Definition
An area of responsibility clearly defined to avoid overlap, like lanes in a pool. In practice, it's where you drown alone because no one else will help—that's not their swim lane.
Example Usage
Marketing owns customer communications; that's not our swim lane, even though it directly affects our work.
Origin
Process mapping and organizational design, 1990s
Fun Fact
Swim lanes are great for accountability until something goes wrong, then suddenly no one knows which lane it belonged to.
Source: Process management terminology
Related Terms
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See “Swim lane” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.
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