A supplier agreement is waiting in Legal’s queue, but the missing decision belongs to Procurement. Giving everyone a shared status does little to resolve that delay. Responsibility mapping separates the decisions inside a request and names the person who can make each one. These questions help an in-house team make those assignments visible.
Is the Request Owner Also the Decision Maker?
Not necessarily. In a worked example, a Texas company’s procurement team requests a supplier agreement. Procurement supplies the business facts, security reviews the proposed data access, counsel reviews legal terms, and an authorized business leader decides whether to proceed. The legal intake coordinator keeps those actions connected. Calling all of them “Legal Approval” hides the different decisions and creates an inaccurate record of authority.
How Much Detail Does the Map Need?
Use one row for an outcome that someone can recognize as complete. “Manage the contract” is too broad; “Confirm the supplier’s scope of work” is assignable. Record the person who acts, the person who provides inputs, and the approver where one is required. Connect each approval to the company’s existing authority rules instead of treating the map as a new delegation.
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Action | Confirm the service description before legal review. |
| Performs | Procurement requester. |
| Provides Input | Business owner and supplier contact. |
| Approves | The role identified in the company’s approved process. |
| Evidence | Confirmed scope attached to the request record. |
What If Two Teams Both Think They Own It?
Ask which decision each team is actually making. They may own different parts of the same handoff. If there is a true overlap, put the unresolved responsibility before the authorized leader and record the answer. Being copied on an email, attending a meeting, or remaining silent does not make a person the decision owner.
Can an AI Tool Be Listed as the Owner?
Record the automated activity, but also name the accountable person and the reviewer for its output. McKinsey’s October 2026 operating-model analysis places human accountability within AI-enabled work. A tool that prepares a status summary still needs an owner who maintains its instructions and someone who checks unresolved decisions before circulation.
What Happens When Someone Is Unavailable?
Use the company’s approved backup or escalation arrangement. Identify tasks that another person may perform and decisions that must wait for a particular authority. Test that route before the next absence. Do not quietly grant broader access or approval power just to keep the workflow moving.
When Should the Map Change?
Review the responsibility map when an approval rule changes, a team reorganizes, or a system begins assigning work automatically. Test the change on one request that crosses departments. If the next owner cannot explain what they are receiving and what they may decide, the map still needs work.
CLOC places service delivery design among the core areas of legal operations. A responsibility map makes that design usable at the handoff: the requester knows where to send information, and the receiving team knows when the request is ready for its attention.