Delegation is the process of giving someone else authority to act on your behalf. When it comes to work and business, this can be a very powerful tool to have in your arsenal.
Delegation is assigning tasks or authority to another person or group to accomplish a goal. When delegating, it is important to be clear about what needs to be done, who handles doing it, and what authority they have to do the task.
Delegation is an effective way to manage time and resources. But it only works if the person or group being delegated is capable of completing the task. Delegation requires frequent communication to ensure that tasks are being completed as planned.
Done properly, delegation is a powerful tool for achieving objectives. It is essential to delegate carefully to avoid overloading others or creating confusion about who handles what.
In Agile, there are 7 authority levels which are need to be aware.
- Tell: make decisions as a manager
- Sell: convince people about a decision
- Consult: get input from team before a decision
- Agree: make decisions together as a team
- Advice: influence decision made by the team
- Inquire: ask feedback after a decision by the team
- Delegate: no influence, let the team work it out
Clear roles and responsibilities are key in Agile, and a Delegation Board (*) can help.
It's an activity that I run with teams when they start their Agile journey. First, they need to be aware of the 7 levels of authority:Then we list the key decision-making points (purchasing something, hiring a new team member, taking leaves, choosing a new architecture for a software project), placing them on the board, and discussing the right level of delegation.
In the next action, you'll see an example. The more you are on the right, the more Agile you are.
(*) The Delegation Board is a Management 3.0 practice
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