What is an Accountability Chart?

An accountability chart is more than an organizational chart. An Accountability Chart outlines both the positions within an organization and the areas of responsibility for each position. The Accountability Chart will show who is responsible for what and who reports to who.

When developing an accountability chart, it is important for an organization to outline the positions based on the tasks and responsibilities needed to operate effectively. It should not be developed based on who is currently on the team or how the responsibilities are currently divided.

An accountability chart will typically contain more positions than there are team members within an organization. This is because the accountability chart should be designed based on the ideal structure for the organization. Individual team members may be assigned to more than one box within the chart.

It is important to note that only one person (box) on the chart can be responsible for each task/responsibility. You cannot have the more than one person be responsible for the same thing. If you do, then no one is really responsible. For example, if one person is responsible for marketing strategy, you cannot have another position also responsible for marketing strategy. You may, however, have one person responsible for marketing strategy and another responsible for strategy implementation. If you have a very large organization, you may find that you have multiple people responsible for similar outcomes, but they would still not be responsible for the exact same outcome. For example, you may have 3 different people responsible for marketing strategy, but each would be responsible for the marketing strategy of a different division.

An accountability chart also outlines the reporting structure within an organization. This helps for everyone to understand the line of communication, who reports to who, and who is ultimately responsible for the performance of a particular division or department.

Pro Tip: Envision your company 1, 5, and 10 years from now, what positions make the most sense for where you’re going. Don’t get stuck thinking about where you are.