Three-Tier Order of Operations
Prioritize CEO initiatives, align leaders, and delegate ground-level execution
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 9
- Confidence
- 99%
The framework treats a business like a three-tier wedding cake. The top tier contains annual goals and strategic initiatives, where the CEO lists possibilities, determines their order of operations, and communicates the rationale. The middle tier converts one selected initiative into leadership direction by defining the CEO's contribution, the desired result, and the team's responsibilities. The bottom tier contains ground-level delivery: a complete project plan, an accountable project manager, and measurable KPIs or financial outcomes. CEO involvement should decline as work moves downward. Prioritization is contextual rather than fixed: revenue impact may dominate during one season, while team capacity, urgency, or proximity to the long-term vision may dominate during another.
Origin
Jasmine Star articulated the framework after one-on-one conversations revealed that several seven-figure founders knew what needed doing but felt uncertain about the correct order. Extracted from The Jasmine Star Show.
Core principles
- 01The CEO owns vision, priorities, and sequencing.
- 02Important work should outrank merely urgent work.
- 03Each initiative needs an explicit definition of success.
- 04Leaders translate CEO direction into executable projects.
- 05Project managers maintain momentum and surface dependencies.
- 06Ground-level execution should use measurable outcomes.
How to run it
- 1
List Every Top-Tier Initiative
Capture every significant initiative, project, goal, and unresolved strategic consideration. Do not sequence the work until the full field of options is visible.
Pro tip Keep initiatives outcome-oriented rather than listing routine tasks.
Watch out An incomplete list can cause the team to optimize a project that should never have been prioritized.
- 2
Determine the Order of Operations
Rank the initiatives according to the business's present needs. Consider revenue impact, timing, urgency versus importance, team capacity, dependencies, and progress toward the long-term vision.
Pro tip Favor the initiative that produces the greatest impact once optimized and systematized.
Watch out Do not treat the most visible fire as automatically being the most important work.
- 3
Communicate the Priority Logic
Share the ordered initiatives with the team, explain how the decision was reached, and ask for feedback. Use the discussion to clarify expectations and test whether leaders can support the plan.
Pro tip Explain the reasoning, not merely the final ranking, so the team can make aligned decisions later.
Watch out Vague priorities prevent leaders from identifying resource gaps or role mismatches.
- 4
Define the CEO's Contribution
For the current initiative, identify exactly what requires the CEO's judgment, authority, relationships, or creative input. Separate those responsibilities from work a leader or specialist can own.
Pro tip Reserve CEO involvement for contributions that cannot reasonably be supplied elsewhere.
Watch out Failing to define the boundary allows the CEO to drift into every task.
- 5
Define Success
Describe how the team will know that the initiative has succeeded and identify the measures that demonstrate the win. Make the destination observable before execution begins.
Pro tip Combine outcome measures with a small number of leading indicators where useful.
Watch out A team cannot reliably deliver against an implicit or constantly changing definition of success.
- 6
Define Team Expectations
Specify responsibilities, decision rights, deliverables, quality standards, and deadlines for the key stakeholders. Confirm that each leader understands what ownership means.
Pro tip Ask stakeholders to restate their responsibilities to reveal hidden ambiguity.
Watch out Frustration with execution often begins with unclear leadership instructions.
- 7
Build and Assign the Project Plan
Translate the initiative into a complete project plan with tasks, owners, dependencies, and expected timing. Use the plan to estimate the real workload before launching.
Pro tip Resolve missing owners and dependencies before declaring the project active.
Watch out Do not start execution with an incomplete plan or unassigned tasks.
- 8
Install Project Accountability
Give a project manager or equivalent owner responsibility for tracking work, coordinating dependencies, and keeping the project moving. The CEO should receive escalations rather than chase every task.
Pro tip Establish a regular reporting rhythm focused on exceptions and blocked dependencies.
Watch out Without a named execution owner, coordination work usually returns to the CEO.
- 9
Track KPIs and Outcomes
Set clear KPIs and define the projected result, whether operational or financial. Review actual progress against these measures and adjust execution when necessary.
Pro tip Use projected revenue for external promotions and a concrete operational outcome for internal projects.
Watch out Activity alone does not demonstrate that an initiative is producing its intended result.
In the wild
A founder had several promotions approaching, but her long-term growth depended on a membership. Because one promotion naturally led into that membership and the other promotions were largely automated, the membership funnel and onboarding became the priority. The sequence captured a near-term opportunity while advancing the company's longer-term revenue engine.
→ The founder gained a defensible order of operations tied to revenue, timing, and available bandwidth.
Another founder viewed membership retention as a major revenue priority, but most renewals would not occur for seven months. The initiative was moved lower so a more immediate revenue opportunity could be optimized first, without denying the eventual importance of retention.
→ Strategic attention shifted from a distant revenue event to work with greater near-term impact.
Common mistakes
Prioritizing the Loudest Fire
Urgency and visibility can make reactive work appear strategically important. The CEO should compare it with revenue impact, capacity, timing, and the long-term vision before promoting it.
Starting Without a Complete Plan
Launching before tasks, owners, and dependencies are clear hides the true workload and pulls the CEO into avoidable coordination.
Delegating Ambiguity
A CEO cannot reasonably hold the team accountable without first defining success and communicating what is expected.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for founders managing several competing initiatives through a growing leadership and delivery team.
Not ideal for
It is less useful for solo operators who have no meaningful ability to delegate execution yet.
From the transcript
“I want you to think in terms of your business as three main tiers.”
“We need to prioritize, not what is urgent, what's in front of you, what's on fire. We need to focus all of our attention as…”
“The bottom tier is ground level work consideration when the project plan is fully created and task design the bottom tier. Consideration two Project Manager…”
From the episode
The CEO’s Guide to Working ON Your Business (Not Just In It)