A point person is a temporary coordination role responsible for carrying information between a small working group and a wider hub, hotline, or dispatch function [@occupysandyorientation2012].
Within emergent disaster response, the term matters because distributed work still needs relay roles. The Occupy Sandy field orientation asked car groups to choose point people who would communicate with the hub and report back afterward [@occupysandyorientation2012]. This kind of role reduces confusion, preserves contact, and makes it easier to connect local action to wider coordination [@ambinder2013].
A point person is not a commander. The role exists to keep information moving, not to monopolize decision-making.
Related terms
- Leaderful Coordination - the wider coordination form in which point people operate
- Distributed Sensemaking - the process that point people help sustain across sites
- Mutual Aid Hub - a common destination for reports, requests, and updates