Our operations manager claims she has the capacity to oversee our new automated customer onboarding system, but she is constantly getting bogged down in technical troubleshooting and API errors. How do we redefine her seat on the Accountability Chart to separate technical system maintenance from operational management?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a classic capacity issue that often arises when scaling automation. Your operations manager likely has the desire and intelligence for her role, but she lacks the technical capacity to debug code and manage complex integrations. If she spends her day troubleshooting API errors, she cannot run your operations effectively.

You must use the Accountability Chart to solve this problem. Take a hard look at her seat and ask if she truly has the GWC™ to manage both operations and system architecture. The answer is likely no.

To resolve this bottleneck, you must split these responsibilities into two distinct seats. Keep your operations manager focused on her core seat, which includes managing staff, monitoring service delivery, and tracking metrics on your Scorecard.

Then, create a new technical support seat on your Accountability Chart. This seat is specifically responsible for system stability, API management, and software troubleshooting. Whether you hire a full-time operator or outsource this role to a specialized contractor, separating these responsibilities ensures that your automated systems run smoothly without dragging down your operational leadership.