How to Use Ninety's Org Chart Tool

Every business needs the right people doing the right things to get what it wants. Ninety's Org Chart tool is where you structure your company's core functions to get the right people in the right Seats to achieve your Vision. Ninety promotes a "structure first, people second" approach: organize your company around functions, not job titles, so every team member understands who is accountable for each area of the business.

For an overview of the tool's basic features, watch our video walkthrough.

What is the Org Chart tool?

The Org Chart tool is where your organization documents its structure using Seats, organized by reporting relationships. Each Seat represents a business function, not a person. You can assign one or more people to each Seat, define its roles and responsibilities, and reorganize the structure as your company grows.

The tool is available on all Ninety subscription plans, including Free. Some features, such as exporting the chart to a PDF, require a paid subscription. The Org Chart is a living document: leadership teams reference it when discussing whether the right people are in the right Seats and use it as the structural foundation for planning, hiring, and delegation decisions.

What are Seats, roles, and responsibilities?

Every box in your Org Chart is a Seat. Understanding what a Seat contains, and how it differs from a job title or a person, is the key to building a chart that actually helps your team run better.

Seat. A function-specific position with defined roles, accountabilities, and responsibilities. A Seat exists independently of the person who fills it. When someone leaves, the Seat remains, and the accountability it describes stays with the organization.
Role. A role is one of the Seat's primary functions. A Seat may have multiple roles. For example, a Head of Sales Seat might have a role such as "Turn qualified leads into customers."
Responsibility. A responsibility describes the specific duties that define how a role is carried out. For the Head of Sales role above, a responsibility might be "Develop, refine, and perfect the sales strategy."
Accountability. How success in the Seat is measured, to whom the Seat is accountable, and the team(s) the Seat may be accountable for.

Best practice: Define each Seat around outcomes rather than the individual currently in it. This distinction is what makes your structure durable through turnover and growth. One person can hold more than one Seat, and one Seat can have more than one person assigned to it; both are common in growing organizations.

When every Seat is described by its roles, accountabilities, and responsibilities (RARs), the Org Chart becomes a practical tool for reviewing and hiring personnel. As Elliott Jaques wrote, what people are often missing is "an adequate organizational framework within which to work and to cooperate with each other." Learn more in our On Structure guide.

The Visionary and Operator Seats

Every primary Org Chart in Ninety begins with two Seats at the top: the Visionary and the Operator. The Visionary is typically the founder or entrepreneur who drives the vision, key relationships, and big ideas for the business. The Operator translates that vision into execution, runs the leadership team, and holds the organization accountable day to day. The Operator is the Visionary's one direct report by design, creating a single point of operational accountability at the top of the business.

Note: Because of this structure, the Visionary Seat does not have a plus icon for adding direct reports. This is intentional, not a permissions issue. If your company has co-founders, co-CEOs, or multiple senior leaders who all report to the same top-level position, hide the Visionary Seat and use the top remaining Seat as your top-level card (see the frequently asked questions below).

How the Org Chart connects to other tools

The Org Chart is the structural backbone that other tools in Ninety depend on.

Meetings. Teams reference the Org Chart during their Weekly Team Meetings when confirming that accountabilities are clear, roles aren't overlapping, and the right people are in the right Seats.

1-on-1 and Fit Check. To create a Quarterly or Annual Discussion in the 1-on-1 tool, users need to have a Seat reporting to them in the Org Chart. A user must also be assigned to a Seat before a Fit Check review can be run on them; if the New Review button appears grayed out, confirm the person is assigned to a Seat first.

Vision. The Org Chart is the structural layer beneath your Vision. The Seats on your chart represent the functions your organization needs to execute the 1-year and 3-year goals documented on your Strategy page.

Rocks. Rocks (your 90-day priorities) are assigned to individuals, and those individuals hold Seats. Keeping the chart current means accountability for quarterly goals stays visible across the organization.

Data. For team members to be accountable to their Seat's functions, we recommend each Seat have at least one to three KPIs. Track these KPIs in the Data tool to measure performance and quickly create Issues when a KPI is off track.

My 90. Team members can view the roles and responsibilities associated with their Seat from their My 90 homepage without opening the Org Chart tool.

