Start with a piece of work.
An organisation chart shows reporting relationships. It may not explain who decides, who contributes or who follows up when a piece of work crosses several teams.
Choose an area where coordination is taking more time than it should. Map how the work starts, what needs to happen and where the next person depends on an earlier decision.
Separate contribution from decision authority.
Several people may need to contribute, while one role needs authority to make a particular decision. Agree the difference so consultation can inform the work without leaving the decision unresolved.
For example, a new starter’s first week may involve a team leader, HR and operations. The useful conversation is about who confirms readiness, who supplies each input and who resolves a missing item. The answer depends on the organisation.
Check the capacity behind the responsibility.
Assigning work does not create time or authority. Ask whether the responsible person has what they need to act, including access to information and a clear escalation point.
If the work competes with other priorities, agree what takes precedence. That decision belongs with someone who can make the resource trade-off.
Record the decisions that help people act.
- Who owns the result and what they can decide.
- Who needs to contribute and when.
- What happens when a decision is outside their authority.
- When the team will review how it is working.
Review the process after people use it.
Try the agreed responsibilities in the work before adding more detail. Ask where decisions became clearer and where a handover still needed attention.
Use that feedback to update the process and role expectations together. This keeps responsibility connected to how the organisation operates.