Accountability Clarity measures whether it is obvious who owns a result.
When accountability is unclear, problems bounce around and repair never completes.
This sensor checks whether responsibility is real, named, and enforceable.
What This Sensor Measures
Accountability Clarity measures:
Single-owner presence for key outcomes
Role clarity (who does what)
Consequence clarity (what happens if it fails)
Feedback routing (can issues reach the owner)
Blame dispersion (how often responsibility is diluted)
How to Read This Sensor
Healthy signal
Each outcome has a clear owner
Owners have authority to act
Failures trigger real correction
Feedback reaches decision-makers
The system learns from mistakes
Danger signal
No one owns outcomes
Responsibility is shared so no one is responsible
Failures trigger excuses, not repair
People hide bad news
The same issues recur because ownership is missing
Thresholds
Level 1: Clear accountability
Owners exist, authority aligns, repair completes
Level 2: Mostly clear
Some overlaps but ownership still works
Level 3: Blurry accountability
Gaps appear, repair slows, recurrence rises
Level 4: Avoidance culture
Responsibility is dodged, failures repeat
Level 5: Accountability collapse
No repair completion, trust degrades rapidly
Minimum Viable Test
Pick one repeated failure.
Ask:
Who owns this?
If no one can answer clearly, accountability clarity is weak.
Repair Actions
Assign one accountable owner per outcome
Align authority with responsibility
Create clear feedback paths
Use recurrence metrics to force completion
https://edukatesg.com/planet-sensor-recurrence/
Links
Governance OS Sensors Directory
https://edukatesg.com/governance-os-sensors/
Planet Sensor: Bottleneck Detector
https://edukatesg.com/planet-sensor-bottleneck/
Canonical Statement
Accountability Clarity measures whether ownership is real. Without clear ownership, repair cannot complete and recurrence persists.