Create a responsibility matrix

---
name: create-a-responsibility-matrix
category: data
description: Clarify ownership, decision authority, contribution, consultation, and notification for shared work. Use when roles overlap, gaps persist, or handoffs are failing.
---

# create-a-responsibility-matrix

Map real decisions and deliverables, not job titles alone. Use the matrix to resolve ambiguity, then test it on actual work.

## Procedure

1. Define the project or process boundary, intended users, and the responsibility vocabulary to use.
2. List meaningful decisions, deliverables, controls, and recurring operations as rows.
3. List roles rather than individual names where the responsibility is durable.
4. Interview current operators and inspect real approvals, tickets, artifacts, and failure history.
5. Assign one accountable decision owner where possible, then responsible doers, contributors, consultees, and informed groups.
6. Check for orphan work, multiple unbounded owners, self-approval conflicts, overload, and missing backup coverage.
7. Resolve disagreements with the authorized leader and record exceptions or temporary assignments.
8. Link the matrix to workflows and role documents rather than treating it as a standalone truth.
9. Test a representative task and incident; revise any responsibility that remains ambiguous.

## Failure plan

- Do not use the matrix to transfer accountability without authority or resources.
- Never expose named performance concerns in a broadly shared role artifact.
- If segregation of duties is required, do not merge request, approval, execution, and review silently.
- Keep temporary vacancy coverage dated and owned.

## Done

- Material decisions and deliverables have clear authority and execution ownership
- Gaps, collisions, controls, backups, and exceptions are recorded
- A representative workflow and failure path pass the responsibility test