Why does the org chart matter?
An org chart looks like a drawing. In practice it decides things. It tells staff who approves their leave, who reviews their work, who they go to with a concern and who covers when a manager is away. When the chart is wrong, these decisions go to the wrong place.
An out-of-date chart is also a control weakness. If an approval is sent to someone who no longer has the authority, or to nobody, an auditor will ask how you can be sure that work was checked.
What goes wrong when it is out of date?
- Leave and expense approvals stall. A request goes to a manager who left, or to someone who no longer leads the team.
- Staff do not know who leads them. New hires sit unsupported for weeks.
- Handovers fail. When someone leaves, no one is sure who inherits their tasks.
- Authority gets blurred. Two people believe they approve the same thing, or no one does.
- Safeguarding and complaints routes are unclear. Staff do not know who to tell or who the focal point is.
- Donors and auditors lose confidence. A donor asking who manages a grant should get a clear answer in one step.
What should a good org chart show?
A useful chart is simple and answers practical questions.
- Role and holder. The job title and the name of the person.
- Reporting line. One line manager per person.
- Duty station. Where the person works, for multi-office organizations.
- Vacancies. Open posts in a different style, with the date they were opened.
- Acting roles. Mark who is acting, from when and until when.
Leave off detail that changes weekly, such as phone numbers. Those belong in a staff directory.
Who should own it, and how do you keep it current?
Give one person ownership, usually the HR lead. That person does not draw every change alone, but they are the one who makes sure it happens.
Tie updates to events:
| Event | Chart update | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| New hire starts | Add the person and line manager | HR lead |
| Person leaves | Remove them, assign an acting lead | HR lead and line manager |
| Promotion or transfer | Change title or line | HR lead |
| New project starts | Add project roles and links | Project manager |
| Restructure | Re-draw affected teams | Executive director, HR lead |
Add a quarterly check: ask each manager to confirm their team list on one page. It takes minutes and catches drift.
How do project teams fit in?
Projects often have their own lines. A finance officer may report to the head of finance but work half the week on one project. Keep the main chart for the permanent line, and show project roles as a second view. When project roles and the main chart conflict, staff get mixed instructions. Read our guide to a project organogram for the project side.
How does the chart connect to access and approvals?
Many systems route approvals by reporting line. If the chart is wrong, the approval goes to the wrong person. It is worth checking, each quarter, that the person named as line manager is the person who actually approves leave, timesheets and requests. Compare this with your list of roles and permissions.
How do you run a quarterly check?
A quarterly check takes less than an hour and prevents most drift. Follow these steps:
- Print or open the current chart, with names and reporting lines.
- Send each manager their team list, and ask them to mark anyone who has left, joined, moved or changed manager.
- Ask each manager who covers for them when they are away, and whether that person has the right access.
- Compare the chart with your latest list of active staff and with your leave and approval routes.
- Update the chart, record the date and the changes, and tell staff where to find the new version.
Small differences are normal. What you want to catch is the structural gap: a team with no manager, a person with two managers, or a vacant post still listed as filled. Fixing these takes minutes when the check is regular, and weeks when it is not.
Where EMPOBase fits
In People & HR, you maintain reporting relationships in the Organogram settings, and staff profiles hold the line manager, duty station and contract details. Leave requests use the reporting-line workflow, so an out-of-date line sends the request to the wrong person. EMPOBase asks you to review project responsibility assignments when staff or reporting lines change, because the system cannot know about a reorganization until you record it. See the documentation for the module list.