Have you written down which decisions your team can make without you?

A one-page "who decides what" list (sometimes called DACI or RAPID) tells people what they own and up to what limit. Escalations drop because people stop asking permission for things they already have.

How to automate it

How to automate “approve spend, purchases, hires and time off”

Here are 2 ways to spend less time on this, best first. Each comes with steps you can follow today.

15 min

typically, every day

50%

of the time can be automated

Some setup

to set up

Fix 1 of 2

Process fixBest fix

Raise approval limits so small things never reach you

Leaders often approve dozens of small items a week that carry little risk. Setting limits by amount and type removes most of them.

Typically saves about 50% of the time1 h to set up

1Pull a list of what you approved last month and the amounts.
2Set limits: for example, managers approve spend under a set amount, time off is auto-approved unless it clashes.
3Configure the limits in your spend tool or HR system (Ramp, Brex, Coupa, Workday, BambooHR, Rippling).
4Review a monthly report of approvals made below your level instead of each item.

Tools: Ramp, Brex, Coupa or Navan approval policies · Workday, BambooHR, Rippling or HiBob time-off rules

Fix 2 of 2

Automation

Move approvals into a tracked workflow with reminders

Approvals in Teams/Power Automate, Slack Workflows, or your e-signature tool remind people for you and show what is stuck.

Typically saves about 60% of the time1 h to set up

1List the approvals you chase most.
2Set up an approval flow (Power Automate Approvals, Slack Workflow Builder, DocuSign or your HR/finance system).
3Add automatic reminders after 24 hours.
4Agree a default: no answer in 48 hours means it goes ahead (where safe).

Tools: Power Automate Approvals · Slack Workflow Builder · DocuSign or Adobe Acrobat Sign

Quick wins

Have you tried…

Have you written down which decisions your team can make without you?: A one-page "who decides what" list (sometimes called DACI or RAPID) tells people what they own and up to what limit. Escalations drop because people stop asking permission for things they already have.

Who does this task

Roles in our library that list this as one of their common tasks. Each guide covers the rest of that role’s week.

CEO / Founder General Manager / VP Department head / Director People manager / Team lead

HourLeak · the 8-minute work audit

How many hours does this cost you?

The free 8-minute check works out where your week goes and gives you your top fixes. The team scan does the same for everyone and adds it up, so you know which leaks to fix first.

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