Detecting scope drift in an executive assistant role

Drift is normal but invisible

Executive assistant roles grow. A task is added during a busy week and never removed. Over a year, the role can include project management, HR administration, and light IT support without anyone deciding that it should.

Drift matters because it affects capacity, pay, and the quality of the original work. It is easier to see when tasks are logged by category rather than by hours.

Define the categories

Use the written brief to create categories: calendar, inbox, travel, board support, expenses, relationship management, and projects. Add an other category with a required note.

Ask the assistant to log category counts weekly, not detailed timesheets. The goal is to see the shape of the role, not to monitor minutes.

Compare the log with the brief

Quarterly, compare the share of tasks in each category with the role brief. A category that has grown without a corresponding update to the brief is a scope drift signal.

Also ask what has been dropped. New work usually displaces something, and the displaced work may be the task the principal most values.

Decide, do not just observe

For each drift, decide whether to formalize the task, delegate it elsewhere, or stop it. Record the decision and update the brief.

If the role has grown materially, review compensation and support. Ignoring growth until the assistant resigns is the most expensive option. ^[1]

Limitations

Self-reported categories can be inconsistent, and a busy week can distort the picture. Use two or three months of data before drawing conclusions.

The method does not measure performance. It describes the work, not whether it was done well.

Sources

ILOSTAT Labour Statistics, International Labour Organization.
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants, O*NET OnLine.
Business Formation Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau.
Nonfarm Business Sector: Labor Productivity, Federal Reserve Economic Data.
Productivity Statistics, OECD Data Explorer.
World Development Indicators, World Bank DataBank.
2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report, Microsoft and LinkedIn.
The economic potential of generative AI, McKinsey Global Institute.
Creating helpful, reliable, people first content, Google Search Central.
Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide, Google Search Central.
Dear Manager, You Are Holding Too Many Meetings, Harvard Business Review.

Apply the research

Use the finding to frame one question for your own team: which support work is currently invisible, and who should own the next step? A scoped consultation can turn that question into a practical role.

Turn the finding into a support scope.

Bring the workflow that feels hardest to see. We will help define the role, the evidence it should maintain, and the decisions that stay with leadership.

Talk through the role