Meeting Facilitators International recieves many, many requests to help clarify roles and responsibilities as part of a retreat or planning session. Here is how we go about it.
The first step in the process involves the identification of the different "roles" that are to be clarified. These may be either entire work groups or individual jobs. This step can be done in advance of the session. When planning the session you should make sure that you have at least one person present for each role to be clarified.
Once the roles to be clarified have been identified the participants are asked to rearrange themselves so that everyone in the same role is seated together in a group.
After explaining the purpose of the session we ask each group to appoint a note-taker. Each group is then asked to record on a flipchart two lists. The first list describes things that their group/role "is responsible for" or "does". The second list is things that their group/role "is not responsible for" or "doesn't do." The second list is very important. People will use it to describe things that they believe others think they are responsible for, but that they themselves do not think they are responsible for.
After each group has finished their lists we go around the room and have the groups present their lists. After a group has presented we ask for questions in three rounds.
Asking the questions in this order can spoil a lot of perfectly good arguments. The questions for clarity section is an opportunity for people to ensure that they understand what is being presented. (I am not sure what you mean by...) The omissions section is an opportunity for other groups to check for completeness. (Aren't you also responsible for ... ?) And finally the challenges section is an opportunity to work out different understandings of roles. (You say that you are responsible for ... , yet I think that we are responsible for ... , and that you are responsible for ...)
As the questioning proceeds the group's documentation is modified as appropriate.
Once all of the groups have presented you should have the basis for a common understanding of what the various groups/roles are, and are not responsible for. Sometimes you will come across issues that can't be resolved on the spot. Once these issues have been clearly defined they can be assigned for future resolution. After the session is done the notes can be typed up and distributed to all of the participants. On several occasions clients have then gone on to create or modify their formal job descriptions and performance contracts based on the results of the session.