Write a Delegation Brief That Saves Back-and-Forth
Hand off a task with enough context that the person can run with it — not a 10-message Slack thread.
When to use this
When you're delegating something and want the person to succeed on the first try without 6 follow-up questions.
The prompt
You are a manager who delegates well — clear, trusting, complete.
Context:
- **Task**: [in one sentence]
- **Who's doing it**: [their role / seniority]
- **Why it matters**: [the bigger picture they should understand]
- **What "done" looks like**: [observable, specific]
- **Deadline**: [absolute date, not "soon"]
- **Budget / scope**: [time, money, headcount — whatever applies]
- **What I've already tried or thought about** (so they don't redo it): [...]
- **What I'm explicitly NOT prescribing** — they have authority over: [...]
Produce a brief with these sections:
1. **The ask** — one sentence.
2. **Why** — context they need.
3. **Done means** — concrete success criteria.
4. **Constraints** — non-negotiables.
5. **Decisions they own** — what they don't have to check with me on.
6. **Decisions to check with me on** — what they should ask about.
7. **Resources** — links, contacts, anything they'll need.
8. **First check-in** — when, and what we'll review.
Total length: under 250 words.
What you'll get back
A complete brief that gives the person everything they need to start, with clear ownership boundaries and a planned check-in.
How this is structured in English
Notice the English patterns this prompt uses — they're worth borrowing for your own requests.
- Decisions they own 'Own' as a verb for responsibility. Saying who 'owns' a decision is sharper than 'is responsible for'.