Put it into practice
Review existing commitments with the recipient.
Estimate the work and interruption pattern involved.
Agree what stops, moves or receives support before the new responsibility starts.
A case to think through
Giving a manager customer escalations may require moving their routine reporting preparation to somebody else. Keeping every existing task can make the new authority unusable.
This is a hypothetical operating example, not a client result.A boundary worth checking
A confident 'yes' is not evidence that there is spare time. Ask which commitment will change to make the agreement practical.
A useful first handover is small enough to test and meaningful enough to matter. Keep the original work records so the review can distinguish what was agreed from what happened. If the recipient cannot explain a suitable ordinary case and an exception, clarify the agreement before expanding it.
Your handover working notes
Use these prompts with the person taking ownership. Record the agreement within your existing permissions.
| Prompt | Notes from your case |
|---|---|
| New responsibility | |
| existing load | |
| work removed | |
| support | |
| start date |
What if nobody has spare capacity?
Reduce scope, sequence the handover or make a resourcing decision. Do not treat an overloaded person's missed deadline as proof that delegation cannot work.
Give one decision a clear owner.
A free fillable PDF with a worked example and conversation prompts. Marketing updates are optional.
Get the free seven-day Plan