Before the consultant joins your team, it’s important for staff to get aligned to avoid feeling off-balance.
When roles are unclear or expectations are vague, collaboration can feel more like competition.
That’s where this visual Team Map exercise comes in—giving staff the clarity they need before the consultant ever steps in.
This exercise helps staff clarify who’s doing what, where responsibilities intersect, and how to engage the consultant without feeling overshadowed or sidelined.
Objective:
To help staff clearly define the roles of internal team members and external consultants, while identifying shared responsibilities and collaboration zones before the consultant joins your team.
This is ideal for:
- Programming staff who have to work with consultants
- Staff overseeing consultant engagement
- Staff responsible for hiring or managing consultants across teams
What you’ll need:
- 30–40 minutes (or longer) of uninterrupted time
- A facilitator (internal staff member or team lead)
- A quiet space (in-person or virtual)
- Chart paper or virtual whiteboard
- Sticky notes or digital text boxes
- Markers or annotation tools
The steps:
Step 1: Set the scene (5 minutes)
Briefly revisit why a consultant is being brought it, what they’re expected to do, and what staff have already been handling. Frame this as a shared learning moment—not a performance review.
Step 2: Draw the team map (5 minutes)
On a large sheet or shared screen, draw two labeled overlapping circles (like a Venn diagram):
Step 3: Populate each zone (15 minutes)
Invite participants to place sticky notes or digital inputs in each zone:
- Tasks, responsibilities, or decisions that fall squarely in the Staff Zone
- Those clearly belonging to the Consultant Zone
- And anything requiring joint attention in the Shared Zone
Encourage honesty—include emotional labor, internal expertise, or concerns too.
Step 4: Review & Reflect (10-15 minutes)
As a group, discuss patterns.
- Are any zones overloaded?
- Are there tasks in the Shared Zone that need better boundaries?
- Is the Consultant Zone missing key context or dependencies?
Let’s process
To deepen the conversation, consider these reflection prompts:
- Does everyone feel comfortable with the current division of labor?
- Are there parts of this work where the consultant might unintentionally take the lead when staff expertise should be centered?
- What internal support do we need to maintain clarity before the consultant joins our team and once the project gets moving?
Key takeaway
A consultant should never feel like a mystery guest or an unspoken authority.
Before the consultant joins your team, take time to clarify responsibilities visually and collectively to reduce confusion, build trust, and set the tone for real collaboration—not competition.
This isn’t just about the consultant knowing their place—it’s about everyone knowing theirs.
Raise Your Voice: Have you ever worked on a project where the consultant’s role wasn’t clearly defined? How would this mapping exercise have helped? Share below in the comments section.
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