Business
Structure Chart

PLANNING & ORGANIZATION TOOLS

A structured tool for mapping reporting lines, identifying missing roles,
and spotting single points of failure in your organization.

Mapping What You Actually Have

Most executives can sketch their org chart from memory. The top two levels come fast—who reports to whom, which teams sit where. The problems are in what the sketch leaves out: roles that exist informally but have no title, reporting lines that run on habit rather than design, and entire functions carried by one person with no backup.

This tool works differently from a blank canvas. Instead of drawing boxes and lines freehand, you fill in each level of your structure from the top down, naming the role, the person in it, and the connections above and below. That constraint is the point. When a field sits empty, it tells you something. When “Reports To” has three names for one person, that tells you something too.

The most useful version of this chart is rarely the one that matches reality. It is the one where the gaps become visible enough to act on.

How to Use This Worksheet

  1. Start at the top and work down. Fill in the highest-authority role first, then each successive level. Resist the urge to jump to the level you know best—the value is in building the chain from the top.
  2. Use one row per role, not per person. If a role is vacant or shared, note that in the Name field. The structure should reflect what the organization needs, not just who is currently present.
  3. Be honest about reporting lines. “Reports To” should reflect where decisions actually flow, not what the official chart says. If someone effectively reports to two people, write both.
  4. Mark gaps as you go. Leave rows intentionally blank where you suspect a role should exist but doesn’t. An empty row you placed deliberately is more useful than a chart that looks complete but hides a structural weakness.
  5. Review the finished chart for single points of failure. Any role where one person holds responsibility with no backup, no deputy, and no succession plan is a vulnerability worth naming.
1

Business Structure Chart

Level 1 — Top Leadership
Role Title Name Reports To Direct Reports
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Level 2 — Senior Management
Role Title Name Reports To Direct Reports
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2

Business Structure Chart (continued)

Level 3 — Management / Team Leads
Role Title Name Reports To Direct Reports
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Level 4 — Individual Contributors / Specialists
Role Title Name Reports To Direct Reports
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3

Structural Observations

Review the completed chart. Note any patterns, gaps, or vulnerabilities you see in the structure.

Roles that should exist but don’t
Single points of failure (one person, no backup)
Reporting lines that are informal or ambiguous
Additional Notes
4

Before Your Next Session

Now that you can see it:

Look at the roles you left blank. If one of those functions failed tomorrow, who would absorb the work? Is that sustainable?

Where does a single person appear in multiple rows or carry responsibilities that should be split? What would need to change to address that?

Which reporting lines on this chart are formal, and which run on personal relationships? What happens to the informal ones if someone leaves?

5

Tandem Coaching Partners

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partnering with executives and organizations
to unlock sustainable growth.

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