What Key-Person Dependence Actually Looks Like
Not a dramatic single point of failure but a dozen small ones, accumulated over years, each of which felt sensible at the time.
Seeing it
Dependence has no symptoms while the person is present. It produces speed rather than friction, and the cost is entirely deferred.
6 notes in this section
Why It Feels Like Reliability
The person everything depends on is usually the person everybody trusts most. That is the mechanism, and it is why nothing gets done about it.
Mapping Who Knows What
An hour with a sheet of paper produces a map good enough to act on. What to list, and the column most people leave out.
The Questions That Reveal It
Eight questions that surface dependence without anybody having to analyse anything. Ask them in an ordinary conversation.
What Happens on Day One Without Them
A thought experiment that takes twenty minutes and produces a more useful picture than any risk register.
Measuring It Without a Framework
Three numbers that tell you whether dependence is improving. No matrix, no software, no consultant.
Independent guidance on key-person risk, knowledge transfer and practical continuity for small organisations. External tools are compared as operational support; ownership, rehearsal and human judgement remain essential.