What are you doing?! A matter of roles and responsibilities in IT projects.
In IT projects, the role played by team members does not always align precisely with what we expect based on their formal job titles. A job title within an organization suggests a specific scope of responsibilities, but in practice, projects often require flexibility and taking on responsibilities beyond formal titles. For example, a person hired as a developer may simultaneously take on the role of a technical lead, making decisions about the solution's architecture.
A business analyst, on the other hand, may be involved not only in gathering requirements but also in designing prototypes or supporting user testing. And everything will run smoothly—as long as roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and everyone is informed about their scope from the start. This allows the team to work efficiently and avoid conflicts. Otherwise, unclear responsibilities can lead to both minor and major issues, affecting the team and the entire company. ?
Unconscious assumptions
One of the main phenomena directly linked to poorly defined roles in IT projects is the presence of various unconscious assumptions and biases that each team member brings to the project. It often happens that the scope of a role and its responsibilities is not formally defined but instead relies on assumptions derived from past experiences or mental models of roles. In this way, widely accepted job titles become a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they allow for a quick understanding of what someone 'more or less' does. On the other hand, they create a false sense of comfort and complete knowledge, which may not always align with the realities of a specific project. Each team member may have different expectations regarding what tasks belong to a particular role. If we rely solely on these intuitions, we risk misunderstandings, duplicated work, or overlooking crucial aspects of the project.
Such expectations, which can significantly impact IT projects, may stem, for example, from the effect of anchoring bias (ang. anchoring bias). This occurs when people base their decisions and expectations on pre-existing information, which they consider a reference point—even if it is incomplete or inadequate. In the context of project teams, this may mean that the role of an analyst, designer, or developer is perceived through the lens of past experiences with other projects, agreements from previous projects, or definitions used by former employers. For example, if an analyst in a previous project was responsible for preparing mock-ups, others may automatically assume they will do the same now, even without a formal assignment of this task. Or conversely—if someone has worked for years in a place where analysts were commonly responsible for supporting user testing, they may believe that this responsibility is inherently part of the role. They may also be convinced that any other division of responsibilities would be unproductive and inefficient simply because "that’s how it’s done."
Such assumptions can lead to tensions, delays, or an uneven distribution of responsibilities. To prevent this, it is crucial not only to clearly define roles and responsibilities but also to regularly communicate them to all team members.
Refining role definitions
To effectively define roles in an IT project, several steps must be taken.
First, it is essential to clearly define the project's goals and identify the necessary tasks to achieve them. Next, responsibilities should be assigned to each task using models such as RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed), which helps precisely determine who is responsible for execution, who has final approval, who should be consulted, and who needs to be informed about progress. Creating detailed role descriptions and defining their scope of responsibilities, along with regularly communicating them to the team, ensures a shared understanding and minimizes the risk of misunderstandings.
The responsibility for defining roles in a project primarily falls on the Project Manager. As the link between the team and stakeholders, the Project Manager is responsible for successfully guiding the project through all its stages, managing the team, delegating tasks, and overseeing deadlines and budget. Clearly defining roles and responsibilities by the Project Manager facilitates collaboration and increases project execution efficiency.
Conflicts
Resolving conflicts in IT projects requires a conscious approach and the application of appropriate strategies. A key element is the early identification of the conflict's source, which allows for quicker corrective actions. Regular and open communication within the team helps identify potential tensions before they escalate into more serious problems. It is also important to promote a feedback culture in which team members can freely share their concerns and insights. This enables quick resolution of misunderstandings and prevents conflicts from escalating.
Defining roles and responsibilities within a project team is primarily a preventive measure—it helps prevent conflicts. Clearly specifying who is responsible for what minimizes the risk of overlapping competencies and the tensions that may arise from them. In cases where conflicts still occur despite these efforts, it is worth using mediation techniques such as active listening to both sides, identifying common goals, and seeking compromise solutions. It is crucial that the project leader acts as a neutral mediator, helping the parties reach an agreement without favoring either side. The outcome of such a process should be collaboratively developed adjustments or additions to the existing role definitions, clearly communicated to the entire team, with particular attention to those whose work is directly affected.
Examples
An example of a conflict situation could be a dispute between a developer and a tester regarding responsibility for code quality. The developer may believe that their task is only to write the code, while catching errors is the tester's responsibility. The tester, on the other hand, may expect the developer to deliver code free from obvious errors. To resolve such a conflict, it is worthwhile to organize a meeting where the expectations for both roles will be discussed and clearly defined. Establishing common quality standards and procedures for handing over code for testing can significantly improve collaboration and reduce tensions.
