CEDAF
A five-point delegation checklist introduced by Wes Kao: Comprehension, Excitement, De-risk, Align, Feedback. Each check addresses a distinct way a delegated task can fail before it begins.
The five checks
C — Comprehension. Does the person have everything required to understand the task? Logins, background documents, examples of the end result, scope boundaries. The most common delegation failure is assuming shared context that does not exist.
E — Excitement. Have you explained why this task matters? Not every task is intrinsically motivating, but connecting it to the project’s goal or the company’s priorities increases the likelihood the person brings genuine effort rather than minimum viable execution.
D — De-risk. Have you named the most obvious failure mode upfront? Wes’s example: “I wouldn’t want you to spend three hours building the full spreadsheet if we decide we don’t need it — do 10 rows first.” Naming the risk removes it from the realm of silent assumptions.
A — Align. Has the person had a chance to ask questions before starting? Wrap-up monologues do not produce alignment — alignment requires the other person to speak. Asking “what parts are you a bit confused on?” reveals assumptions that were never made explicit.
F — Feedback. How short can the feedback loop be? The default is “come back when done.” The better default is a check-in within the first hour, ideally within the current conversation (“what are you going to do first?”). Shortening the feedback loop is the single most reliable way to avoid a week of work going in the wrong direction.
When to use
CEDAF is most useful for delegating multi-day tasks to people newer to an area. For tasks with a short turnaround or a highly experienced delegatee, a subset of the checks is sufficient — the framework scales by selecting the checks most likely to prevent failure in each specific case.
Source
Introduced in Wes Kao on Executive Communication, MOO, and the CEDAF Delegation Framework.