The project board and product owner disagree. Who decides?
Conflicting governance accountabilitiesClarify which decisions concern investment constraints and which concern product ordering or delivery detail. Resolve overlaps explicitly rather than allowing two authorities to issue incompatible instructions.
What to do now
- Identify the exact disputed decision
- Review agreed accountabilities
- Separate strategic constraints from product choices
- Escalate any unresolved authority conflict
When to escalate
Escalate when
The dispute prevents an essential delivery or investment decision.
Who decides
The sponsor or formally delegated governance body
Example
The board sets the funding limit while the product owner orders feasible work within that boundary.
Mistake to avoid
Assuming a job title settles every kind of decision.
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
- Our steering committee meets but rarely decides anything. How do we fix it?Governance without decisions
- How do we prevent conflicts of interest in project decisions?Unmanaged decision conflict
- Two stakeholders want contradictory requirements. Who decides?Conflicting requirements
- A shared specialist is needed by two projects on the same day. Who decides?Contested scarce capacity