Signs of blurred responsibility in a project may include frequent misunderstandings regarding the scope of duties, duplication of work by different team members, or, conversely, the omission of important tasks due to their lack of assignment to a specific person. Another symptom may be a decline in team morale resulting from a sense of unfair workload distribution or a lack of recognition for completed tasks. In such situations, it is necessary to conduct an analysis of the role structure in the project and make the necessary adjustments to ensure clarity of responsibility and effective collaboration.
Overzealousness and avoiding responsibility like the plague
In IT projects, you can encounter both people who avoid responsibility and those who are overzealous, trying to take on more tasks than their role requires. Both attitudes are potentially harmful to the team's efficiency and the project's success. People who avoid responsibility often delay the completion of key tasks or redirect them to other team members, leading to overload for certain individuals and potentially causing frustration. Their attitude often stems from a lack of self-confidence, fear of failure, or ambiguity regarding their assigned duties. In the latter case, this signals that roles in the project have likely not been well defined or communicated.
On the other hand, overzealous individuals, although generally well-intentioned, often overstep the boundaries of their roles by making decisions or taking actions that fall outside their responsibilities. This can lead to conflicts, duplication of work, and in extreme cases, organizational chaos.
Both of these attitudes negatively impact the morale and productivity of the entire team. Those who avoid responsibility burden others, which can lead to burnout for those who take on their duties. On the other hand, overzealous team members often unintentionally disrupt the workflow, causing confusion in established procedures and plans, pushing themselves down a simple path to burnout and feelings of guilt when they take on too many tasks.
To prevent this, the project leader must actively monitor the team dynamics and ensure clarity regarding roles and responsibilities. It is also important to promote open communication, where each person can express their concerns, and to support an even distribution of work. Organizing regular status meetings and retrospectives can help identify such issues and resolve them effectively before they impact project execution.
Because it's not just about making things pleasant...
Unclear roles and responsibilities in IT projects can lead to serious business consequences. A lack of clarity regarding duties often results in organizational chaos—team members inadvertently duplicate tasks or overlook key actions. This situation not only reduces work efficiency but can also lead to project delays, budget overruns, or decreased quality of delivered solutions (or all of the above!). As a result, the business may incur financial losses, and its reputation could be significantly damaged. This, in turn, directly affects its position in the market.
The lack of precisely defined roles also increases the risk of conflicts within the team, which can lead to a decline in employee morale and increased turnover. In the long term, such issues can result in the loss of key talent and the need to bear additional costs related to recruiting and training new employees. Therefore, it is crucial to clearly define the roles and responsibilities of all involved individuals during the project planning phase, as this will help avoid many problems and ensure the smooth achievement of business goals. Equally important is monitoring this aspect throughout the project and verifying whether roles and responsibilities have been properly assigned and described, whether everyone is aware of them, whether the workload is evenly distributed, and... whether dynamic changes in the project require adjustments to earlier assumptions.
Uczmy si? na b??dach…innych
An example of a company that experienced serious problems due to poorly defined roles and responsibilities is Nokia. Between 2007 and 2010, in the face of growing competition in the smartphone market, Nokia failed to effectively adapt to technological changes. Analyses indicate that one of the key issues was an unclear management structure and a lack of clarity in the division of roles and responsibilities in the decision-making process. This led to delays in introducing innovations and ultimately to the loss of market leadership. [1]
Another example is the failure of the human resources management system project at Hershey's in 1999. The attempt to simultaneously implement several IT systems without clearly defined roles and responsibilities within the project team led to serious logistical problems. As a result, the company was unable to fulfill orders worth approximately 100 million dollars during the critical sales season. [2]
Summary
Clearly defining roles and responsibilities in IT projects is the foundation of effective team collaboration and the achievement of business goals. Problems arising from unclear duties can lead not only to delays and conflicts but also to significant financial and reputational losses. This is confirmed by examples from companies like Nokia and Hershey’s. Therefore, it is crucial to clearly define responsibility areas during the project planning phase, promote open communication, and monitor team dynamics. Adopting methodologies that support work organization, such as RACI, and investing in project leaders' competencies can significantly improve the results of both the team and the entire company. IT projects are the shared responsibility of all team members, and clarity in their roles is the key to success.
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