We have deployed several basic AI automations across our departments, but now they occasionally break and nobody owns the upkeep. How do we define this technical maintenance responsibility on our Accountability Chart without creating a bloated IT department?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When internal automations break, operations grind to a halt. To avoid this, you must explicitly assign ownership of system maintenance on your Accountability Chart. Do not hire a full time AI developer or build a bloated IT department to manage basic workflows. Instead, look at your existing operations or systems seat. Update the roles and responsibilities for this seat to include the monitoring, auditing, and troubleshooting of your active AI integrations. This person does not need to be a software engineer, but they must have a high capacity to organize and maintain digital systems. Their job is to run regular health checks on your workflows, monitor API usage, and serve as the first line of defense when a tool stops working. If a complex technical issue arises, this internal owner will coordinate with an external contractor to fix it, keeping your overhead low. Every automated workflow must have a clearly documented backup process so that if a system goes down, your team knows exactly how to perform the work manually. By placing this responsibility in a single, accountable seat, you ensure that your systems remain stable and your team remains productive.