ChatGPT prompt for writing a delegation brief

This is the prompt we use to hand off a task we would normally do ourselves, especially the ones we keep taking back. Its core rule: it flags the passages where you dictate the method when only the result matters. You delegate an outcome, not your path to it.

The prompt to copy

I'm delegating "{task}" to {name} ({role}, {experience level}). My braindump — context, how I'd do it, constraints, deadline: {paste}.
Write a delegation brief:
- **Outcome** — what "done" looks like, measurable.
- **Context they need** — 3 lines max.
- **Boundaries** — must-do / must-not / free to choose.
- **Resources** — and who to ask what.
- **Checkpoints** — schedule sized to their experience level.
- **Don't come to me for** — decisions that are theirs.
Flag anything in my braindump where I dictated the method when only the outcome matters — that's me micromanaging in writing.

Replace the braces with the task, the person, and their level, then empty your head: context, constraints, deadline, and even how you would do it. The prompt turns that braindump into a brief someone else can follow.

When to use it

Whenever you hand off a task you would usually do yourself, especially the ones that come back to you because the first brief was too vague. Five minutes of braindump, and the person walks away with a clear outcome instead of a “do it my way” that no one can follow.

What you get back

1. A measurable outcome: what “done” actually looks like.
2. Clean boundaries: what is required, forbidden, or free to choose.
3. Checkpoints sized to the person’s experience level.
4. A flag on every passage where you impose the method instead of the result.

Real example: a delegation braindump → a brief someone can follow

Input: Maya, who runs Brightside Studio, an 8-person agency, is delegating the monthly client report to Priya, a junior designer. Her braindump, as-is:

i'm delegating the monthly Fernhill Coffee report to Priya.
context: the client wants to see social numbers and a word on the month.
how i do it: i open the spreadsheet, copy the views and likes, put the chart top-left, write the summary last, always use the same intro line.
deadline: the 3rd of each month.

Output, the part that matters:

Flag, micromanaging in writing: “put the chart top-left,” “the same intro line,” “write the summary last” describe your method, not the result. What matters: the client understands their month at a glance. Let Priya choose the layout.

Outcome: a one-page report where the client sees the month’s social numbers and a clear summary of what worked. Delivered on the 3rd. Don’t come to me for: color choices, section order, the wording of the intro.

Notice what the AI did: it split the outcome, what the client needs to understand, from your method, where the chart goes and the intro line. By flagging it, it spares you the trap that makes the task come back: a brief that dictates the path produces a person who checks with you at every deviation.

This prompt is part of the library that ships inside the kit, with its usage sheet.