Planning tool

Are you ready to outsource your first role?

Answer 10 plain questions about the work, the risks, your SOPs, and the time you have to manage the hire. You will see whether the role is ready now, needs cleanup, or should stay in-house for a little longer.

Start the readiness checkScore a specific role
Questions10

Role clarity, repeat work, SOPs, access, risk, review time, and first-month output.

Time to use10-15 min

Best before a job post, agency call, or quote request.

Use the resultPick one fix

Start with your lowest-scoring area before you post the role or ask for quotes.

Readiness check

Score the role before you hire.

Choose one answer for each question. The tool adds the points and gives you one next step. A low score is useful because it shows what to fix before money and time go into hiring.

0 of 10 answered
Question 1: Role clarityCan you name the first 5 tasks this person would own?

A vague helper role turns into daily guessing. Start with a small job the hire can repeat.

Question 2: Repeat workDoes the same work show up every week?

Repeat work is easier to teach, check, and improve than one-off owner judgment.

Question 3: ExamplesCan you show 2 or 3 examples of good finished work?

Examples show what done looks like faster than a long policy doc.

Question 4: SOPsDo you have simple steps or a checklist for the first task?

The SOP can be short. It just needs to help the hire start without asking every five minutes.

Question 5: Review ownerWho will review the work in the first month?

If nobody owns the review, mistakes can sit until they become expensive. Block the time before the hire starts.

Question 6: RiskCould a mistake hurt a customer, payment, legal promise, or client relationship?

High-risk work can still move offshore later. First, write the pause-and-ask rule.

Question 7: AccessCan you give the right tool access without exposing too much?

Day-one access should be ready, but it should not hand over more than the role needs.

Question 8: QuestionsCan the hire ask questions without waiting all day?

A new offshore hire needs a fast place to ask small questions during the first two weeks.

Question 9: Success measureDo you know what good enough to keep looks like after 30 days?

Pick one plain measure: tickets tagged, reports prepared, invoices checked, or tasks closed cleanly.

Question 10: Training timeDo you have time to train and review during the first 2 weeks?

New hires need questions answered and early work checked. If nobody can make time for that, wait or choose a simpler role.

Your answers stay in this browser tab. This tool does not save them.

Score bands

Use the score to choose the next step.

Your lowest scores show what to clean up before the role leaves your desk. Fix those gaps before you post the job or ask for quotes.

0-12 points

Not ready yet

The work is still too vague, risky, or dependent on owner judgment. Keep it in-house for now and document the repeat parts first.

Document the task13-22 points

Clean up the role first

You are close, but the role needs sharper tasks, examples, SOPs, access rules, or review time before a job post goes out.

Score the role23-30 points

Ready to start small

You have a clear first role, repeat work, examples, and review time. Start narrow, check work often, and estimate the real cost before hiring.

Estimate role cost
What to do next

Turn the score into a smaller, cleaner handoff.

If a question scored low, fix that gap before recruiting starts. A small clear role beats a broad role that needs the owner to explain everything twice.

Compare first roles

Use the role directory if the task list is still a mix of admin, support, research, and operations work.

Compare roles

Build the role scorecard

Rate one role idea for clarity, risk, SOP readiness, review effort, and first-month output.

Use the scorecard

Fix the access plan

If the access question scored 0 or 1, map named accounts, MFA, permission levels, review dates, and offboarding before sharing tools.

Open the checklist

Design the first role

Get help turning the messy version into tasks, handoff rules, review blocks, and a first-month target.

Design the role
Build your handoff system

Ready to plan your first offshore role?

Use OutsourcedU to write the role, SOPs, onboarding steps, and weekly review before you hire more people.

Request the plan