Poorly defined, overlapping, or unclear responsibilities can, for example, slow down the categorisation and prioritisation of change requests. This can delay the overall distribution of patches and changes. It can also have a serious effect on security if patches and changes are released rashly without performing a test run or considering all the (technical) aspects at hand.

In extreme cases, poorly defined responsibilities may adversely affect an entire organisation or large parts of it. Disruptions in operations have a negative effect on availability. If security-relevant patches are distributed late or not at all, confidentiality and integrity may be threatened.