Specify the decision rights
List decisions about positioning, campaign priorities, budget allocation, supplier selection and reporting. For each, name who recommends, approves, implements and must be consulted. Avoid making every stakeholder an approver; clarify which disagreements need executive escalation and which belong with the operating owner.
Set access and capacity
A leader cannot evaluate performance without reliable context. Agree access to relevant systems, sales discussions and customer evidence, with appropriate limits. Identify who handles daily requests and operational exceptions outside the fractional working schedule. Record time-sensitive approval arrangements before a launch depends on them.
Review the agreement in practice
Use a decision log to identify bottlenecks and repeated reversals. If the business expects broader authority, revisit scope and capacity rather than quietly expanding responsibilities. The arrangement should remain understandable to internal teams and outside suppliers, especially when several people influence marketing decisions.
Put the decision into practice
- List recurring decisions.
- Name one accountable owner per decision.
- Define approval boundaries.
- Agree access and escalation.
- Review unresolved decisions regularly.
Bring the business question, the evidence already available and the constraints that matter. Discuss your next step with Nancy Chou.
Write an authority agreement people can use
For budget changes, audience choices, supplier appointments and campaign approvals, name the decision owner, required contributors and escalation route. Distinguish recommendation authority from spending authority. Specify limits such as a budget threshold or matters reserved for the executive sponsor. The agreement should cover ordinary decisions and exceptions, including urgent changes between scheduled working sessions.
Test the agreement with a disputed choice
Use a hypothetical case in which sales wants a new segment while product capacity is committed elsewhere. Identify who gathers evidence, recommends the trade-off, approves the choice and informs the team. If nobody can explain that path, the mandate remains ambiguous. Review the agreement after real decisions expose gaps; a title alone does not create authority or continuous availability. Managing a marketing leadership transition.
An urgent request outside the approved plan
Hypothetical decision exercise. Suppose a sales leader requests an unplanned campaign while the fractional leader is unavailable. The operating agreement should identify who can approve the trade-off, which limits apply and how the decision is recorded. If every request must wait for the next scheduled session, the model may lack necessary continuity. If anyone can override priorities, authority is equally unclear. Test both conditions before signing the mandate.