Business Process Management; Who is Accountable? August 1, 2010

Accountability in business and in government is the cornerstone of good governance and ultimately, good performance. Without single point accountability for processes, organizations have no means of ensuring that what have been determined as the goals for the organization are likely to be met. Before discussing why accountability is such an important issue, let me proffer an opinion on the difference between responsibility and accountability. A person, who is responsible for a process, executes the process. A person who is accountable for a process has the authority to change the nature of a process, its business purpose and is held accountable for the aggregate performance of the process over time. When we work in organizations we see weaknesses in the way in which people are made accountable for processes.