Delegation Matrix

How to use this tool. This worksheet is for owners and managers who are the bottleneck in their own business. It takes about 60 to 90 minutes in one sitting. At the end you will have a ranked list of tasks to hand off, a delegation level and named owner for each, and a handover brief ready to use on Monday.

Why it matters

Most owners delegate by feel. They hand off whatever they dislike or whatever is urgent, and they take it back the first time something goes wrong. The result is a business where every decision still queues at your desk.

A delegation matrix replaces feel with a decision. You look at each task, score it, choose how much authority to hand over, and set a guardrail so you can let go without losing sleep.

The method

Step 1: List what you actually do

Write down every recurring task you did in the last two weeks, including small ones. Check your calendar, sent emails and job list rather than relying on memory. Estimate the hours each takes per week.

Step 2: Score each task on four factors

Score each factor from 1 to 5.

• Time drain: 1 = under 30 minutes a week, 2 = 30 to 60 minutes, 3 = 1 to 2 hours, 4 = 2 to 4 hours, 5 = over 4 hours.
• Owner-only value: 1 = anyone competent could do it, 5 = it depends on your judgement, relationships or licence.
• Risk if done badly: 1 = minor and easily fixed, 5 = serious financial, safety, legal or reputational damage.
• Teachability: 1 = lives in your head and changes each time, 5 = you could write it as a checklist today.

The formula in words:

Delegation score = time drain + teachability + (6 minus owner-only value) + (6 minus risk).

The score runs from 4 to 20. A higher score means the task is a stronger candidate to hand off.

Step 3: Choose a delegation level

Scoring tells you whether to delegate. The level tells you how much authority to give.

• Level 1: Research and report. They gather the facts, you decide.
• Level 2: Recommend. They propose an action, you approve it.
• Level 3: Decide and tell first. They choose, and tell you before acting.
• Level 4: Act and report. They act, and tell you afterwards.
• Level 5: Own it. They run it and report by exception only.

Most tasks should start one level lower than where you want them to end up. Move them up as trust builds.

Step 4: Put a dollar value on your time

This is an estimate to support your decision, not financial advice.

Weekly gain = (your hourly value minus the loaded hourly cost of the person taking the task) multiplied by hours handed off per week.

Loaded cost means wages plus superannuation and other on-costs. Check the figure with your bookkeeper or accountant.

Worked calculation: Your time is worth an estimated $150 an hour. An administrator costs $48 an hour loaded. The gap is $102. If you hand off 3 hours of invoicing a week, the estimated gain is $102 × 3 = $306 a week. That is only real if you spend the freed hours on higher-value work such as quoting, key clients or planning.

The tool

Table 1: Task inventory

Table 2: Scoring

Copy your tasks across, then score each one.

Table 3: Decisions

Use this for every task scoring 8 or above.

Table 4: Value of the time you free up

Handover brief template

Complete one for each task before you hand it over. Keep it to one page.

Task: (name it in a few words) Outcome: (what a good result looks like, in one sentence) Delegation level: (1 to 5, and when you expect to review it) Authority: (what you can decide, spend or promise without asking me) Limits: (what must come to me first, for example anything over $X or any complaint) Steps or checklist: (the usual sequence, with a sample of good work attached) Deadline and check-in: (when it is due and when we will review it) If something goes wrong: (who to tell, how quickly, and what not to do)

Readiness checklist

• I have written down the outcome, not just the steps.
• The person has the time, tools and system access they need.
• Access to customer information is limited to what the task needs, in line with your obligations under the Privacy Act.
• The task fits within the person's agreed role and duties. If it significantly changes their role or pay, I have sought advice on Fair Work obligations.
• I have told the team who now owns the task, so people stop coming to me.
• I have diarised a review date.

Worked example

This is a fictional example. Marlow Building Services is a ten-person residential renovation business in Perth. The owner, Dale, scored five tasks.

Dale decided as follows:

• Invoicing (16): Hand to the office administrator at Level 4, with a weekly summary sent to Dale.
• Supplier orders (15): Hand to the site supervisor at Level 3, with Dale approving anything over $2,000.
• Rostering (11): Hand to the supervisor at Level 2 for four weeks, then Level 3.
• Large quotes (6): Keep. Hand over only the material take-offs at Level 1.
• Complaints (4): Keep, but ask the supervisor to log every complaint so Dale sees the patterns.

Dale estimated he freed about six hours a week to spend on quoting and following up past clients.

How to read your results

• 16 to 20: Delegate now. These are your quick wins. Start at Level 3 or 4.
• 12 to 15: Delegate with guardrails. Start at Level 2 or 3, with a spending limit or a weekly check.
• 8 to 11: Delegate part of the task. Hand over the preparation or data gathering (Level 1) and keep the decision.
• 4 to 7: Keep it for now. If the task is high-time but low-teachability, make it teachable first by documenting how you do it.

Good looks like this: three to five tasks handed off within the month, each with a named owner, a written brief and a review date. You should also see fewer interruptions and fewer questions about things that are now someone else's job.

Common mistakes

• Delegating the task but keeping the decisions. If every step still comes back to you, nothing has moved.
• Handing over a mess. A broken process delegated is still a broken process. Fix it or document it first.
• Jumping straight to Level 5. Start lower and earn the trust on both sides.
• No review date. Without a check-in, small errors grow and you quietly take the task back.
• Taking it back when it goes wrong. Coach the person, adjust the guardrail and keep the task with them.
• Delegating only what you dislike. The best candidates are low-value tasks for you, not unpleasant ones.

Put it to work this week

1. Complete Table 1 today, using your calendar and sent emails from the last two weeks.
2. Score every task in Table 2 and circle the top three scores.
3. Write a one-page handover brief for each of those three tasks using the template.
4. Hold a 20-minute handover conversation with each person this week. Confirm the outcome, the authority, the limits and the review date.
5. Diarise a 15-minute check-in for each task two weeks from now, and decide whether to lift the delegation level.

Where Lotus helps

Lotus Strategic Services works with Australian business owners to map where their time goes, redesign roles and build the simple systems that make delegation stick. We can review your completed matrix with you and help you plan the handover so the work stays with your team. Book a free 30-minute discovery call at lotusstrategic.com.au.