Decision Ownership Audit
A quick audit to make decision ownership, escalation, and roles visible.
Pathway:
Lead the Work
Area:
governance-and-decisions
Type:
Audit
Audience:
Senior Leader / Executive, People Manager, Project / Program Manager
Time needed:
20 minutes
Primary Use:
Diagnose
Depth:
Practical Application
Decision Ownership Audit
A focused 20-minute audit for making decision ownership, escalation, and roles visible. Not a process review — a practical tool for identifying where authority is implicit, where escalation has no path, and where the work is waiting for direction that has never formally arrived.
Use it when
Work is waiting for direction that never formally arrives.
You suspect ownership is unclear but cannot name exactly where.
A team is experiencing friction that feels like personality conflict but might be structural.
What you'll do
List the decisions currently in motion and name one owner for each.
Identify where ownership is implied rather than explicit.
Define the consulted and informed parties for each decision.
Name the escalation path if a decision is blocked.
What you'll leave with
Clear ownership and reduced friction. A written record that replaces the assumptions currently living in people's heads.
A note from Maypop
Accountability without clarity is not accountability — it is exposure. This audit builds the clarity that makes accountability possible and fair.