Never assign one task to two people.
In any project—an exhibit, an interpretive program, a special event—there’s a pile of work to do, and that work needs to be divided into discrete tasks. That’s a project manager’s job.
And for those of us on the delivery side, there’s sometimes that uneasy moment when we look at the task list and see:
“Contact guest speaker and arrange travel logistics — Jordan and Alex.”
One task, two people
So Jordan and Alex look at the list, look at each other, and have no idea who’s actually doing what. Do they both call the guest speaker? Do they share a screen when booking accommodation? What if they disagree on how to handle travel reimbursements? What if they each have a different understanding of what the task even is?
Neither has authority over the other, so every small decision becomes a negotiation. Conflict ensues—or, if they’re Canadian, a whole lot of “Sorry, is this okay?” ensues. Either way, it’s awkward, inefficient, and completely avoidable.
Never assign one task to two people. Ever. Project management 101.
It sounds harmless, even efficient, from the project manager’s point of view. “Let’s have them both work on it together.” Boom, done. But that’s not collaboration; that’s abdication. You’re making your people do your job.
When you assign one task to two people, you’re forcing them to negotiate the work. They have to figure out who’s doing what, how to make the pieces fit, and how to hold each other accountable—without any real authority over each other. That’s not teamwork; that’s a slow, polite tug-of-war. And it’s your responsibility, not theirs, to prevent it.
Now, in practice, sure—most of the time, two capable adults will sort it out. They’ll divide the task, get it done, and make you look like a genius. But that doesn’t mean it was good management. It just means your team bailed you out. They did the invisible labour of defining the work, negotiating ownership, and absorbing the awkwardness you created.
And the risk, of course, is that Jordan and Alex don’t divide the task equitably. One hogs the work and the accolades, and the other is hurt; or worse, each points at the other when nothing gets done.
Good project management means every task has one clear owner, even when it’s a team effort. It’s fine to say, “Jordan, I’d like you to work with Alex on this,” as long as Jordan knows they’re the one responsible for delivery. Collaboration? Great. Shared accountability? Nope.
When everyone knows who owns what, your meetings get shorter, your schedules stay realistic, and your people trust you a little more. Because nothing erodes confidence like a boss who can’t make a clean decision about responsibility.
So if you catch yourself thinking, “They can figure it out between them,” stop. That’s your moment to step up and define it. Clarity is kindness. One person, one task, every time.
Leave a Reply