"Role" and "Method"
When we consider project roles, we always connect them with practices (methods). From here on, we will use the terms "method" and "practice" as synonyms. In systems thinking, the concept of "method" carries a different meaning than it does in everyday speech[1]. We need this concept to discuss the formal description of the actions performed by project roles. Project roles operate according to a method (practice); each role can use many of them, and through these, work artifacts are created. For example, a swimmer can swim using different styles (often, the word "style" is a synonym for method and practice, and sometimes people also use the word "technique")—freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly, and so on.
There are methods for surgeons, dentists, entrepreneurs, engineers, marketers, and so forth. People study applied methods (practices) to create work artifacts more effectively. Be sure to write out a list of the methods you consciously use, and then add the work artifacts you produce with their help.
In your work, you use various methods to create work artifacts. At the same time, you may be engaged in either analytical or engineering work. In the first case, you create internal work artifacts—that is, something for yourself. For example, you might make your own plans, analyze completed work, or collect data. In the second case, you create external work artifacts, which you provide to other people. In this case, unlike the first, your decisions change the surrounding world.
Pay attention to how much time you spend as an analyst and how much as an engineer. In the evening, make or recall a list of the external and internal work artifacts you have created[2].