Roles and responsibilities

In my previous newsletters I have briefly explained what you need to start a project, who should be part of your team and that discussing your WoW is important. In this episode I will tell you more about the roles and responsibilities within the team.

RASCI model

In the business world you use a RASCI or RACI model to define roles and responsibilities. After some discussions with project managers in journalism, it turned out that this does not really work for them. So I have created another model that is certainly open to development:

Write down all the roles you think you need in your core team to do the research. Then add all the roles that fall outside the core team. Next, add people's names to these roles. Some you can fill in straight away, some you need to discuss with the team: who would be a good fit for the role that is still open on your list?

Also, briefly describe what the role entails: what is expected of the person who will fill this role? What are their responsibilities? Also briefly describe what is not included in the role. Does everyone agree?

Discussion

During a masterclass on coordinating cross-border projects, the roles of initiator, coordinator and editor were discussed. It was an interesting discussion, which led to the conclusion that what these three roles entail, and who plays them, can be very different in different forms of collaborating.?

Not in every collaboration is the initiator also the editor-in-chief or the project coordinator. But sometimes the coordinator is also the editor at some level.?

As a team, you should be aware of this and discuss these roles and their content, and see if there are any contradictions because you may have conflicting interests in one person.?

Please share your thoughts with me and other readers of this newsletter. For more information and sharing of knowledge, please subscribe.