What is the role of a Critic?

• A. Encourages all ideas to move forward.
• B. Identifies potential flaws and risks and challenges viability.
• C. Funds the project at a senior level.
• D. Handles implementation and rollout.

Answer: (B)

Evaluating proposals with a critical eye is the main idea here: the role is to identify potential flaws, assess risks, and test whether the change is viable. A critic serves as a check against unchecked optimism, asking tough questions about assumptions, resources, timelines, and alignment with strategic goals. By surfacing uncertainties and outlining what would need to happen for success, the critic helps the team make informed, sustainable decisions before moving forward.

This is different from someone who pushes every idea forward, which is more of a promoter or advocate; or from someone who provides funding, which is the sponsorship or finance role; or from someone who implements the change, which is the execution role. So identifying risks and viability best captures the critic’s function.