6 roles in a group project (and why they’re important)

6 key roles in a group project

Based on the goals and objectives of your project, you will likely see people fall into their natural roles—based on their personalities, organizational skills, or time management. Some key roles include:

Grow a business

Use free apps and tools from microsoft for your small business and side gig.

Learn more

1. Facilitator

Often serving as the lead in a group, this role is vital in the initial stages of a project. A facilitator delegates responsibilities and tasks to team members, best aligning them with their strengths, weaknesses, and areas of expertise. This requires the facilitator to be familiar with their group even before a project is launched. Some facilitators take a hands-on approach, keeping everyone within designated silos, while others allow their team to dictate what is best for the project.

2. Organizer

This role involves coordinating all the moving parts of a complex group project. This may include scheduling meetings, keeping track of timelines, and ensuring everything runs as smoothly as possible. Organizers naturally tap into their personalities and work experiences to manage the many components of the project—not only for themselves but also for other team members. This role might also extend to recording meeting notes, establishing agendas, and following up on client or team emails.

3. Brainstormer

When tackling a new project, it helps to start with “blue-sky” thinking ideas where nothing is out of bounds. This is where the brainstormer role comes in: as an innovator, they work to launch creative and interesting ideas at the beginning of a project and find new ways to explore other aspects of thinking as the project solidifies. It’s this creative energy that can best explore new ways of advancing the project.

4. Communicator

Whether working with supervisors, higher-ups, or different departments, the communicator adeptly distills group meetings and project timelines into key talking points that can be turned into succinct updates. Communicators also create, record, and issue progress reports, which can be preserved for meeting notes and minutes—working with organizers to ensure that everything is remembered and easily referenced.

5. Evaluator

This role pays close attention to the team’s progress toward the project’s objectives and goals. By doing so, they may adjust deadlines to match progress, working with communicators and facilitators to analyze goals. Evaluators understand the key performance indicators for the project that meet their goals, and they can also gauge each team member’s strengths and potential successes.

6. Arbitrator

Inevitably in a group setting, disagreements will arise. Although these aren’t necessarily full-blown conflicts or clashes, team members may have different ideas on how to lead a project to conclusion or how to execute a plan. This is where arbitrators come in: they function as observers, monitoring interactions and sensing misunderstandings. They work closely with facilitators to ensure that every member can express their perspective, offering praise to all members, providing a neutral perspective on issues, and improving team morale.

All these roles work together, and the lines between individual roles may blur—communicators can also act as evaluators when keeping track of progress, and facilitators often act as arbitrators whenever conflicts arise. Without effective leadership, a group project may falter due to a lack of direction and coordination. For more tips on group dynamics, check out how to kick off a project, run an all-hands meeting, or build open communication among your workplace peers.