We are preparing for an exit in two years and need a dedicated Data Migration and Compliance seat to clean up our legacy databases before due diligence. None of our current leadership team members want this seat because it is tedious work. How do we assign accountability when everyone is dodging it?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

In the EOS® process, every seat on the Accountability Chart must have one clearly defined owner. When you have a critical, unappealing seat that nobody wants to claim, you cannot simply leave it blank or split it among multiple people. This is a classic Right Person, Right Seat issue. Start by identifying the three to five major roles and responsibilities of this Data Migration and Compliance seat. Be brutal about what the seat actually requires to prepare your business for due diligence. Once the roles are clear, run a GWC™ check across your entire existing team. Ask who gets it, wants it, and has the capacity to do it. If one of your leaders gets it and has the capacity, but simply does not want it because it is tedious, you have a leadership alignment issue. You must explain how this seat directly drives the business valuation and exit readiness. If nobody on the leadership team truly has the physical or mental capacity to do it, do not force it. Doing so will only lead to dropped balls and failed due diligence. Your best move is to treat this as a vacant seat on your chart. Keep it on the chart as a visual reminder of your structural gap. You can then outsource the function to a specialized data migration contractor or hire a temporary project manager who GWCs this exact work. The contractor or project manager will report directly to whichever seat on your leadership team is ultimately responsible for your overall systems or technology. This keeps the chart clean and ensures the work actually gets done.