The Chain of Responsibility
Every Roadmap item has a Chain of Responsibility, a set of roles that defines who's involved and what they're responsible for. This makes it clear, for every item, who's leading the work, who has the final say, who's contributing, and who's being kept informed.
The four roles are:
- Pointman - Leads this item forward.
- Authority - Has final authority to approve or reject.
- Contributors - Provide input, expertise, and hands-on help.
- In the Loop - Kept updated on progress and decisions.
There's also the Originator, the person who originally submitted the item. The Originator isn't a responsibility role as such, but they're always visible on the item and can post updates and respond to questions throughout the process.
How roles get assigned
Roles are assigned as the item progresses. Typically, when an item is first picked up from Received, a Pointman is assigned. The Authority is usually determined by the area the item falls under. Contributors and In the Loop members are added as the conversation develops and it becomes clear who should be involved.
Roles can be assigned to individual people or to entire teams. When a team is assigned, all members of that team take on that role for the item.
Some item types have default roles pre-configured by J11, so the Chain of Responsibility may be partially filled in from the moment of submission.
Why it matters
Having clear roles means there's never any confusion about who's doing what. If you want to know who's driving a particular item, check the Pointman. If you want to know who needs to approve it, check the Authority. If you want to get involved, the Chain of Responsibility tells you who to talk to.
