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Management

Delegation brief

Official

Official · updated Nov 4, 2026 · v1.0.1

Writes a brief to hand off a task: outcome, why it matters, constraints, decision rights by delegation level, check-ins, and done criteria.

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When to use it

What you give it

What you get

A one-page brief with an outcome, decision rights per area on a 7-level scale, resources, check-ins, and done criteria.

The SKILL.md

---
name: delegation-brief
description: Writes a brief for handing a task or project to someone - the outcome, why it matters, constraints, decision rights as a delegation level from Tell to Delegate, resources and contacts, check-in points, and a definition of done. Use when a manager or founder asks to delegate a task, hand off a project, assign ownership, write a handoff note, or give someone autonomy without micromanaging.
---

# Delegation brief

Delegation fails in two ways: the manager keeps every decision (so nothing moved), or hands over a task with no edges (so the result surprises everyone). A good brief fixes both by saying what done looks like and, for each kind of decision, how much authority the person has. We use Management 3.0's 7 delegation levels for that.

## When to use

- Handing a project, task, or recurring responsibility to a direct report, contractor, or peer.
- When someone keeps coming back with "should I...?" questions: the decision rights weren't clear.
- Before a vacation or leave, to hand over an area.
- Not for setting quarterly goals (use okr-draft) or a whole team's mandate (use team-charter).

## What you need

- The task or project, and the person it goes to.
- The outcome you want and the deadline.
- Known constraints: budget, brand, legal, systems, people who must be involved.
- The decisions you expect inside the work. If you don't know them, list the 3 to 5 most likely ones from the task and mark them "[assumption]".

## Steps

1. **State the outcome, not the steps.** One sentence on what will be true when it's done, measurable where possible: "Webinar on 12 March with 150+ registrations", not "organize a webinar".
2. **Say why it matters.** One or two lines linking it to a goal. People make better calls when they know the purpose.
3. **List the constraints.** Hard limits only: budget, dates, tools, policies, who must approve what. If a constraint is a preference, label it as one.
4. **Set decision rights by area.** For each key decision area, pick a level: 1 Tell (I decide and announce), 2 Sell (I decide and explain why), 3 Consult (I decide after your input), 4 Agree (we decide together), 5 Advise (you decide after my advice), 6 Inquire (you decide, then tell me), 7 Delegate (you decide; no need to tell me). Our default for a capable person is 5 or 6 on most areas and 3 or lower only for money, legal, and public statements.
5. **Give resources.** Budget, tools, documents, and named people to ask, with what each can help with.
6. **Set check-ins.** Our default: one early check-in at about 20% of the timeline (to catch a wrong direction cheaply), one before any irreversible step, and a final review. Say what each check-in looks at.
7. **Define done.** 3 to 5 verifiable criteria. Include what to hand back (a doc, a report, a link).

## Output format

```markdown
# Delegation brief — [task] → [person]
**From:** [name] · **Date:** [date] · **Due:** [date]

## Outcome
[One sentence: what will be true when it's done]

## Why it matters
[1–2 lines linked to a goal]

## Constraints
- [Hard limit]
- [Preference, labelled as one]

## Decision rights
| Decision area | Level | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| [area] | [1–7 name] | [e.g., "You decide, tell me after"] |

## Resources
- [Budget / tool / doc]
- [Person] — [what they can help with]

## Check-ins
| When | What we look at |
|---|---|
| [date] | [e.g., plan and first draft] |

## Done means
- [ ] [Verifiable criterion]
- [ ] [What gets handed back]
```

## Example

**Input:** "I'm Dana; today is 3 Feb. Hand the customer webinar to Leah (marketing associate). Want it on 12 March, aiming for 150 registrations, with the recording on the website within 2 days. Webinars are our best source of expansion leads, and this one supports the Q1 upsell goal. Budget $1,200 for promotion. Speaker is our CEO, Omar, and the date is fixed by his calendar; he can give 30 minutes on the content outline before 20 Feb. I'd prefer to keep it to 45 minutes. Last year's webinar deck and email sequence are on the shared drive, and Raj (ops) can give access to the webinar platform. Don't want to micromanage but I care about the title and anything that goes out to customers."

**Output:**

```markdown
# Delegation brief — March customer webinar → Leah
**From:** Dana · **Date:** 3 Feb · **Due:** 12 March

## Outcome
A live customer webinar with Omar on 12 March, with 150+ registrations and a recording on the website within 2 days.

## Why it matters
Webinars are our best source of expansion leads; this one supports the Q1 upsell goal.

## Constraints
- Promotion budget: $1,200.
- Date fixed: 12 March (Omar's calendar).
- Preference: keep it to 45 minutes.

## Decision rights
| Decision area | Level | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Webinar title and description | 3 Consult | Propose 2–3 options; I pick |
| Customer emails | 5 Advise | You decide after I comment on the draft |
| Promotion channels and spend | 6 Inquire | You decide; tell me where the money went |
| Platform and logistics | 7 Delegate | Your call |

## Resources
- $1,200 promotion budget
- Last year's webinar deck and email sequence (shared drive)
- Omar — content outline, 30 minutes before 20 Feb
- Raj (ops) — webinar platform access

## Check-ins
| When | What we look at |
|---|---|
| 10 Feb | Title options and the promotion plan |
| 24 Feb | Registration count vs target |
| 13 March | Results and recording link |

## Done means
- [ ] Webinar held on 12 March
- [ ] 150+ registrations (report the number either way)
- [ ] Recording on the website by 14 March
- [ ] One-page summary: registrations, attendance, spend
```

## Checks before you send

- [ ] The outcome is one sentence and could be checked as true or false.
- [ ] Every decision area has a level and a plain-words meaning.
- [ ] Only hard constraints are listed as constraints; preferences are labelled.
- [ ] There is an early check-in before 25% of the timeline.
- [ ] Done has 3 to 5 verifiable criteria.

## Common mistakes

- Delegating the task but keeping every decision at level 1. That's assigning work, not delegating.
- Leaving the decision rights unsaid, then overriding a choice afterwards. Set the level before work starts.
- Checking in only at the end, when a wrong direction is expensive to fix.

Download SKILL.md

Changelog

Sources

  1. Delegation Poker & Delegation Board - Management 3.0 Practice (2026-11-04)
  2. How to make the Delegation Board work for your team | Management 3.0 (2026-11-04)

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