We want to assign accountability for our crucial cybersecurity and systems stability seat to both our outsourced IT vendor and our internal systems manager. Can we put both of their names in this single seat on our Accountability Chart?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You cannot put two names in one seat because doing so completely dilutes accountability. When two people are responsible, nobody is responsible. If a system failure or security breach occurs, both parties will point fingers at each other, and your operations will stall.

The solution is to clarify who owns the ultimate accountability. On the Accountability Chart, only one name can occupy a seat. In this scenario, your internal systems manager must own the seat. They are the single point of contact who is accountable for the results.

The outsourced IT vendor is not a peer in the seat. They are a resource that helps the seat holder achieve their goals. The internal systems manager is accountable for managing that vendor, ensuring the vendor hits their service level agreements, and reporting on metrics.

If the vendor fails to perform, your internal manager is the one who must answer for it and solve the issue. If you put both names in the seat, you create a structural gray area that makes it impossible to run a clean operation. Keep one name in the seat and make them fully accountable for the vendor's output.