Play Owner Role Description Template

The Play Owner is the single-threaded leader accountable for delivering one specific Play from start to finish. This is not a committee role. One person owns the outcome, makes the calls, and answers for results.

Use this template to define the role for each Play Owner in your firm. Fill in the bracketed fields, delete what doesn't apply, and hand this to the person you're appointing.

You own [PLAY NAME] from kickoff to measurable business impact. If this Play fails, it's on you. If it succeeds, you get the credit.

Your job is to:

• Deliver the Play on time and on budget
• Hit the success metrics defined in the Play charter
• Remove obstacles your team can't solve themselves
• Report progress weekly to [EXECUTIVE SPONSOR]

You are not responsible for:

• Other Plays (even if they touch yours)
• Firmwide AI strategy (that's the AI Council's job)
• Day-to-day execution tasks (delegate those)

Build and maintain the Play roadmap

• Create a week-by-week execution plan with named owners for each task
• Update the roadmap every Friday by 5pm
• Flag any slippage or scope creep within 24 hours
• Use [PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOL] to track all work

Run the execution team

• Recruit 3-5 people to your core team (get their managers' sign-off for time commitment)
• Hold a 30-minute standup every Monday and Thursday
• Unblock team members within 48 hours or escalate
• Conduct a retrospective after each major milestone

Manage stakeholders

• Send a one-page status update every Friday to [DISTRIBUTION LIST]
• Hold monthly demos for partners affected by this Play
• Get sign-off from [EXECUTIVE SPONSOR] before changing scope, timeline, or budget
• Escalate political roadblocks immediately - don't let them fester

Track and report metrics

• Define 3-5 KPIs in your first week (get them approved by [EXECUTIVE SPONSOR])
• Collect data weekly and update your dashboard in [TOOL NAME]
• Present results at monthly AI Council meetings
• Document what worked and what didn't for the next Play Owner

Improve as you go

• Run a team survey after each sprint (use the 1-5 scale template in Appendix B)
• Adjust processes based on feedback within one week
• Share lessons learned in the #play-owners Slack channel
• Update the Play documentation in real-time so the next person doesn't repeat your mistakes

Expect to spend:

• Weeks 1-4 (Launch): 15-20 hours/week
• Weeks 5-12 (Execution): 10-15 hours/week
• Weeks 13+ (Steady State): 5-8 hours/week

Block this time on your calendar now. If you can't commit these hours, decline the role.

For reference:

• Small Plays (single department, <10 people affected): 5-8 hours/week average
• Medium Plays (cross-functional, 10-50 people affected): 10-12 hours/week average
• Large Plays (firmwide, 50+ people affected): 15-20 hours/week average

Your billable hour target will be reduced by [X%] to account for this work. Get this in writing from your practice leader before you start.

You can decide without approval:

• Task assignments and deadlines for your team
• Which tools or vendors to test (under $5,000)
• Meeting schedules and agendas
• Process changes that don't affect other departments
• Communication timing and format (within brand guidelines)

You need approval from [EXECUTIVE SPONSOR] for:

• Budget changes over $5,000
• Scope changes that affect the Play's core deliverables
• Timeline extensions beyond two weeks
• Adding or removing core team members
• Decisions that create precedent for other Plays

You must escalate immediately:

• Partner resistance that blocks progress
• IT or security roadblocks you can't resolve in 48 hours
• Budget overruns over 10%
• Any risk that could delay the Play by more than one month
• Ethical concerns or compliance issues

You control:

• Your team's time allocation (with their managers' agreement)
• The Play budget of $[AMOUNT]
• Access to [LIST SPECIFIC TOOLS/SYSTEMS]
• Vendor selection for Play-specific needs

You request from [EXECUTIVE SPONSOR]:

• Additional budget beyond your allocation
• IT resources for integrations or custom development
• Legal review for new vendor contracts
• Marketing support for firmwide communications

You coordinate with other Play Owners for:

• Shared resources (training team, IT support, etc.)
• Overlapping timelines or dependencies
• Lessons learned and best practices
• Firmwide communication to avoid message fatigue

You need:

• 5+ years at this firm (you must know how things actually get done here)
• Direct experience in [PLAY DOMAIN] (e.g., client delivery, BD, knowledge management)
• Track record of shipping projects on time (not just participating - owning)
• Comfort presenting to partners and pushing back when needed
• Proficiency in [PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOL] or willingness to learn it in week one

You don't need:

• Technical AI expertise (you'll have support from the AI team)
• Prior change management experience (you'll get training)
• Unanimous partner support (you'll never get that)

After [X MONTHS], you will have:

• Delivered [SPECIFIC DELIVERABLE] to [SPECIFIC USERS]
• Achieved [METRIC] of [TARGET] (e.g., 80% adoption rate, 15% time savings)
• Documented the Play in the knowledge base with step-by-step instructions
• Trained [NUMBER] people to sustain the Play without you
• Presented results to the partnership with data to back up your claims

Failure looks like:

• Missing your deadline by more than one month without prior approval
• Burning out your team (attrition or complaints to HR)
• Delivering something nobody uses (adoption below 50% after three months)
• Going over budget by more than 20% without documented reasons
• Creating technical debt or workarounds that IT has to fix later

• You report to: [EXECUTIVE SPONSOR NAME/TITLE]
• You attend: Weekly AI Council meetings, monthly Play Owner syncs
• You update: [PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOL] by Friday 5pm, [EXECUTIVE SPONSOR] by email every Friday
• You present to: Partnership quarterly (or as requested)

This role lasts [X MONTHS] or until the Play reaches steady state, whichever comes first.

Two weeks before your term ends:

• Document everything in the Play transition template
• Train your successor (if applicable) or the sustaining team
• Present final results to the AI Council
• Conduct an exit interview with [EXECUTIVE SPONSOR]

You're done when [EXECUTIVE SPONSOR] signs off on your transition document and the Play is running without you.

Acceptance

I understand this role and commit to the responsibilities, time commitment, and accountability outlined above.

Play Owner: _________________________ Date: _________

Executive Sponsor: _________________________ Date: _________