How to Audit Time Spent Running the Operation
This skill produces the number the whole operating model runs on: how much of your time the operation consumes. Without it, delegation is guesswork and protected time has no defense. With it, you have a measured gap between where your time goes and where the mandate needs it.
Developing
Start here. Build the foundation.- 1
Block one hour at the end of the month and tag every commitment from the last four weeks using two written definitions. When a meeting mixed both kinds of work, tag it by what consumed the minutes, not by its title. Run the first audit before touching anything else in this skillset; two data points beat a perfect method. You are done when a colleague could re-tag the same weeks from your definitions and land within a few hours of your result.
- 2
Compute the percentage, then write the target next to it. If you have no target yet, start from the rule of thumb many experienced COOs use, about one third as a ceiling for operating time, and adjust to your mandate. You know this is working when you can answer 'what is your split' with a number rather than an adjective.
Proficient
Build consistency and rhythm.- 3
When the share sits above target, rank the commitments driving it and write why each still needs you. Aim the list at your delegation work: the top three sources become the first three handoffs. It is working when the next contract refresh pulls directly from this list.
- 4
Keep categories stable and re-run on a fixed date each quarter. When your mandate changes, note the definition change on the trend itself. The signal you want is directional: three comparable points that show whether the model is winning.
Mastered
Operate at the highest level.- 5
Put the trend and target into an existing recurring CEO conversation and leave with a written outcome, even when the news is bad. What distinguishes mastery is that the number now governs: mandate mismatches surface as calendar evidence months before they surface as missed deliverables.
Common Pitfalls
Avoid the common failure modes.- Tagging meetings by their titles, which systematically undercounts operating time hidden inside 'strategy' reviews.
- Auditing once, feeling informed, and never producing the second data point that makes a trend.
- Treating the one-third figure as a compliance standard instead of a rule of thumb to calibrate against your actual mandate.