotes on x,y,z. I want you to set up a call and report back next Friday with three possible solutions and the cost/benefit of each.”

B. Operations VP: “We will begin random supplier testing next week. As manager of the procurement team, Tom will locate a testing site and put a plan together to select which trucks will be tested. I want one tested each week. I want the test results emailed to me and displayed in a KPI dashboard the day following test results.”

C. IT manager: “Ben, Let’s put another meeting together for next week to discuss the business need, data point integrations, and timeframe in mind. In the meantime, I’ll take a look at the system and speak with my network to see if I know anyone who has experience configuring this API. “ Can you summarize the process now and create a process diagram? Can you also speak with your manager regarding the available budget, if needed?”

It is the role of leaders at all levels to listen, decipher communication, and then restate the information in the required format. They must ensure that those closest to the work and the necessary skills are best aligned with their objectives and priorities.

Caution:

Beware of soft language.

Omit “could,” “should,” and “need to.”

Use “must,” “will.”

Caution:

NEVER define the how. Empower and trust those closest to the work to deliver the best solutions. Provide guidelines that set clear expectations and alignment. Do not micromanage.

The Benefits of Defining Who Does What and by When

Clearly defining roles and expectations positively impacts the company, especially workstreams related to collaborative projects.

1. Everyone knows what to do. Setting clear roles and responsibilities, especially formal ones, lets everyone knows what’s expected of them within the group context. They understand how to behave, what they need to accomplish, and how to reach the group’s goals.

Defining roles and responsibilities within your business permits you to manage your entire business more effectively. Whether it’s an office-wide initiative or dedicated to a single group, everyone must understand their role within the business and what they are expected to accomplish.

2. Everything gets done. When you’re under tight deadlines, it’s easy for small pieces of the project to be overlooked or missed. This is especially true if few people are clear on who is responsible for accomplishing those tasks. Often, less-desirable tasks are left alone or for the most junior person to complete because no one wants to claim them. When people understand their job responsibilities, very little gets forgotten in the process.

3. People work together better when they understand their roles. There’s less jockeying for position and status, fewer arguments, and higher overall creativity permeates work when everyone understands their responsibility as part of the group.

4. Less energy is wasted. Whenever there’s a lack of clarity, people waste energy dealing with things that don’t matter. They argue over things that aren’t important, fail to focus on things that are, and miss out on opportunities. Forgetting the Pareto Principle, we don’t focus on the 20% of actions that produce 80% of the results.

Defining Who does What and by When unlocks a great deal of that energy becomes accessible for other purposes once roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. Fewer people spend less time trying to follow up on loose ends and ambiguous guidance. Reflect on your last week at work… How many emails were sent and phone calls made to check what was being done, who was doing it, and when it was due?

Imagine the extra energy you’d be able to commit to other, more important tasks.

Summary

Providing clear role definitions grants permission and defines the boundaries for teams to perform well and stay on track consistently. When we communicate with team members what actions and level of autonomy we expect, it clarifies which decisions they can make on their own and which ones need approval. It gives colleagues confidence that you trust them to make the right decisions and empowers them to take ownership of those decisions and their outcomes, knowing that they truly affect its trajectory.

With more responsibility and better-defined expectations comes more ownership, meaning things can move faster. Without the need for constant executive oversight, teams can create synergies and move projects along with less wasted time and, thus, lower cost. When everyone has a real responsibility to work together, it cultivates a sense of camaraderie and teamwork — a sort of “skin in the game” mentality that brings about better results, delivered at a faster speed.

The book releases on June 1st! Order your copy today.

Originally published at https://benjaminwann.com on May 27, 2021.