This role leads a defined group of people in achieving a specific objective, whether the activity is time-constrained (such as in a sub-project or task force) or continuous (as in operations).

This role does not have the same responsibilities nor authority of other roles, such as a line manager (who has budget responsibility and authority to hire or fire people) or project manager (who is accountable for the whole project success). Thus, this role's responsibilities typically focus on leading the technical aspects of the work.