What are some signs that indicate the IT operating model isn't well-defined, even if the org chart looks perfect?

Here are some key indicators I would look for.

Siloed Operations and Lack of Collaboration: Despite a structured org chart, teams operate in isolation, leading to duplicated efforts, redundant systems, and information hoarding. Work gets "thrown over the wall" between departments without a clear understanding of upstream or downstream impacts.

Ambiguity in Accountability: It's unclear who owns specific processes, decisions, or outcomes, leading to "finger-pointing" when things go wrong and slow decision-making as people seek multiple approvals.

"Shadow IT": Business units procure or develop their own IT solutions because the central IT function is perceived as too slow, unresponsive, or unable to meet their specific needs. This indicates a disconnect in how IT delivers value to the business.

Over-reliance on Heroics: Success often depends on individual "heroes" who step outside formal processes to get things done, rather than repeatable, systemic approaches.  Heroes might seem like a good thing but in reality if you need them to survive you have major problems.

Lack of Shared Context: Employees don't understand the "why" behind their work or how it connects to the broader organizational purpose and outcomes.

In essence, while an org chart shows who reports to whom, a well-defined operating model explains how the organization fundamentally works to achieve its goals, detailing processes, governance, technology, and culture. When these underlying elements are fuzzy, the perfect lines on an org chart become meaningless in practice.

In addition to what has been covered here, I offer:

- role conflicts within IT, across the organization
- inefficient decision-making
- lack of coherent governance and mechanisms to facilitate coordination
- immature internal processes (not just ITSM or security)
- internal silos and lack of meaningful internal collaboration
- missing an inventory of current and desired skill sets in IT; reactive hiring

A polished org chart can give a false sense of clarity — but when the IT operating model isn’t well-defined, you see it in the day-to-day. For me, the signs are clear: inconsistent decision-making, unclear ownership of cross-functional initiatives, gaps between strategy and execution, and too much reliance on “hero culture” rather than structured processes. Another red flag is when teams are constantly firefighting or when business partners express frustration about lack of transparency or agility. Ultimately, if roles, responsibilities, workflows, and governance mechanisms aren’t explicitly aligned with the organization's strategic goals, even the best org chart won’t deliver value.

Usually overlap of functions or some functions without responsible. When your metrics (SLAs) looks good but you still get a lot of escalations about simple tickets...