A simpler way to clarify accountability, decision-making, and organizational boundaries
Most companies treat job descriptions like corporate relics — dusty, outdated, and mostly ignored. But what if job descriptions were reimagined as strategic tools? Not just for hiring or compliance, but as dynamic blueprints for decision-making, accountability, and organizational clarity?
In today’s fast-moving, matrixed organizations, people are often unsure where their role ends and another begins. It’s no wonder misalignment is rampant and decision rights are fuzzy. And that’s a problem. Because decision clarity — not just role clarity — is often the missing link between structure and performance.
Here’s the simple shift I’m advocating for: every job description should include a Decision Scope section.
This section defines two things:
That’s it. Just two categories. But they do the heavy lifting in clarifying confusing decision-making boundaries. And they can replace something much more confusing: the dreaded RACI chart.
In theory, RACI matrices are meant to clarify roles. In practice, they often introduce even more ambiguity. People confuse responsible with accountable. Consulted and informed blur together. And nobody can quite remember who has the final say.
RACI charts often become a last-ditch effort to untangle the confusion between individuals or teams. But instead of trying to sort out problems after they’ve already surfaced, defining accountability and decision-making upfront—as part of the role itself—is far more effective. And far more harmonious.
A clear Decision Scope in the job description can make RACI charts unnecessary. If everyone knows who has the final authority over decisions, the work moves faster, collaboration improves, and teams stop spinning.
Let’s take an example. While not fully comprehensive, the following Decision Scope represents what might be used for a critical marketing role—where there’s often overlap or confusion across teams.
NOTE: It’s often helpful to frame decision scope using the questions who, what, where, when, how, how much, which, or whether. Also, the Decision Scope is specific to decisions—it does not include all job responsibilities.
Now, does that mean this director operates in a vacuum? Not at all. She’ll gather input in weekly standups, requirements sessions with marketing teams, and collaborate with IT in sprint reviews. Stating that this role is responsible for certain decisions doesn’t mean the individual must always make them directly. They can (and should) empower someone on their team—or, in certain cases, may defer to another role in the organization.
However, if a role has direct decision authority, the buck stops with them, even if they’ve delegated, empowered, or deferred to others on the decision. And, if priorities compete or decisions stall, she owns the final call within her defined scope. Clarity doesn’t mean isolation—it means authority with intent.
Here’s where AI can add strategic value. By scanning your company’s job descriptions—where they exist—you can spot overlaps, redundancies, and unclear boundaries. For example, AI can surface patterns like multiple roles claiming ownership of “customer experience” or layers stacked atop each other making the same platform decisions. These patterns signal deeper design problems.
Of course, this only works if job descriptions exist—and reflect the real work being done. That’s the real opportunity: shifting from static documents to living, operational artifacts.
This is where we need help from HR partners. We need them to lean into this job architecture process. Their leadership in driving dynamic, up-to-date job descriptions—with defined Decision Scope—can improve alignment, strengthen relationships, and increase clarity across the organization.
It’s time to stop treating job descriptions like checkboxes for paperwork chores and start using them as sources of truth for role definition and decision-making authority.
Let’s fix the structure—one role at a time.
Also posted on Linkedin on May 13, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ditch-raci-fix-job-description-dr-janet-sherlock-vayme/?trackingId=BhP0rfoyTMCJ6tly3NaHew%3D%3D
