The Value of Project Working Groups
Why Working Groups Are the Secret to Actually Getting Things Done
If you’ve ever been in a project meeting and thought, “There are way too many people in here,” or “I’m not sure who’s actually in charge of this,” you’re not imagining it. It’s a real problem, and it’s more common than most teams admit.
Modern projects are often complex, cross-functional, and fast-moving. That’s the nature of today’s work. But here’s the trap many teams fall into: they try to tackle everything as one giant unit. And that almost always leads to slow decision-making, unclear ownership, and the dreaded too-many-cooks-in-the-kitchen problem.
The Problem With “One Big Team” Thinking
When everyone is technically “involved,” but no one is really accountable, things break down. Conversations go in circles. Meetings get longer, not more productive. People sit through updates that don’t apply to them. And work gets delayed, not because anyone is slacking, but because the structure just doesn’t support momentum.
This isn’t just anecdotal. According to a 2023 report by Asana, over 60% of knowledge workers say unclear roles and responsibilities are one of their biggest project challenges, and 70% report feeling like too many people are involved in decision-making (source).
So what’s the fix?
Working Groups: A Simple, Scalable Solution
One of the most effective ways to solve this, and keep projects from getting stuck, is by creating smaller, focused working groups.
Working groups are exactly what they sound like: sub-teams within a larger project, each responsible for a specific area. One group might handle communications and messaging. Another owns data migration. Another focuses on training and internal enablement. Each group goes deep on what they know best.
And here’s why that works so well. When each group knows what they’re accountable for, everything moves faster:
Fewer back-and-forths
Fewer “just to be safe” CCs
Fewer passive approvals
Way more clarity
Each meeting becomes more focused. The right people are in the room. And every person understands the purpose of their time and how their work connects to the larger goal.
You stop trying to boil the ocean in one go, and instead, make meaningful progress in parallel.
The Other Hidden Benefit: Better Engagement
Let’s not overlook something equally important: people do their best work when they know why they’re in the room.
When teams are pulled into every discussion, regardless of relevance, it leads to disengagement. According to Gallup, only 32% of U.S. employees are actively engaged at work, and unclear communication is one of the top reasons for disengagement (source). Working groups solve for that by aligning people with the work that matches their skills, interests, and responsibilities.
It’s not about excluding people. It’s about respecting their time and including them where their input matters most.
Structure Without Bureaucracy
Some leaders worry that breaking a team into smaller groups will cause silos. But the opposite happens when it’s done right. Instead of everyone sitting in the same room pretending to collaborate, working groups allow for real, focused collaboration, then come back together to share aligned progress.
This is how high-performing teams operate:
Clear ownership
Aligned priorities
A healthy rhythm of syncs (not over-syncs)
Trust that each group is moving things forward
And it doesn’t have to be complicated.
That’s exactly why we designed Tohdo to support this kind of structure. When you create a project, you can group deliverables by working group, assign leads, and track progress in a way that feels intuitive. Everyone sees the part they own, and how it connects to the bigger picture.
It’s structure that doesn’t get in the way. It helps people stay in their lane when it matters, and come together when it counts.
So, When Should You Use Working Groups?
If your project has:
More than 5 people involved
Multiple types of work happening in parallel
Cross-functional contributors (marketing, tech, operations, etc.)
Too many meetings with too little progress
…it’s time to break it down into working groups.
Even a simple structure can have a huge impact. Suddenly, you're not chasing updates from everyone, you’re meeting with the right people at the right time. You’re not overwhelmed by one massive plan, you’re executing in parallel with shared purpose.
Projects don’t get stuck because people don’t care. They get stuck because the structure doesn’t support action. Working groups offer a lightweight, proven way to bring clarity, focus, and real progress back into the process. So if your meetings feel bloated, your timelines keep slipping, or your team’s energy feels scattered, try organizing your next project into working groups. You’ll be surprised how quickly the fog lifts, and how much faster things start to move.
Because when everyone knows their role, and each group is empowered to own their part, the work doesn’t just get done. It gets done well.