Who should be accountable when several people approve the same deliverable?
Diffuse approval accountabilityDistinguish specialist reviews from the final accountable acceptance decision. Multiple contributions can be necessary, but the authority and meaning of each approval must be clear.
What to do now
- List the required review perspectives
- Define what each reviewer confirms
- Name the final acceptance authority
- Record the sequence and exception route
When to escalate
Escalate when
Approvers disagree and no role can resolve the conflict.
Who decides
The sponsor or formally delegated governance body
Example
Security reviews controls, operations reviews supportability, and the business owner accepts the usable outcome.
Mistake to avoid
Adding more approvers to compensate for unclear responsibility.
Prevent a repeat
Review overdue decisions and confirm that decision makers have the authority and evidence they need.
Suggested ApprovedFlow setup
- Approvals
- Documents
- Projects
Attach the decision brief and evidence to a configured approval route only after confirming the actual authority and delegation rules. See the platform
Related cases
- The project manager is asked to approve their own work. Is that sensible?Unclear independent assurance
- The sponsor is unavailable when we need approval. What should we establish?Unavailable decision authority
- Who owns benefits after the project team leaves?Unassigned benefits accountability
- The project has no clear customer. Who should approve requirements?Undefined outcome ownership