The IDEAS Workflow Ownership Model
Developed and authored by Brandon Hatton. Exclusively licensed to and formalized by the Work Management Institute.
Official Framework Overview
The IDEAS Workflow Ownership Model is a foundational framework in the discipline of Work Management that defines how accountability is assigned across the lifecycle of work.
Where traditional management models assign responsibility to people or roles, the IDEAS Model assigns ownership across the lifecycle of work—Intent, Design, Execution, Alignment, and Signal.
The IDEAS Model is maintained and stewarded by the Work Management Institute (WMI) as part of the Work Management Body of Knowledge (WMBOK). The model serves as a modern evolution of legacy responsibility frameworks such as RACI, designed for continuous work, digital systems, and AI-enabled organizations.
Why Workflow Ownership (Not Role Ownership)
Most organizations assign responsibility at the task or role level. This creates gaps in accountability across the lifecycle of work, including unclear intent, broken workflows, poor cross-team alignment, and limited feedback loops.
Work Management treats work as a system, not a set of tasks.
The IDEAS Model provides a system-level ownership architecture that ensures work moves from intent to impact with clarity, coordination, and continuous learning.
The Five Ownership Domains of IDEAS
The IDEAS Model defines five domains of ownership across the lifecycle of work:
I — Intent Owner
D — Design Owner
E — Execution Owner
A — Alignment Owner
S — Signal Owner
Together, these domains form a continuous workflow control loop:
Intent → Design → Execution → Alignment → Signal → (back to Intent)
1. Intent Owner
The Intent Owner defines why the work exists and what success means.
The Intent Owner is accountable for:
-
Strategic purpose and business value
-
Success criteria and outcome definitions
-
Alignment with organizational strategy and priorities
The Intent Owner ensures that work is justified, prioritized, and tied to value creation.
WMI Principle: Clarity over Chaos
WMI Framework Tie-in: Work Value Pyramid™
2. Design Owner
The Design Owner defines how work should flow through the system.
The Design Owner is accountable for:
-
Workflow architecture and process design
-
Tools, templates, automation, and AI systems
-
Handoffs, dependencies, and system constraints
The Design Owner ensures that work systems are intentionally engineered rather than organically accumulated.
WMI Principle: Systems over Silos
WMI Framework Tie-in: Coordination Stack™
3. Execution Owner
The Execution Owner ensures that work moves through the system to completion.
The Execution Owner is accountable for:
-
Throughput and delivery cadence
-
Execution quality and task completion
-
Removing friction in day-to-day delivery
The Execution Owner ensures that designed workflows actually produce results. The Execution Owner is accountable for throughput and completion, but may not personally execute every task. This role ensures work flows to completion regardless of who performs individual activities.
WMI Principle: Progress over Perfection
WMI Framework Tie-in: C4 Flywheel™ (Completion)
4. Alignment Owner
The Alignment Owner ensures that outputs align across teams, systems, and stakeholders.
The Alignment Owner is accountable for:
-
Cross-team dependencies and coordination
-
Strategic and operational alignment
-
Preventing drift between intent and execution
The Alignment Owner is the connective tissue between organizational systems and outcomes.
WMI Principle: Flow over Friction
WMI Framework Tie-in: Collaboration & Coordination Principles
5. Signal Owner
The Signal Owner ensures visibility, measurement, and learning.
The Signal Owner is accountable for:
-
Dashboards, metrics, and KPIs
-
Feedback loops, retrospectives, and insights
-
AI-driven monitoring and decision signals
The Signal Owner closes the loop by informing future intent and system design.
WMI Principle: Visibility over Assumption
WMI Framework Tie-in: C4 Flywheel™ (Clarity & Collaboration)
IDEAS as a Control Loop for Work
The IDEAS Model functions as a cybernetic control loop:
-
Intent defines purpose and outcomes.
-
Design engineers the system for delivery.
-
Execution moves work through the system.
-
Alignment integrates outputs across the organization.
-
Signal measures results and informs learning.
This loop continuously improves organizational performance and adaptability.
Using the IDEAS Model in Practice
Organizations can apply IDEAS at multiple levels:
-
Strategic initiatives
-
Operational workflows
-
Product development systems
-
Marketing and go-to-market engines
-
AI-enabled work automation
IDEAS can be mapped to individuals, teams, systems, or AI agents depending on organizational design.
IDEAS and the Discipline of Work Management
The IDEAS Workflow Ownership Model is a core construct within the Work Management Body of Knowledge (WMBOK). It complements foundational Work Management frameworks including:
-
The C4 Flywheel™
-
The Work Value Pyramid™
-
The Coordination Stack™
-
The Seven Principles of Work Management
Together, these frameworks define Work Management as a distinct discipline focused on designing, governing, and improving how work flows through organizations.
Canonical Defintion
The IDEAS Workflow Ownership Model is a foundational Work Management framework that defines five ownership domains across the lifecycle of work—Intent, Design, Execution, Alignment, and Signal—to ensure that work flows from purpose to impact with engineered systems, coordinated execution, and continuous learning.
Usage and Citation
When referencing the IDEAS Workflow Ownership Model in academic, professional, or industry publications, use the following citation format:
Work Management Institute. IDEAS Workflow Ownership Model (Intent, Design, Execution, Alignment, Signal). Work Management Body of Knowledge (WMBOK).
Example in-text citation: (Work Management Institute, IDEAS Workflow Ownership Model)
Attribution Statement
The IDEAS Workflow Ownership Model was developed by the Work Management Institute as part of the Work Management Body of Knowledge (WMBOK). IDEAS is a proprietary framework and may be referenced with attribution to WMI.
IDEAS™ is a trademark of the Work Management Institute.**
© Work Management Institute. All rights reserved.