Every delegation needs three written components: one accountable owner, authority constraints, and escalation triggers

Why This Is a Rule

Delegation fails in three predictable ways, each caused by a missing component. Without a single accountable owner, decisions get diffused across a committee where everyone is partially responsible and no one is fully responsible — producing delays, finger-pointing, and compromised outcomes. Without explicit constraints, the delegate either under-acts (afraid of overstepping) or over-acts (making decisions beyond their authority), creating either bottleneck or chaos. Without escalation triggers, problems fester because no one knows when the delegation has exceeded its scope.

Writing these components — not just discussing them — is essential because verbal delegation degrades through the same memory distortion that affects all unwritten agreements. After two weeks, the delegator remembers broader constraints than intended and the delegate remembers narrower ones. The written record prevents this drift.

This operationalizes RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) into a practical three-component format that's lightweight enough for any delegation, from "you handle this meeting agenda" to "you own this product line."

When This Fires

• Every time you delegate a decision to someone (Delegate any decision reversible within one week at low cost — retain only irreversible ones for direct judgment)
• When delegated decisions keep bouncing back to you — check if authority constraints were explicit
• When a delegate made a decision you disagree with — check if it was within their documented constraints
• When building delegation frameworks for a team or organization

Common Failure Mode

Vague verbal delegation: "You take point on this." Who is accountable? What are the boundaries of "this"? When should they escalate? The delegate either constantly checks in (defeating the purpose of delegation) or makes assumptions about scope that don't match yours (producing conflict when their decision diverges from what you expected).

The Protocol

(1) For every delegation, write three things: Owner: one person (never a committee or "the team"). This person makes the call and is accountable for the outcome. Constraints: the boundaries within which the owner has full authority. "Budget up to $5,000." "Any design that passes the existing test suite." "Any vendor that meets our security requirements." Within these constraints, the owner decides without checking back. Escalation triggers: the specific conditions that require the decision to come back to you. "If the timeline slips by more than one week." "If cost exceeds $5,000." "If any stakeholder raises a formal objection." (2) Share this written delegation with the owner. (3) Trust the delegation: within the constraints, don't second-guess. Between the constraints and escalation triggers, the owner has full authority.