Quality Assurance
You're afraid to delegate because quality might drop. Quality assurance (QA) is systems for ensuring consistent quality in service delivery: review gates, checklists, and clear ownership. QA gates catch problems before they reach clients. You don't have to do the work—you have to own the bar and build a gate where work is checked before it ships. That's what makes delegation safe.
Same delivery, with and without QA. Without: work goes straight to the client. You're tempted to redo it or take it back. With: there's a quality gate—one checkpoint where you (or a designated lead) review. The associate does the first draft; you do the review and sign-off. Quality stays high; your time goes to the high-leverage moment. QA is the system; the gate is the checkpoint. Together they enable service standardization and delegation.
Systems that ensure consistent quality. Review gates, checklists, clear ownership. You own the bar.
How to build it
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Define "good." What does the deliverable need to have? Structure, tone, key sections, accuracy. Write it down (SOP, documentation) so the person doing the work has a target.
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Add one gate. Where does work get reviewed before it reaches the client? One checkpoint is enough to start. You (or a lead) review and either approve or send back with clear feedback. No work ships without passing the gate.
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Own the bar. You're not redoing everything—you're holding the standard. If the work doesn't meet it, it goes back with specific feedback. Over time, the delegate learns the standard and the gate gets faster.