Recognizing that operational tasks, while essential, don’t always require your direct involvement is key to your success as a Product Leader. Effective delegation not only enhances team efficiency and engagement but also frees you to focus on high-impact strategic work. Yet, when your workload feels overwhelming, knowing where to start can be a challenge. So, how do you determine what to delegate first and ensure the process runs smoothly? These five steps will help you make informed decisions and set your Product Ops Assistant — and yourself — up for success.
Step 1: Categorize your operational work
If you’ve already completed a time audit to estimate how much of your workload is operational (if not, start here), you will have a good sense of your strategic-to-operational workload ratio. From the audit alone, you may already see which operational tasks consume most of your time. If it’s hard to parse out, start by categorizing the tasks into the five key areas listed below.
- Product – managing roadmaps, coordinating product experiments, supporting product releases, and handling product communications.
- Team – recruiting and onboarding, managing team processes, tools, documentation and workflows, and performance review support.
- Customers – managing customer feedback collection and analysis, coordinating go-to-market plans.
- Stakeholders – managing stakeholder interests and facilitating cross-departmental communication.
- Goal-setting and performance – collaborating on setting goals and KPIs and tracking progress accordingly.
Create a rough pie chart to visualize how your time is being spent. If one or two areas seem to be overrepresented, start there.
Step 2: Identify and prioritize tasks
Review the tasks within your identified category and determine which are suitable for delegation. If you need inspiration, check our list of tasks that Product Ops Assistants commonly perform on our How we help page.
Focus on critical tasks — those that have a significant impact on the business but remain operational. Divide these into two categories:
- Complex tasks requiring upfront coaching before delegation.
- Less complex tasks that can be documented for an easier handoff.
Prioritize the least complex and most time-consuming tasks first, as they will free up the most bandwidth.
Step 3: Identify tasks that align with onboarding
Even the most experienced Product Ops Assistants need proper onboarding to integrate smoothly with your team and organization. Review your prioritized list and identify 2-3 tasks that are ideal for onboarding, allowing your assistant to learn the ropes while adding value.
For example:
- If operational inefficiencies are a pain point, have your assistant collect and document feedback on processes and tools. This gives them valuable exposure to your team and helps them understand existing workflows while generating insights that can drive improvements.
- If you spend too much time analyzing customer feedback, delegate this to your assistant. Reviewing and synthesizing feedback will help them understand your product and customers while contributing valuable insights that can inform the roadmap.
By starting with these strategic onboarding tasks, your assistant can quickly build confidence, contribute meaningfully, and set the stage for long-term success.
Step 4: Meet with your assistant to delegate onboarding tasks by defining a clear “Definition of Done” (DoD)
Your first delegation meeting with your assistant is a key moment in setting them up for success. Use this time to discuss initial tasks, provide the necessary context, and align on expectations. A well-structured meeting ensures a smooth handoff and helps your assistant start adding value right away.
How to structure the delegation meeting:
- Provide context: Explain why you’re delegating these tasks and how they fit into broader team goals.
- Walk through each task: Clarify what needs to be done, any relevant tools or resources, and expected outcomes.
- Define the “Definition of Done” (DoD) together: Align on specific criteria that indicate when a task is successfully completed.This ensures mutual expectations are set from the start.
Example: Analyze customer feedback to identify common themes
Task: Analyze the qualitative feedback from our quarterly customer survey and summarize key themes.
Definition of Done (DoD)
☑️ Read and highlight survey feedback: Review all responses in the quarterly survey section of Dovetail, highlighting interesting quotes using the highlight tool.
☑️ Tag quotes: Categorize highlighted quotes by top themes using Dovetail’s tagging feature.
☑️ Review top tags: Identify the 3-5 most frequently occurring themes.
☑️ Meet to review: Schedule a meeting with me to discuss the selected themes and insights.
- Encourage questions: Give your assistant the space to ask for clarification and suggest improvements to the process.
- Discuss timeline: Align on a realistic deadline for completing the task and set a check-in if needed.
This delegation process will evolve as your assistant becomes more familiar with your work. Over time, they can take ownership of defining the DoD for most tasks, allowing you to simply review and ensure alignment — freeing up more of your time while maintaining quality and consistency.
If you want to go deeper, explore our repository of Playbooks for actionable insights on how to collaborate effectively with your Product Ops Assistant and streamline key operational processes.
Step 5: Review outcomes and provide feedback
Once your assistant has completed their first delegated tasks, set aside time to review the outcomes together. This step is crucial for ensuring alignment, refining expectations, and helping your assistant grow into the role. Providing clear, constructive feedback early on will set the foundation for a strong working relationship and continuous improvement.
How to structure the review:
- Start with their perspective: Ask your assistant to walk you through their process and insights. This gives you a chance to understand their approach and identify any gaps.
- Assess the outcomes against the Definition of Done: Compare the final deliverable to the agreed-upon DoD. If anything is missing or needs refinement, discuss what adjustments are needed.
- Provide specific feedback: Highlight what was done well and offer clear guidance on improvements. Be as specific as possible.
- Encourage questions: Create a space where your assistant feels comfortable asking for clarification or suggestions on how they can improve.
- Agree on next steps: If any refinements are needed, clarify what should be adjusted and by when. If the task was completed successfully, discuss what they can take on next.
Over time, these review sessions will become more efficient, and your assistant will gain the confidence and knowledge to execute tasks with minimal oversight. By investing in this feedback loop early, you set the stage for smoother collaboration and greater impact.
Delegation can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re unsure where to start. But by following these five steps, you'll confidently identify, delegate, and review the outcomes of the first key tasks assigned to your Product Ops Assistant. As your assistant gains confidence and experience, they will take on more responsibility with minimal oversight — freeing you to focus on strategic initiatives that drive real impact.
Delegation is not just about offloading work; it’s about creating a system where operational tasks are handled seamlessly, allowing you to operate at your highest level. By investing in this process early, you’re not only enhancing your own effectiveness but also empowering your assistant to contribute meaningfully to your team’s success.
At Sharpa, we offer premium operational support tailored to Product Leaders. Our trained Product Ops Assistants are ready to contribute after only a brief onboarding. Don’t let the fear of delegation hold you back — get started today and we’ll set you up with a dedicated professional to help you reclaim your focus.
