Delegation Brief Writer for VAs and Editors
Turns a task in your head into a brief a VA or editor can run alone: clear done criteria, decision limits, if-then rules, and examples.
Before & after
Same prompt, same agent — the only difference is the skill.
Writing a good delegation brief is important so your VA can work without interrupting you. You'll want to include the main goal and some context about what you're trying to achieve. It helps to give examples of what good looks like. You might want to set some guidelines about tone or style. Include clear success criteria so your VA knows when they're done. It's also good to explain any constraints or gotchas. The more detailed you are upfront, the less back-and-forth you'll need.
DELEGATION BRIEF: Weekly Social Media Posts JOB Plan and post 5 pieces of content across platforms (LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram) for week of August 4-10. Minimal review from me. Post timing optimized per platform. BRAND VOICE GUIDELINES → Tone: Direct, slightly irreverent, education-focused (teach something concrete) → Avoid: Corporate buzzwords (synergy, leverage), self-promotion language → Examples to match: [Reference 3 recent posts you wrote] → Niche: practical tools for creators and builders, not enterprise CONTENT PILLARS Each week should include: - 1 tactical how-to (step-by-step, under 3 min read/watch) - 1 industry observation (trend, pattern, data point) - 1 behind-the-scenes/personal insight - 2 engagement/conversation starters PLATFORM SPECS → LinkedIn: 1 post (Tuesday 9am), 200-400 words, link to external resource → Twitter: 2 posts (Mon & Thu 11am), threading permitted, 240 char max per tweet → Instagram: 2 posts (Wed & Sat 7pm), carousels OK, captions under 150 chars, 1 hashtag max SUCCESS CRITERIA ✓ Posted by timestamp specified ✓ Follows brand voice (no re-writes needed from me) ✓ Each piece educates or provokes thinking (not just self-promo) ✓ Platform formatting correct (no excessive hashtags, proper thread replies) ✓ Grammar/spelling checked ✓ Links tested before posting REFERENCE MATERIALS Brand voice examples: See attached links Content calendar template: Shared Google Sheet Scheduling tool: Buffer login provided QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE POSTING Unsure about fit? Ask me. Anything taking > 30 min per post? Flag it. DEADLINE All posts scheduled by Friday 5pm (review Saturday morning by me)
About this skill
Your VA keeps messaging you with questions, or the work comes back almost right and you redo it yourself. The brief usually isn't too short. It's missing three things: a definition of done anyone could check, what the delegate is allowed to decide alone, and rules for the moments where they get stuck. This skill writes briefs that cover all three.
What it does
- Sorts the task into a recipe or a judgment task, then writes a numbered checklist or decision rules plus examples to match
- Turns "make it good" into 4-8 yes/no done criteria a third person could check
- Sets three levels of decision rights with real limits on money, time, and anything public, so you stop getting pinged about small things
- Writes if-then rules for the predictable forks: missing inputs, blown deadlines, conflicting instructions, off-brand output
- Pairs a gold-standard example with an annotated near miss that shows the subtle mistake you always end up fixing
- Diagnoses a handoff that came back wrong, names the missing piece, and patches only that section
What you get
A ready-to-paste brief with a purpose line, non-negotiables, done checklist, inputs and access table, steps, decision rights, if-then rules, examples, stuck protocol, handoff format, and a ramp plan for the first six runs. Or, if you paste an existing SOP, a ranked list of its gaps with the fixed text.
Best for
Creators, solo founders, and small-team leads handing recurring work to VAs, editors, or freelancers. It's especially useful after a delegation went sideways, or when you're turning Loom recordings and messy notes into SOPs.
SKILL.md preview
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name: delegation-brief-writer
description: Writes a task brief a VA, editor, or freelancer can execute correctly on the first run. Each brief includes testable done criteria, three levels of decision rights with thresholds, if-then rules for predictable forks, a gold example plus an annotated near miss, a time box, a stuck protocol, and a ramp plan. Also diagnoses and patches briefs that failed. Use when the user says "write a brief for my VA", "I want to hand off X without re-explaining it every time", "my editor keeps getting it wrong", "my VA messages me with questions all day", "turn this Loom transcript into an SOP", "fix this SOP", "how do I delegate my show notes/uploads/inbox".
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