Task

A task, in Role Based Management (RBM), is a one-off piece of work that a role needs done, assigned to a single member and often due by a date. A task ends once the work is done, which is what separates it from an accountability, an activity the role carries out again and again.

Task or accountability

The accountabilities listed in a role describe activities that repeat. An accountability written with a deadline or a number is actually a task or a goal. "Publishing the monthly newsletter" is an accountability of a Communication role. "Send the October newsletter by the 5th" is a task that follows from it.

Why tasks are assigned to one person

Each task has a single named owner, so everyone knows who is responsible for what. When the whole team can see every task and its owner, each member knows what is expected of them and what the others are working on, which makes coordination easier.

Tasks vary in size, from an action that takes a few minutes to work spread over several weeks. Each one serves the purpose of the role it comes from, and through that role, the priorities of the organization.