Use this chart to assess patterns in your assignment of tasks and projects. Record the recent and current projects each employee is assigned, and consider whether these projects might be high risk for those individuals and/or highly visible. Consider the following kinds of questions when examining the results.
- Describe your typical process for task assignment. Is it decided “on the spot” in meetings?
- Does it allow opportunities for reflection and consideration of previous assignments? Does the process itself disproportionately benefit loud, outspoken, confident/ambitious employees?
- Are some team members assigned more frequently to highly visible tasks or projects? Are other talented team members missing out on these assignments, perhaps because they are quieter, do not clamor for these assignments, or because of other “personality” or “work style” biases that actually may not inhibit their ability to do the job?
- Do some team members always get certain tasks because they’ve always been the ones to do them?
- Do all team members equally share/rotate the burden of “office housework” tasks (e.g., organizing logistics, social events, note taking, etc.)?
- Might there be others who could use the opportunity to further develop themselves?
- Are some team members assigned more often to high-risk or “scapegoat” tasks or projects?
- Do some team members get to play creative/innovative roles more often than others?
- Are some team members assigned to execution roles more often than others?
- What other patterns do you see in assignments? Are there problems with these patterns?
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