I. Identifying Project Roles [Team Activity]

In this activity, teams work together to fill out each category of the project roles template shown below (either in a virtual or hard-copy worksheet). In addition to clarifying the project-specific tasks that are relevant for for each role, team members should self-identify if there is a role they would like to (or are willing to) take on in the team. Alternatively, teams should identify any roles that they would like to rotate, or share. In this activity, it is important for the instructor to encourage teams to actively avoid making assumptions about team members' preferences for roles based on gender or any other identity.

Potential roles include: Facilitator/Liaison, Reporter/Note Taker, Data Analysis (e.g. surveys), Designer, Team Management (Building Cooperation), Communicator (PPT, blots), Prioritizer/Task Manager, Researcher, Editor (Proofreading)

Facilitator / Liaison:

Reporter / Note-taker:

Data Analysis Specialist:

Designer:

Team Management:

Communicator :

Prioritizer / Task Manager:

Researcher:

Editor (proofreader):

II. RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) Matrix (team activity)

Activity goal: Group works together to complete a RACI matrix where they delineate clear responsibilities for a project
[Adapted from https://www.sessionlab.com/methods/raci-matrix]

-- The RACI matrix includes the following 2 axes:
1) a work breakdown (items/activities the group shares responsibility for creating or managing)
2) a list of roles (representing a group of related tasks). Note: individuals can play multiple roles and multiple people can contribute to a single role

-- Students will be asked to:
1) Create a RACI matrix on a large piece of paper or on a virtual collaborative document
note: ask students to start by listing their work breakdown on the vertical axis, and then follow with their roles on the Y axis
2) Fill in each grid of the matrix with the letters R, A, C, and I represenging:

R = Responsible: doer of the work (this person can delegate or seek support from others)
A = Accountable: person who is accountable for the work that the responsible person does, and signs off on the work (only one person can be accountable for each task)
C = Consulted: contributors provide input, opinions, and advice through two-way communication
I = Informed: not contributors, but are kept up-to-date on progress/completion through one-way communication

* When working through the matrix with the group, it is best to follow the natural progression of the work breakdown from start to finish. The matrix is complete when every task has a clear set of responsibilities.

* Where it is difficult to assign a single responsible role, it may help to split the item into two smaller, better-defined pieces. Other items will have no 'Responsible' role at all, and the group may decide to eliminate them.

example (from https://www.sessionlab.com/methods/raci-matrix):