The Invisible Drain on Team Performance: Unclear Project Roles

When a team takes on a new project, everyone wants to contribute. But without clear roles, even the most motivated teams struggle. Tasks are duplicated, deadlines are missed, and accountability becomes fuzzy.

This is especially common on operational teams where there’s no dedicated project manager. The manager leading the project is often stretched thin, expected to oversee execution while also handling their day-to-day responsibilities.

The result? Work slows down, team members get frustrated, and progress feels harder than it should be.

The good news is you don’t need a full project team or formal training to fix this. You just need to bring clarity to who’s doing what.

Why Role Clarity Is So Often Overlooked

On cross-functional or fast-moving teams, it’s easy to assume everyone knows what they’re responsible for. After all, the team has worked together before. But when projects evolve or get more complex, those assumptions start to break down.

And when multiple people share responsibility for one deliverable, it often means no one is truly accountable.

Without clear roles:

• People duplicate work or miss tasks entirely
• Questions about ownership go unresolved
• Team members hesitate to take initiative
• Managers end up stepping in more often than they should

That’s not a people problem. It’s a structure problem.

How to Create Role Clarity Without Complexity

You don’t need a formal RACI chart to clarify roles. You just need to slow down long enough to align on who’s doing what.

Here are three ways to build more role clarity right away:

1. Name a Driver for Each Key Deliverable

Every major task or deliverable should have a single person who is responsible for moving it forward. They don’t have to complete it alone, but they should be the one tracking it and updating others.

2. Say it Out Loud

In your next check-in or kickoff, take time to say who is responsible for each piece of the project. Hearing it in real time reduces confusion and gives everyone a chance to ask questions before work begins.

3. Create a Simple Tracker

Even a basic spreadsheet with tasks, owners, and due dates can create shared understanding. When everyone sees who’s doing what, it builds trust and accountability.

What This Looks Like in Action

For instance, an operations manager who leads a small team responsible for onboarding new clients was struggling to keep projects on track. Without clearly defined roles, every new onboarding felt chaotic. Tasks overlapped, reminders piled up, and progress slowed as the team waited for direction.

Once the manager mapped out the key steps in the process and assigned clear owners for each milestone, everything started to shift. Team members began to take more initiative, meetings ran more efficiently, and follow-ups became the exception rather than the norm. With role clarity in place, the team moved with more confidence and less friction.

Conclusion

Unclear roles are one of the biggest hidden drains on team performance. But they’re also one of the easiest things to fix. By taking the time to clarify who’s responsible for what, you reduce confusion, increase ownership, and help the team move forward with more focus.

At The Soomitz Group, our practical workshops focus on project management techniques that operational teams can use to deliver on their critical initiatives.

Contact us today to learn how we can help your team create structure that leads to better results.

Article 59