We are executing a massive migration to a new ERP platform, but the project is stalled because our IT manager and our operations manager keep pointing fingers at each other over who has final authority. How do we resolve this standoff using our Accountability Chart?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This operational standoff is a clear symptom of a gap on your Accountability Chart. When two leaders are pointing fingers, it means accountability is either split between them or has completely fallen through the cracks into a ghost seat.

In EOS, you must have absolute clarity on who owns the final decision. You cannot have a shared seat or vague roles.

To resolve this, your Integrator must bring both leaders together in an IDS session during your Level 10 Meeting. Open up the Accountability Chart and look at the roles listed under the IT manager seat and the operations manager seat.

You must decide which single seat has final accountability for the ERP migration. This decision should be based on who is best equipped to drive the project to completion.

Once you decide, explicitly update the roles on that seat to include software implementation or ERP project management. The other leader's seat should have roles that clearly support the project, but the final decision-making authority belongs to only one person.

Update your measurables and Rocks to reflect this change. The leader who owns the seat will now report on the progress of the migration in your weekly Level 10 Meeting. This simple structural update eliminates the finger-pointing because both leaders now know exactly where the buck stops.