Ownership
Ownership in Grunna is about decision authority, not job titles.
Clear ownership reduces friction, lowers meeting load, and makes finishing possible.
Two kinds of ownership
Grunna separates deciding from executing.
Decision ownership controls what’s next and in what order.
Execution ownership controls how the work is done and is accountable for delivering the outcome.
Why ownership matters
Most teams know what they are responsible for. What they often lack is clarity on what they are allowed to decide.
When decision authority is unclear, work slows down. Meetings increase. Priorities drift. Progress turns into negotiation.
Grunna addresses this by making decision authority explicit — and by protecting execution once work has started.
Decision Owner
The Decision Owner owns decisions for a todo list.
There is exactly one Decision Owner per todo list.
A Decision Owner may own one or several lists.
Decision Owner authority
- Decides the order of work
- Decides what is next to pull
- Defines what “good enough” means for an outcome
- Accepts or rejects completed work
- Can say no
Decision Owner responsibilities
- Listen to input before making decisions
- Be explicit about priorities and trade-offs
- Accept the consequences of ordering
- Protect active work from reprioritization
- Keep the top of the list executable: outcome, constraints, and “done” must be clear enough to pull
Executor
The Executor is the person accountable for delivering the todo outcome.
Each todo has exactly one Executor.
If multiple people need to work in parallel, the todo is split into subtodos with their own Executors.
Executor authority
- Decides how the work is done
- Breaks work into subtodos when needed
- Refuses to start work when the todo is not executable as defined
- Stops work if the todo cannot be completed as defined
Executor responsibilities
- Finish what is started
- Avoid switching work mid-execution
- Be explicit when work is blocked or unclear
- Explain what is missing when refusing a todo
- Create subtodos instead of sharing execution ownership
Executor veto: clarity and executability
An Executor may refuse to pull the next todo if it is not clear enough to execute.
This veto is about what and done — not priority. The Decision Owner decides order. The Executor decides whether a todo is executable as written.
If a todo is refused, the Executor must explain what is unclear or missing so the Decision Owner can clarify it.
What “executable” means
- The outcome is clear (what should be true when done)
- “Good enough” is defined
- Constraints are known (must / must not)
- Open questions are answered, or explicitly accepted as discovery work
Input Providers
Input Providers are everyone affected by or knowledgeable about the work.
This includes developers, support, design, sales, and stakeholders.
Input Provider authority
- Provide input, context, and concerns
- Challenge assumptions
- Point out risks and consequences
Input Provider responsibilities
- Provide input before decisions are made
- Accept decisions after they are made
Proposed work vs active work
In Grunna, anyone can propose work by creating a todo. Proposed work can exist in the list without being started.
The Decision Owner controls what’s next by ordering the list. The top item is the next todo to pull when capacity is available.
A todo becomes active when an Executor pulls it for execution. Until then, it may be clarified, reordered, or left alone.
Once a todo is active, it is protected from reprioritization until it is finished or explicitly stopped.
Decision boundaries
In Grunna, disagreement is allowed before a decision.
Alignment is required after a decision.
Once work has started, execution is protected from reprioritization.
What Grunna avoids
- No role theater
- No shared execution ownership
- No consensus requirements
- No hidden veto power