Who can do what

Owners can view, create, edit, and delete Seats; create and manage draft charts; set a draft as the primary chart; and adjust company-level settings that affect chart visibility.
Admins can view, create, edit, and delete Seats; create and manage draft charts; and set a draft as the primary chart.
Managers can view and edit the chart, including adding, moving, and deleting Seats; assigning users to Seats; and creating draft charts.
Coaches have the same editing access as Managers.
Team Members (also called Managees) can view the primary Org Chart and any draft charts shared with them.
Observers can view the primary Org Chart and be assigned to Seats, but they cannot edit the chart.
Inactive users can appear on the Org Chart as Seat holders but cannot log in to Ninety and do not require a paid license.

For the full permissions table, see User Roles and Permissions.

What's in the Org Chart tool

Navigating the Org Chart — Use the search box, zoom controls, and collapse and expand features to move around the chart and view Seat details.

Default Seats on the Org Chart — When you create a new company in Ninety, six Seats are added to your chart automatically. Use them as a starting point for your structure.

Creating, Editing, and Customizing Seats — Add new Seats to your primary or draft chart, edit Seat details, add roles and responsibilities, and clone Seats.

Assigning and Unassigning Team Members on the Org Chart — Assign a user from your Directory to a Seat, remove them from a Seat, or remove all users from a Seat at once.

Documenting Multiple Team Members Who Share the Same Seat — Assign several people to a single Seat when they share the same roles and accountabilities.

Organizing Seats on Your Org Chart — Rearrange Seats, move a Seat under a different manager, and reorder Seats at the same level.

Creating and Managing Draft Org Charts — Plan structural changes without affecting the chart your team currently sees, share drafts, and set a draft as the new primary chart.

Deleting Seats from the Org Chart — Permanently remove a Seat from the chart. Deleting a Seat that has Seats reporting to it deletes those Seats as well.

Printing and Exporting the Org Chart to PDF — Generate a print-ready PDF, including the Detailed and Condensed export options. Requires a paid subscription.

Creating and Refining Seats with AI-Assistance from Maz — Maz, Ninety's AI companion, can guide you through defining a new Seat's roles and responsibilities. Available on the Thrive plan.

Seat Skills for Your Org Chart — Define the skills and competencies required for each Seat and link them to content in the Knowledge Portal.

Frequently asked questions

Why don't I see an Edit Chart button?

The Edit Chart button is visible only to Owners, Admins, Managers, and Coaches. Team Members and Observers can view the chart but cannot edit it.

Can I add a Seat that reports directly to the Visionary?

No. The Visionary Seat is designed to have only one direct report: the Operator. There is no plus icon under the Visionary Seat, and this is by design, not a permissions issue. If you need multiple Seats at the top of the chart (for co-founders or co-CEOs, for example), hide the Visionary Seat and add the additional Seats below your new top-level card.

What if I don't have a Visionary or Operator Seat to fill?

This is a common request and requires a small workaround: click Org Chart from the left navigation, click Edit Chart, click the ellipsis on the top right of the Visionary Seat's card, and click Hide Visionary Seat from the dropdown. You can then make the top Seat the title and function that works for your organization.

Can more than one person fill the same Seat?

Yes. You can assign multiple users to the same Seat by clicking the profile icon on the Seat's card in edit mode and selecting additional people. This is useful when several team members share the same accountabilities, such as a group of sales representatives accountable to the same leader and goals.

Can I add someone to the Org Chart who doesn't use Ninety?

Yes. Add the person to your Directory with the Inactive role. Inactive users can be assigned to Seats and will appear on the chart, but they cannot log in to Ninety and do not require a paid license. This is the right choice for external contractors, board members, or employees who don't use the platform directly.

How do I restore Seats I accidentally deleted?

Ninety's support team can often restore deleted Seats from the backend, but roles and responsibilities may not be recoverable in all cases, and Seat holder assignments are typically not restored. If you've accidentally deleted a Seat, contact support as soon as possible with the name of the deleted Seat and the approximate time of the deletion.

Is the Org Chart available on mobile?

No. At this time, the Org Chart tool and its features are only available on the desktop version of Ninety.

Learn more

Grow or Die: Structure Comes First — Why establishing a clear organizational structure with defined roles, accountabilities, and responsibilities is foundational for sustainable growth.

How to Define Roles and Responsibilities: 3 Steps to Align Your Team — A practical guide to clarifying team roles and responsibilities and making assignments visible to improve accountability.

7 Holistic Tips for Hiring (and Retaining) Great People — How clear vision, core values alignment, and a high-trust culture help you attract and keep the right people for your Seats.