Authority Transfer Agreement
A practical guide for matching delegated responsibility with clear decisions, boundaries, resources and support.
A person cannot truly carry an outcome if they must return to you for every meaningful choice. This agreement helps make one transfer honest: what they own, what they may decide, where the limits are and how support will work.
Responsibility without authority is not empowerment. It is exposure.
What are they being trusted to carry?
Decide, consult, escalate.
They act alone
Choices they may make and communicate without prior approval.
Think together
Choices where input is required but ownership remains with them.
Return upward
Safety, finance, reputation or policy thresholds requiring another decision.
Information, access and resources.
- Information and context needed to make sound decisions.
- People, systems or spaces they need access to.
- Budget or resources they may use.
- People who must understand and honour the transfer.
- Support available when an unfamiliar situation arises.
Agree the rhythm.
Check-in frequency:
Evidence we will review:
What will cause the authority to widen, pause or change:
First review date:
Review what the work needs next.
Use this guide as a working conversation, not a document to complete and forget. Return to it after practice has revealed what is actually strong, unclear or dependent.