Hi! Roles are super important in a project team. Delegating roles to different project members help the team work efficiently to reach the same goals. In addition, roles encourage team members to perform their work at their full potential since they’re accountable for specific tasks and can delegate their time to complete those tasks on their own. Assigned roles ensure peak individual and team performance. Therefore, I think teams should establish roles pretty extensively at the beginning of the project to ensure that all are fully aware of what they need to accomplish. Roles and responsibilities need to be very detailed to make sure that at the end of the end of the project, all deliverables are met with all necessary requirements. Specifically, during the planning phase of the project cycle, it is important that project teams define a leader/project manager, details of required deliverables, deadlines, individual/team efforts, etc. In my opinion, the planning phase is probably the most important phase of the project life cycle, so it’s necessary to extensively establish all roles and what needs to be accomplished throughout the other phases. 

Respect between team members is extremely important to ensure that the project flows smoothly. Therefore, I wouldn’t say that boundaries need to be set, but project managers should make it clear that communication is always necessary, whether it be through weekly meetings, emails, etc. Project team members should always be given the opportunity to communicate their thoughts, even if it has to do with another department. Respectful communication between team members ultimately stems from the project manager. If the project manager provides constructive (and respectful) criticism, positive feedback, and encourages communication, then other members will follow. Because of this, to answer your last question, a project manager/leader should definitely be appointed to make sure the team is working efficiently and respectfully.

Roles are definitely important in accomplishing a common goal such as completing a project. These roles should be established before the project is started or very early on in the project's life cycle. Giving team members specific roles issues a sense of ownership. The team member is responsible for the specific piece of the project that their role has been assigned. This singular responsibility promotes quality of product as they are only invested in a portion of the project rather than the entirety of the project. In order to achieve a high level of effectiveness within these roles, communication is crucial. This communication needs to start with the project manager, therefore, the role of a leader is a necessary role for a project. The leader is someone who can and should effectively communicate amongst roles of a project to ensure all facets of the project are being completed. Roles are definitely an effective way to accomplish a project academically and professionally.

I believe as soon as a project is assigned or available, everyone should meet and identify the aspects that are important to completing the project and assign roles to individuals based on that. Therefore, the roles of the project are thoroughly established and the team can ensure each part of the project is covered and someone is assigned to it. Individuals within the group must set boundaries with each other and the assignments they must complete. Some boundaries include not working on other people's assignments, asking for help on assignments that prove to be too difficult, or even something as simple as taking a break to recharge and refresh before working on the assignment again. This way there is a constant high level of effectiveness because everyone is ensuring they don't experience "burnout". Additionally, this way once boundaries are set, it becomes easier for other individuals in the group to respect them and abide by them. If someone crosses a boundary, it is important to identify it and fix the situation. Thus, I believe there should be a leader in the group as a main point person. However, being the main point person should not be their primary responsibility. This way they are working with the group on the project but are also identifying key aspects that are hurting or helping the team. I do not believe this individual should have all the say within the group, because sometimes they can make a wrong decision that will hurt the project, but could be prevented if the leader discusses the possible decisions with the team. Who knows, they team together can come up with a more than effective solution together. When dealing with contradicting ideas, I have found it more effective to take a step back and understand both ideas, list the pros and cons of both and make an informed decision that way. Then present back to the team which solution proves to be the best because it has more pros and fewer cons.

I must agree with the common notion that roles are imperative in a group when working on a project so that each member understands their role and responsibilities to the group. I think that the group should first meet and acknowledge the task at hand and the different parts that are required to complete the entire project - from there the group can establish roles that would be needed for the project and then those roles would be assigned based upon the strengths and capabilities of each individual group member. Furthermore, I think it is absolutely necessary to have a project manager for any project as there needs to be an individual that can hold the entire group accountable for their roles. Additionally, the project manager would need to have a strong understanding of what each group member is responsible for and see to it that the group is working in an efficient and cooperative manner. At the end of the day a group always needs one person to be able to represent all of their thoughts and ideas in a cohesive manner. The project manager would also be able to help assist any role that would be struggling with their tasks and make sure that everyone is operating as expected in their individual roles. I appreciate the point you brought up @nk434 as to how if one person is the "boss" of everyone else could that result in an individual having too much power in the group and while I could see this as a possibility, I think that it is important for the group members to communicate with the project manager if they feel uncomfortable with how they are operating. This means that the group needs to be confident enough in voicing their opinions during the project duration that the manager is acting in an unjust manner and is harming the entire project with their actions. With projects there needs to be a checks and balances in place so that all members are doing what is expected of them. In my personal experience I don't think boundaries need to be set necessarily unless there's a group member that seems to be breaking boundaries and acting in a behavior that needs to be addressed by the entire group.

