As the founding document for a limited liability company (LLC) or statutory close corporation, articles of organization, by their nature, have serious legal consequences. For example, if there is a conflict between an entity's articles of organization and the entity's operating agreement, in many states the operating agreement, to the extent of the conflict, will be deemed invalid.
Further, to be effective, certain provisions (e.g., waiver of a board of directors for a statutory close corporation) must be stated in the articles of organization. A provision in the operating agreement alone would be ineffective.