<aside> 💡 This guide is designed to help you establish what “Done” means when completing a task. It is related to this write-up on getting things done, so start there first.
For any complex task, there are millions of potential moving pieces that may or may not matter. A clear DOD will help you cut through the noise, extract the information you need, and get the job done ASAP.
Do this effectively and consistently, and you will win trust and a reputation of reliability with your executive.
Use this checklist as a guide on your first few complex tasks to establish a working rhythm. It will eventually become second-nature to you, and you will do it instinctively. Good luck!
</aside>
[ ] Task: Do I know what the task is? Fill it in below.
I am expected to…
[ ] Hypothesis: Make an initial guess on what the Definition of Done might look like.
I know I’ve done a complete, thorough job on X task when…
[ ] Experiment: Begin your research to see what information you already have at hand and what outstanding pieces of info you need. Refine your DOD as needed.
I have discovered…
[ ] Feedback: Bring your initial hypothesis of what DOD looks like for your Executive to review. Adjust as needed, and collect whatever info you will need from them. Below is a template.
👉 Note: you should ask for feedback from your exec on your DOD if the stakes are high. So, I wouldn’t use the following template and over-engineer something like making an Amazon return - just do your best since it’s neither an urgent nor important task.
But I would do it if the stakes are high should something go wrong - such as creating initial marketing copy for a drip campaign for a new course they’re about to push to their huge newsletter following. There’s an asymmetrical upside to getting clarity on something like this.
*Hello [exec], for [X-task], here is what I think a thorough, complete job looks like. I’d like your feedback on it:
[send DOD here]
If yes, please react with a* 👍 *- I will also need the following information from you:
[outstanding pieces of info needed to get the job done - format so they can simply copy-paste and answer directly]
If no, please share what you would change threaded into this message, and I’ll try again. Thank you!*
[ ] Now, go do the work. 🤓
If your DOD is something that is repeatable, please document and store this in your Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
This way, your exec will only have to do this once. This saves them even more time when one day, a new operator joins the team and takes over this task to free you up to do even more exciting things.
Oh, and if you don’t have a place to store your SOPs, download this template. 😉
Regina Gerbeaux (@_rpgbx) is an executive coach to some of the fastest scaling startups in the world. Prior to that, she was COO of companyOS/Mochary Method, Chief of Staff to Matt Mochary, and Head of Operations at On Deck.
Regina was the first person Matt taught to coach using his coaching methodology. She now enjoys open-sourcing her write-ups about operational excellence and providing tactical templates and frameworks to use from an operator point of view. If you are interested in getting coached by her, reach out here.
If she’s not busy making Notion templates, reading, writing, eating, or sleeping, you can find her likely at a 6am Orangetheory class, out on a hike, or on Twitter (or writing about herself in the third person and trying not to get weirded out by it. Like right now.)