Identify the missing responsibility
| Situation | Question to resolve |
|---|---|
| Work waits for daily decisions | Who has the ongoing authority and availability to manage it? |
| A manager exists but workflows fail | Which process, information, or tool needs redesign? |
| A new manager inherits undocumented work | Who will support the transition and capture critical knowledge? |
| The owner wants fewer interruptions | What authority, access, and review boundaries will transfer? |
What to define in an internal role
Specify the operating outcomes, decision authority, direct reports, recurring cadence, and limits of the role. Hiring a manager without authority can move the same approval queue to a new person. Give the manager access to the data and people needed to act, and define when escalation is appropriate.
What to define in a consulting project
State the workflow under review, deliverables, internal counterpart, testing plan, and handover criteria. A consultant can make a process clearer and help it survive pilot cycles, but an internal person must sustain recurring decisions after the project ends unless ongoing responsibility is explicitly included.
When both can make sense
A company hiring its first operations manager may need a short transition project to document inherited work and establish a scorecard. Coordinate the consultant’s outputs with the manager’s actual needs. Avoid creating a system before the incoming manager has an opportunity to validate it.
Illustrative decision
If a team can run the agreed process but needs someone to schedule people, resolve daily conflicts, and coach staff, prioritize the management role. If a capable manager spends time reconciling contradictory reports and chasing missing handoff information, begin by defining and repairing those systems.
Questions before spending
- Is the work recurring or does it have a clear end state?
- Who will have authority when the owner is absent?
- What capability must remain after the project?
- Can the current team absorb implementation work?
- How will the new role or project be evaluated after the first operating cycles?
Related implementation resources
Discuss the operating problem
Elixir consulting starts at $5,000 per month, with final pricing based on scope. Bring a recent example, the current workflow, and the person who owns the result to define the appropriate implementation scope.