How do I research the boundaries between two related roles?

Treat the titles as clues, not as the answer. Build a comparison around three things: the outputs each role is expected to produce, the decisions each can make, and the points where work passes from one role to another.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics defines a task as an activity resulting in a specific outcome and distinguishes a job’s assigned tasks from a broader occupation. That gives you a useful way to compare the work, but it does not establish boundaries between two roles in your workplace. [S1]

Start with job descriptions, role profiles, team documentation, or examples of routine work that you are permitted to review. Label anything you infer as a question to verify, not as settled responsibility.

Make one row for each recurring activity, and record its outcome rather than copying a broad phrase such as “supports the team.” For each role, ask:

1. What specific result is this person expected to produce?
2. What can they decide or change without approval?
3. Who provides inputs, reviews the result, or receives the handoff?
4. Does another role do a similar activity, but with a different purpose or final decision?

Occupational Outlook Handbook profiles may list typical tasks, tools, and people workers interact with; some also describe specialties and differences in duties. These descriptions can help you find possible overlap to investigate, but they do not settle responsibility within a particular organization. [S2]

Here is a hypothetical illustration—not a claim about any particular workplace. Suppose Role A prepares a draft plan and Role B approves the plan. Write down the distinction as a testable question: “Does Role A recommend the plan, or can it commit the team to the plan? What specifically does Role B approve?”

Then follow one example of the work from beginning to end, if you can do so appropriately. Note who starts it, who supplies information, who produces the result, who makes the final call, and who receives it. If both descriptions say “manage the plan,” that phrase alone does not tell you whether the roles share the task, split stages, or use different decision authority. Ask the people responsible for clarifying the roles.

Frame it as a coordination question and bring a concrete example. You could say:

“I'm mapping the handoff between [Role A] and [Role B] so I can route this work correctly. For [specific activity], who owns the final decision, who prepares the output, and when should it be handed off? Are there cases where that changes?”

Ask the relevant manager or people who directly coordinate the work. If the answer differs, note the disagreement and ask who can confirm the intended division. Keep the record factual: what was clarified, by whom in their work capacity if appropriate, and what still needs confirmation. Do not treat a general occupational description as a substitute for a workplace decision.

Aim for a short, provisional boundary map. For each overlapping activity, capture the expected output, the person or role that makes the decision, the handoff trigger, and any exception that was confirmed. Mark unanswered items as open questions rather than filling gaps with assumptions.

For example, a reusable entry might be: “Activity: [work item]. Prepares: [role/person]. Decides: [role/person or needs confirmation]. Handoff: [event or stage]. Open question: [specific ambiguity].” Share it with the relevant people for correction if appropriate. Occupational descriptions can help identify typical tasks and outcomes, but they do not establish who has authority or responsibility in your particular workplace. [S1] [S2]