Principle 10: Designated Ownership (Even Temporary)

This principle states that every Unit of Effort must have a clearly identified owner. Ownership ensures momentum, accountability, and visibility—even when the assignment is temporary. Unowned work stalls, degrades, or disappears from the system.

Summary

A Unit of Effort cannot be allowed to drift. Clear ownership is essential for accountability, clarity, and momentum. Even if ownership is transitional, someone must be responsible for its movement, quality, and outcome. Unowned Units of Effort stall, degrade, or vanish from visibility.

Examples

In procurement, a purchase request is entered without being assigned to a buyer. Days pass with no action because no one is assigned to process it. Once assigned, movement resumes.
In strategic planning, a high-priority initiative is noted but no leader is tasked to move it forward. It stays on slide decks without action until a senior leader assigns an interim owner.

Common Mistakes

Assuming shared awareness equals ownership: “We all know about it” isn’t ownership.
Delaying ownership assignment: Waiting until everything is defined before assigning a lead.
Assigning by default: Letting the last person to touch it be the de facto owner without clarity or consent.
Ownership transfer without acknowledgement: Handing something off without confirmation or acceptance.

Red Flag Indicators

“Who’s handling this?” is a frequent question.
Multiple people assume someone else owns it.
It appears in meetings repeatedly without updates.
It gets tracked in spreadsheets but not actively managed.

Key Diagnostic Questions

Who is currently responsible for this Unit of Effort?
Does that person know and agree they are the owner?
Is ownership clearly communicated and visible to others?
What happens if this stalls – who is accountable?

Local Application Prompts

Pick three open items in your workstream. Who owns each?
Create a rule: “No Unit of Effort moves forward without a name beside it.”
Practice temporary ownership: “I’ll take it until we have a permanent owner.”

Alignment Risks

Strategic drift: Work that isn’t owned often detaches from it’s intended outcome.
Duplication or abandonment: Others may restart efforts or assume they are completed.
Low morale: Repeated ownership confusion discourages initiative and trust.

Systems Design Anchors

Embed ownership into data fields (e.g. “Owner” column in all task trackers).
Use workflow tools with required assignment fields.
Require explicit reassignment when roles or statuses change.

Role Implications

Leaders: Ensure no Unit of Effort leaves a meeting without an assigned owner, and make sure they know it to.

Team Members: Step up for temporary ownership when gaps arise.

Analysts and PMs: Make ownership visible in reports and dashboards.