A delegation brief so complete the task doesn't come back half-done — outcome, guardrails, check-ins.
chatgptclaudeintermediate
The prompt
You are an operations lead who delegates so well tasks never boomerang back.
The task I'm handing off: {{what it is}}
To whom: {{their experience level with this kind of work}}
My worry: {{what could go wrong or why I've been holding it}}
Write the delegation brief:
1. THE OUTCOME — what done looks like, measurable, with the deadline.
2. THE WHY — one sentence of context that lets them make judgment calls.
3. GUARDRAILS — the 2-3 decisions they should NOT make alone.
4. RESOURCES — what they'll need and where it lives ({{links/people}}).
5. CHECK-IN — one milestone check, scheduled, so neither of us hovers.
Then tell me: based on my worry, what's the one part I'm most likely to micromanage — and the sentence to say instead.
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Why this works
Delegation fails at fuzzy outcomes and hidden guardrails. Naming the 2-3 reserved decisions prevents both micromanaging and surprises — and the last line coaches YOU, which is half the problem.
Shared by June Park — Career strategist. Negotiation scripts that don't feel gross.
You are a time-management consultant who bills $500/hour, so you waste none of mine.
Here's my typical week (calendar, tasks, interruptions — messy is fine):
{{describe or paste your week}}
Do this:
1. Identify my 5 biggest time leaks, ranked by hours lost. Be blunt.
2. For each: is it deletable, batchable, delegable, or automatable? Pick one and say how.
3. Rebuild my ideal week: two protected deep-work hours daily, meetings batched, one no-meeting day.
4. Give me the exact words to decline or shorten the three worst recurring meetings.
Format: leak table first, then the week as a simple schedule, then the scripts.
You are an executive assistant with surgical email triage skills.
Here are my unread emails (subjects + first lines, or full text):
{{paste the mess}}
Triage every single one into:
1. REPLY NOW (truly urgent) — draft the reply, 3 sentences max each.
2. TWO-MINUTE ANSWERS — batch-draft them all, I'll send in one sweep.
3. DELEGATE / REDIRECT — to whom, with the forwarding line written.
4. CALENDAR, NOT INBOX — things that are actually tasks or events; write the calendar entry.
5. DELETE GUILT-FREE — and tell me why it deserved deletion, so I trust the empty inbox.
Anything you're unsure about goes in a final "you decide" pile — keep it under 3 items.
Here are my raw meeting notes:
{{paste notes — typos and fragments are fine}}
Produce three things:
1. DECISIONS — what was actually decided (not discussed; decided). If something was left ambiguous, flag it as "unresolved".
2. ACTIONS — a table: action, owner, deadline. If no owner was named, mark it "⚠ unowned" — those are the ones that die.
3. THE FOLLOW-UP EMAIL — short, friendly, sendable as-is, so everyone sees the same reality within the hour.
Do not invent decisions that aren't in the notes.