Delegation boundaries: which decisions stay with you?

Split the task from the decisions inside it

A request such as ‘manage supplier follow-ups’ contains several different actions. Someone might check whether a reply has arrived, send an agreed reminder and update a tracker. Accepting a changed delivery date or agreeing additional costs creates a different kind of commitment. Putting all of these actions under one task name hides the boundary.

List the decisions that occur during the task and name the person who makes each one. Atlassian’s DACI guidance makes a similar distinction between coordinating a decision and approving it. You can use that distinction without adopting a full framework: the person collecting information need not be the person authorised to commit the business. Tell others involved who owns the final answer.

Use three plain action levels

For each situation, choose one clear level: proceed within an agreed rule, prepare for approval, or refer the matter to the owner. Define the rule rather than relying on the label. ‘Routine meeting changes’ is uncertain; ‘offer the two approved alternative slots without moving protected appointments’ is more usable.

Keep boundaries narrow at first and review them with evidence from completed work. Experience can support a wider permission, but time passing does not automatically change authority. Record any change and check whether the system settings also need updating. Avoid broad permissions such as ‘anything reasonable’, which can mean different things when a deadline or client relationship is under pressure.

An example authority table for everyday support

This fictional table illustrates the level of detail to agree. It is not a standard Clerica policy, a complete control system or a recommendation about your commercial decisions. Replace its examples with situations that actually arise in your business and confirm the limits with the people responsible.

Define what an exception message must contain

An exception should arrive with enough context for a decision. Ask for the issue, the deadline, the consequence of waiting and the information already checked. If there are practical options, list them without presenting an unapproved commitment as a recommendation already accepted. Keep the message short and point to the current working record.

For example: ‘The supplier proposes Thursday instead of Tuesday. The client meeting is Wednesday. The tracker has the latest reply; please confirm whether to request another option or change the meeting plan by noon tomorrow.’ This fictional message gives the owner a decision and a time, rather than forwarding a long thread with ‘thoughts?’ above it. Agree who should be informed after the decision.

Agree what happens when you are unavailable

Approval boundaries need a plan for unanswered questions. Identify which parts of the work can continue, which must pause and whether another authorised person can decide. Do this before a busy period or planned absence. Never rely on an assumption that no reply means yes unless a specific, appropriate rule has been explicitly agreed.

Also define urgency. A missing detail for next month is different from a decision blocking today’s agreed delivery. Choose a communication route suited to the task and agreed working arrangements; do not assume immediate responses or out-of-hours cover. The owner should understand that retaining a decision also means making time to provide it. A narrow approval window can become the main delay in an otherwise organised workflow.

Review boundaries when the work changes

Use real exceptions as a guide to improving the table. If the same question comes back repeatedly, ask whether it can become an agreed routine rule. If an apparently routine action created an unexpected consequence, narrow the permission or add a check. Record why the change was made so that it remains understandable later.

Review authority after changes in scope, contacts, systems or business priorities. Remove permissions that no longer serve the task and tell the people affected. Clerica Solutions discusses responsibilities and approvals before work begins; bringing two or three typical decisions to the conversation can make that agreement more concrete. The useful outcome is a shared understanding of when work may proceed and when your answer is required.