What this is
A one-page worksheet for handing off a task: who gets it and why, what "done well" looks like, their authority level, and the check-in cadence.
When to use it
Fill it out before you hand off anything bigger than a quick ask, especially the first time you're delegating a piece of work to someone new.
Common mistake
Handing off the task but never saying the authority level out loud, so they guess wrong and either ask permission for everything or decide things that were never theirs to decide.
How to use this
- Download the Word doc
- Fill in the bracketed sections, including the authority level, before the handoff conversation
- Walk through it together when you assign the work, not after
Delegation fails when the task is vague or the follow-up feels like micromanagement. Use this framework to decide what to hand off, choose the right person, define the outcome (not the method), set the right level of authority, and agree on check-ins up front, so you stay informed without hovering.
The task — what exactly is being handed off?
[e.g., Own the Q3 vendor evaluation and recommendation…]
Delegated to, and why them
Delegated to: [Name] · Why them: [Skills, growth goal, capacity…]
Outcome definition — what does "done well" look like?
[Describe the result, not the steps to get there…]
Authority Level (circle one)
Support & Boundaries
Resources provided: [Budget, tools, contacts, documents…]
Constraints & guardrails: [What they must not do / decisions needing approval…]
Constraints & guardrails: [What they must not do / decisions needing approval…]
Follow-Through
Check-in cadence: [e.g., 15 min every Friday] · Final deadline: [MM / DD / YYYY]
Success criteria — how will we measure it? [2–3 observable measures of success…]
Feedback loop — how will we review and learn? [e.g., 30-min retro within a week of completion…]
Success criteria — how will we measure it? [2–3 observable measures of success…]
Feedback loop — how will we review and learn? [e.g., 30-min retro within a week of completion…]
Delegate the outcome, not the method. If you find yourself rewriting their work, the authority level was probably set too low, or the outcome wasn't clear enough.
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