OPS02-BP07 Responsibilities between teams are predefined or negotiated - AWS Well-Architected Framework (2022-03-31)
Implementation guidance

OPS02-BP07 Responsibilities between teams are predefined or negotiated

Have defined or negotiated agreements between teams describing how they work with and support each other (for example, response times, service level objectives, or service level agreements). Understanding the impact of the teams’ work on business outcomes, and the outcomes of other teams and organizations, informs the prioritization of their tasks and enables them to respond appropriately.

When responsibility and ownership are undefined or unknown, you are at risk of both not addressing necessary activities in a timely fashion and of redundant and potentially conflicting efforts emerging to address those needs.

Benefits of establishing this best practice: Establishing the responsibilities between teams, the objectives, and the methods for communicating needs, eases the flow of requests and helps ensures the necessary information is provided. This reduces the delay introduced by transition tasks between teams and help support the achievement of business outcomes.

Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established: Low

Implementation guidance

  • Responsibilities between teams are predefined or negotiated: Specifying the methods by which teams interact, and the information necessary for them to support each other, can help minimize the delay introduced as requests are iteratively reviewed and clarified. Having specific agreements that define expectations (for example, response time, or fulfillment time) enables teams to make effective plans and resource appropriately.