We are hiring a third-party developer to build a custom AI pipeline for our inventory forecasting, but we do not have an internal CTO. How do we define who owns this relationship on our Accountability Chart to ensure we do not get held hostage by a vendor?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You do not need a full-time CTO to manage an external AI developer, but you absolutely must have a single seat on your Accountability Chart that owns the vendor relationship and the system results.

Typically, this responsibility belongs to your Operations Manager or your Integrator. The key is evaluating this seat using the GWC framework to ensure the person gets, wants, and has the capacity to manage the project outcomes.

This internal owner does not need to know how to write python code. However, they must deeply understand the business logic of your inventory forecasting and be able to clearly communicate those requirements to the developer.

Update the roles for this seat on your Accountability Chart to include vendor management, system uptime, and forecasting accuracy.

The internal owner must hold the developer to strict service level agreements, ensure we own all custom code and intellectual property, and maintain complete administrative access to all developer accounts.

By formalizing this ownership on your Accountability Chart, you prevent the developer from operating in a vacuum and ensure your technology serves your business goals.