Someone Must Own the Outcome

Pillar 2 of EPD tackles a ubiquitous problem: leadership vacuums. Webb points out that a project can have “perfect documentation, daily stand-ups, and an immaculate risk register,” but if no one actually owns the result, the project goes nowhere. In many failing projects, team members recall the phrase: “Well… that wasn’t really my call.” This passing of the buck is exactly what EPD seeks to eliminate.

In the EPD framework, every project—even small ones—must have a single named delivery owner. Not “the PMO” or “the steering committee,” but a person. This person might be the project manager or sponsor, but the key is visible, active responsibility. According to Webb: “If something slips, the project leader doesn’t say, ‘That’s on Comms.’ They say, ‘That’s on us. Let’s fix it.’” This shift from blaming departments to owning outcomes is the heart of accountability in EPD.

Key Attributes of EPD Leadership:

• Visible Presence: The project leader is not merely CC’d on emails; they join key meetings and “speak for the project”. Their involvement signals to the team that someone is steering the ship.
• Escalation Pathfinder: Every blocker has a clear owner and escalation path. There are no “decision black holes,” meaning issues don’t bounce indefinitely between parties. As Webb notes, EPD ensures “every major decision or blocker has a clear owner and a defined escalation path”.
• Empowering Rather than Micromanaging: EPD leaders are not authoritarian. They remove obstacles and make tough calls, but also own up when they’re wrong. This builds trust and momentum: teams know who to approach, and when something’s off track, the question becomes “Who owns the fix?” rather than “Who will blameshift?”

Why This Matters: Lack of accountability leads to paralysis. Webb observes that if no one can definitively say “yes” or “no,” “time gets wasted,” risk grows unchecked, and momentum dies as leadership hides behind process. Conversely, under EPD, “decisions are made, not deferred; risk is accepted or mitigated — not ignored; [and] teams know who to go to — and get an answer.” Accountability means every task’s progress and every problem’s solution has a responsible champion.

Test Your Project: Webb advises asking the team “Who owns this project’s outcome?” If the answer is “the team” or “not sure,” you’re exposed. Under EPD, there is only one acceptable answer: the name of a person. By establishing clear ownership from day one, EPD transforms passive committees into active leadership. As Webb bluntly puts it, “It wasn’t the framework [that failed], it was the absence of leadership.”