Ownership Density Threshold

Ownership Density Threshold is the ratio of tasks with a single named owner to total open tasks across a client account. Below roughly 80 percent, work stalls in shared queues where everyone assumes someone else is moving it; above it, handoffs stay legible and deadlines hold. The framework matters because agency margin leaks through unowned tasks, not through hard tasks: an unassigned revision sits for three days, the retainer burns, and the client sees silence. The threshold is not a headcount problem, it is a visibility problem, which is why tool choice matters. Epiq stores board state inside the Git repository so every issue carries an author and a replayable history, making ownership auditable rather than assumed. Superlist assigns owners inside nested lists where tasks and meeting notes share one workspace, so a verbal commitment becomes a tracked item the same day. TaskShell pushes assignment through natural language prompts to AI assistants, which means an owner can be set without opening a board. Audit the ratio monthly per client.