--- title: "Roles and Responsibilities Alignment" description: "Team members diagnose points of role overlap, map their key duties against shared goals in a grid, and exchange mutual expectations in pairs. They conclude by committing to one personal clarification action." last_updated: "2026-09-20" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/lack-of-clarity-workshopbank/" --- # Roles and Responsibilities Alignment Team members diagnose points of role overlap, map their key duties against shared goals in a grid, and exchange mutual expectations in pairs. They conclude by committing to one personal clarification action. **Time:** 65 minutes. 65 minutes based on the source outline steps (10 + 15 + 20 + 15 + 5 minutes). **People:** 4 to 24. Small breakout groups of 3 to 4, or one pair and one trio when there are 5 participants; whole-room review, working pairs with one trio for odd counts, and individual reflection. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Identify overlapping duties and document mutual expectations between team members. **Use it when:** Use when a team reports confusion about who owns specific tasks, during reorganization, or when integrating new hires into an existing project. **Skip it when:** Skip when team roles are already strictly governed by external regulations or when immediate operational crises leave no room to negotiate task ownership. ## Materials and tools - Shared online document or digital whiteboard with pre-drawn Role Grid template - Pre-prepared role descriptions or job profiles if available - Sticky notes and markers if run in person - Video meeting platform with breakout rooms if run online ## Before participants arrive 1. Set up the shared document or wall charts with the three-column Role Grid (Role, Key Responsibilities, Connection to Team Goal). 2. Post the overarching team goals at the top of the shared workspace. ## Say this to open Welcome everyone. We are here to get clear on who does what and how our daily work connects to our shared goals. To kick off: on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being totally foggy and 5 being crystal clear, type into the chat or raise your hand to show how clear you feel about your own role and responsibilities right now. Today, we will address the fuzzy areas and ensure expectations match across the team. ## How to run it ### 1. Introduce and poll baseline clarity (10 minutes) Deliver the opening script. Have participants record their clarity rating (1 to 5) in chat, on a poll, or with hand signals. Introduce the overall team goals posted in the shared document. State the workshop focus: finding overlaps, clarifying duties, and agreeing on handoffs. ### 2. Identify role confusion hotspots (15 minutes) Divide participants into breakout groups of 3 to 4 people. For 5 participants, use one pair and one trio. Instruct each group to discuss two prompts: 'What aspects of your role feel unclear?' and 'Where do responsibilities overlap or drop between people?' Each group writes up to three distinct confusion hotspots into the shared document. Spend the final 3 minutes calling out common themes across the groups. ### 3. Map roles and goal connections (20 minutes) Have everyone work simultaneously in the Role Grid. Each person fills in their role title, 3 to 5 core responsibilities, and how those duties support the team goals. Give 7 minutes for silent drafting. Then review the grid as a whole group. Ask: 'Where do duties duplicate?' and 'What critical tasks are unassigned?' Adjust wording or flag contested boundaries on the document directly. ### 4. Check expectations in pairs (15 minutes) Pair participants who collaborate frequently. If numbers are odd, form one trio. In breakouts, partners address two questions: 'What do I expect from you to do my job well?' and 'What do you expect from me?' Pairs give each person 5 minutes. A trio gives each person 3 minutes and uses the remaining 1 minute to finish shared notes. Both formats use 10 minutes before the plenary. Reconvene in the main group for 5 minutes and invite two or three pairs to share key handoff clarifications. ### 5. Commit to personal action (5 minutes) Ask each participant to write one concrete action they will take within the next week to resolve an ambiguous boundary or document a handoff with a peer or manager. Collect these in the shared document. Confirm the follow-up review date. ## Debrief questions - Which shared task had the most surprising overlap or gap between team members? - What expectation surfaced today that changes how you will approach your daily handoffs? - What unresolved boundary still needs direct manager or team follow-up? **Finished output:** A completed Role Grid detailing responsibilities and team goal connections, a list of resolved and open overlaps, and individual clarification commitments. ## Remote Use breakout rooms for the Step 2 groups, using one pair and one trio at 5 participants, and the Step 4 pairs or odd-count trio. Use the same 10-minute speaking-and-notes limit before the 5-minute plenary. Run the mapping activity on a collaborative document (such as Google Docs, Miro, or Mural) where all participants can edit their respective rows simultaneously. ## Hybrid Pair in-person participants with in-person colleagues, and remote participants with remote colleagues to avoid audio feedback. Have all participants enter their roles and confusion points directly into the single shared digital document so both rooms have equal visibility. ## Access and participation choices - Participants may type their reflections into the shared document rather than speaking aloud in whole-room reviews. - Any participant may decline to discuss personal job friction publicly and instead flag neutral process handoffs. - Provide text screen-reader compatible documents alongside visual grids. ## If the session gets stuck **Two participants disagree strongly on who owns a specific high-stakes responsibility.** Do not force a final verdict in the session. Mark the item with an 'Unresolved / Needs Manager Decision' tag and schedule a dedicated follow-up with the relevant leads. **Participants list very granular tasks resulting in an overwhelming grid.** Provide a neutral example: write 'Manage weekly client reporting' instead of 'Send Monday 9am email, download CSV, format columns.' Ask them to restrict entries to 3 to 5 main functional duties. ## Terms used here - Handoff: The point where work transfers from one person or role to another. - Hotspot: An area in the workflow where confusion, delays, or duplicate efforts regularly occur. ## Participant material: Role and Goal Mapping Grid Column 1: Your Role Title Column 2: Key Responsibilities (3-5 core duties) Column 3: How This Supports the Team Goal Expectation Check-in Prompts (for pairs): 1. What do I expect from you to do my job effectively? 2. What do you expect from me? Personal Action Commitments: What is one concrete conversation or documentation step you will complete this week to clarify a boundary? ## Sources and adaptation Observed in WorkshopBank as 'Creating Clarity in Goals, Roles, and Responsibilities in Remote Teams' (updated December 2025). Retained the 5-step process, timing breakdown (summing to 65 minutes), and core prompts from the WorkshopBank outline. UWT added explicit hybrid mechanics, paired grouping instructions for odd numbers, specific debrief questions, access choices, and practical troubleshooting steps. UWT clarified the five-person grouping and bounded trio speaking turns so the original 65-minute schedule remains feasible. [WorkshopBank](https://workshopbank.com/tools/lack-of-clarity-in-remote-teams) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/lack-of-clarity-workshopbank/