I think it’s essential that a group establishes different roles and responsibilities depending on the goals of the project and the technical skills the group members possess. Splitting work makes a project more approachable and manageable; breaking it into smaller tasks with weekly or monthly deadlines ensures that goals are being met and the work is getting done. In addition, when tasks are distributed to different members of the team who have different technical skills, it allows for each member to focus on their part of the project and refine it as much as possible. This is also useful as time and resources can be split among members, so when challenges arise it’s easier to mitigate them. For example, if person A is working on the coding portion of a project and person B is working on the user interface portion, and person B is trying to connect the backend of the software to display on the UI, person A can help them with this task. Instead of this problem falling on one person, it becomes easier to solve it with multiple people. This can also be beneficial if person A and B are on different timelines. Person A can help figure out the problem on the software end, while person B can continue working on building the interface. It allows team members to pick up the pace of the work if someone else in the group is struggling. This is just one example of why it’s important to split roles and responsibilities among a project group. As far as boundaries go, I think it depends on the group and the project at hand. A boundary to set in every project is that members focus on their part and not take upon themselves responsibilities that were not assigned to them, unless it was a group decision. It’s important to understand that work is split among people for a reason, and it should be a collaborative effort. 

There should also definitely be a leader for the group. I don’t think having a designated leader means that one person gets too much power. I think a leader should be a guide and a resource for the members, and someone who oversees the overall progress of the project. They should keep track of things like - are weekly deadlines being met? Is anyone having trouble with their part of the project? Is the project being completed in a timely manner? And if there are problems, they should be able to help resolve them with everyone’s input. A leader, or a manager in this case, should be someone who pushes the team in a positive way. They need to make sure everyone’s voice is heard and encourage good communication, workflow, and efficiency. This also takes stress off the members, so that they don’t have to do work and manage the project by themselves.

Establishing a role in a project team at first is one of the most important things before the project starts. It is necessary for a project manager to find out who is responsible for and how to solve the problem when the accident happens. Of course, it doesn't mean everyone in the team should focus on their jobs, but team members should know their responsibility as an engineer before they help others. On the other side, how much space a project manager should give the members depends on the company's direction. Sometimes, the company just wants a regular and routine product. Therefore, a project manager should make the team focus on the process from contradicting. On the other hand, if the company encourages a novel idea, it is available for members to have a discussion. And it is time for the project manager to conduct opinions from every member to generate a plan.

Roles within a team should be established and well-defined when working toward the completion of a project. This should be the case in order to ensure that aspects of the project are covered as well as know who is responsible for each role. This is beneficial for team members as it would allow them to be placed into roles that maximize their strengths. This would also allow for managers to understand which member is tasked with a specific role and hold them accountable to make sure that each aspect of the project is getting completed. Boundaries should be established between members to avoid micromanagement and allow for each member to be able to work freely. It is important to establish a culture in which team members can rely on each other for assistance with specific tasks. In terms of leading, there should be a person leading the group in order to provide structure. It should not be in the sense of having more power than the rest but should be able to steer the direction of the team to ensure that projects are being completed and deadlines are being met. Additionally, with a manager, the manager will be able to make decisions based on what's best for the project and the team. Without a leader, it would be difficult for the group to make certain decisions and this would cause disunity. 

I agree fully with the previous posters. Roles should be well established & assigned before a project is started. These roles should be outlined in the PMP & shall be given out to all employees before anything gets rolling. The progress of a project all depends on each individual's contribution to the whole. As such, each individual must feel a personal responsibility to the project, giving them a role allows them to feel that responsibility. However, despite all this; "over-constraining" the project members can have a choking effect on the progress of the team. If ones role is to "only" work on one document, the role of that employee has effectively barred them from helping on other sections of the project. This is an exaggeration, however, the point stands that roles should be clear, but not over defined.

When working in a team, it is pivotal to establish roles to make clear of the responsibilities of each person. With this role, comes accountability for the tasks that need to be completed which helps team work efficiently towards a common goal. This idea of delegating clears up any confusion and helps the team work together. There should also be set boundaries so that all team members receive respect and to avoid conflicts within the group. Some boundaries that are necessary for a team's efficiency are guidelines and protocols for decision-making and communication so that conflicts can be resolved in the best manner. In regards to a leadership role, it has been proven to be effective to help the team work towards a goal. Leaders act as a mediator and facilitator within a team. This does not mean that other group members do not have a say because it is also important that the leader does not dictate, but instead hears everyone in the group and allows everyone to have a say. This helps to motivate others to have respect for each other and allows for varying ideas to be heard. Another way to create an effective dynamic, the group (as a whole) should establish the goals of the project and reassess any protocols regularly to be as efficient as possible. 

Delegation of roles and work is often the first, if not the first, thing you do when you create a group. I think it is beneficial to everyone in the group to be as specific as possible when describing everyone's role in the group. This can aid in avoiding confusion later as well as make it easier for each member. In my opinion, the most important boundaries for a group are accountability and honesty. Everyone must be held accountable for his or her part of the project, and honesty between each group member ensures that everyone can trust one another to complete their tasks. This is usually also the time when you all decide who will be the leader of the group. In my experience, "one leader with supports" has been the most efficient method, but while there is one leader, everyone in the group is usually encouraged to share their ideas.