Organisation
Task inventories vs. job descriptions: their true purpose
Simply listing activities is not enough. The real value lies in making it clear who is accountable for what.
Many companies only start discussing role definitions—often in the form of a `mansionario`, a detailed task inventory—when things have already started to go wrong: duplicated activities, shifting accountability, and people interpreting the same role in different ways.
A list of tasks or a description of the role
The risk is addressing the problem by producing a long list of tasks. Such a document can be precise yet unhelpful. In evolving organisations, describing every single activity is difficult; it is far more important to clarify the role’s accountabilities and its boundaries.
A good job description explains why the role exists, what outcomes it is accountable for, what decisions it can make, who it works with, and what skills are required. The `mansionario` can detail specific activities, but it should align with this logic and not become an endless list of micro-tasks.
Seniority and overlapping areas
The distinction becomes particularly important when there are similar roles with different levels of seniority. A Project Manager and a Senior Project Manager, for example, are not distinguished simply by the fact that the latter manages ‘bigger’ projects. What changes are their autonomy, the complexity of their decisions, their ability to manage risks and stakeholders, their financial accountability, and the support they give to less experienced colleagues.
The same applies to overlapping responsibilities. Budgets, quotes, pricing, or client management often involve multiple functions. Stating that ‘everyone handles it together’ clarifies nothing. It is necessary to define who develops the financial proposal, who approves it, who monitors performance, and who intervenes if there are deviations.
When they become organisational tools
Task inventories and job descriptions become organisational tools when they help people make decisions without constantly needing confirmation. If they are used only to capture what each person does today, they risk cementing the very ambiguities the company is trying to resolve.
When the problem also involves handovers between functions and centralised decision-making, these descriptions must be seen as part of the broader work of structuring roles, processes and responsibilities in a growing business.