Roles and responsibilities

When staffing assignments, start with the competencies, time and dedication that the job requires, rather than from people’s positions in the line organization. This provides greater flexibility when formulating the individual assignment’s organization. Often the same person can have several roles, so it is important to be clear on the roles each person has in various situations. The assignment organization is dynamic, it often changes over time.

The purpose of role descriptions is to clarify the primary responsibility of each individual in each assignment. As in a sports team, however, roles are not static and work must overlap for good team results. For the assignment to be successful, the people involved must play their roles and work naturally together.