The tragedy of the commons

When several people share responsibility for an action or process, often that action doesn't get done well, or at all.

The phrase comes from a story about The Commons, a shared grazing area between farmers. When one farmer's flock grazes on the common land it reduces the quality of the land available for other farmers. Because people overlook this negative externality when deciding how many sheep to own, the result is an excessive number of sheep, and an un-grazable Common.

To prevent this from happening, we group tasks into categories and assign each category to one—and only one—person, the Directly Responsible Individual (DRI). Apple is famous for having pioneered this in Silicon Valley, but now most successful tech companies use this method.

What is a DRI?

A Directly Responsible Individual (DRI) is the single person accountable for the outcomes of a scope of work. They may not do all the work themselves, but they own the results, set cadence, make decisions within explicit limits, and ensure the work gets done.

We welcome broad input and healthy debate, but we do not require consensus to move.

Principles of ownership

1. Universal ownership: Every recognized scope of work must have a DRI. If it is not owned, it is not prioritized.

2. Single owner: Co-DRIs are strictly prohibited. Accountability cannot be shared or delegated.

3. Empowerment: DRIs are empowered to decide within documented constraints. Input is welcome, but the DRI owns the decision.

4. Anyone can proposee: Any teammate may submit a proposal (using the IPS framework) regarding any scope; the DRI must triage and respond.

5. Fast escalation: We use the formale frameworks (eg RAPID) to resolve disagreements quickly and avoid bottlenecks.

6. Auditability: Material decisions, changes, and incidents must be traceable (issue → decision → implementation → outcome).

Types of DRI scopes

Area of Responsibility (AoR)

Continuous, ongoing functions (e.g., Payroll, InfoSec, Product Design). AoRs have standing outcomes and metrics, but no end date.

DRI responsibilities:

• Maintaining service levels

• Managing risk and ensuring compliance

• Optimizing the function over time

• Must have a designated Backup DRI

Initiative/Project

Time-bound work with defined start, end, and deliverables (e.g., launching a new payment rail, completing an audit).

DRI responsibilities:

• End-to-end delivery and timeline

• Coordinating cross-functional teams

• Ensuring successful handoff/closeout

• Must have a designated Backup DRI

Task/Agreement

Discrete, short-duration work (e.g., resolving a customer ticket, implementing a code change).

DRI responsibilities:

• Completing the work according to requirements and timeline

The AOR list

We maintain a list of every function in the company with its assigned DRI and Backup. This serves as a company directory and ensures that no functions fall through the cracks. It should be updated as new functions arise or as responsibilities shift.

Straddle AORs

AoR	DRI	Backup	Slack Channel	Notes
[To be defined]
[To be defined]
[To be defined]

This table is maintained in Notion and kept up to date as responsibilities shift or new functions arise.

No single point of failure

A single point of failure is a function that one person performs when no one else has full knowledge of how that function works. If that person becomes sick or leaves the company, functionality suffers.

To eliminate single points of failure:

1. Write down all processes

As soon as you or your team members find yourselves doing something for the second time, write down the steps of that process exactly (so you don't have to explain the third time). Place these written processes in Notion.

2. Cross-train a backup person for each role

Map each function in the company (from the AORs) to a backup person. Have the backup person co-work with the primary until the backup knows how to perform the role. Having all processes written down vastly improves this training.

The combination of documented processes and trained backups means that no single person is irreplaceable, and the company can continue to function smoothly even during planned or unplanned absences.