Getting Delegation Right

In software business, leaders often need to delegate the work. Yet, I have seen leaders struggle with it, often saying, “I try to delegate, but it never quite works.” The truth is, delegation requires attention to detail and understanding of your team’s capabilities and needs.

Let’s look at a practical scenario: You need to create a project plan for a new feature and decide to delegate part of this task to a junior developer. Without providing detailed requirements or context, the junior developer may struggle, leading to suboptimal outcomes. To avoid such pitfalls, follow these strategic steps:

1. Focus on the Developer

One thing, most people get wrong, including myself, is that delegation isn’t about your management style. It’s about understanding your team’s strengths and needs. As I often emphasize, great leadership involves stepping back and focusing on empowering your team. Assess the junior developer’s familiarity with the project and their problem-solving skills before assigning the task.

2. Assess Will and Skill

Using Ken Blanchard’s model of “will and skill” can be very helpful. Before delegating, consider:

• Will: Is the junior developer motivated and interested in the new feature?
• Skill: Does the junior developer have the necessary domain and technical expertise?

For instance, if the developer has high will but low skill, pair them with a more experienced colleague or provide them with resources and training. If they have both high will and skill, you can be more hands-off and trust them to deliver.

3. Define Definition of Done

Clear expectations are essential. Define what success looks like for both you and your developer. In the case of creating a project plan, specify:

• Objectives: What should the project achieve?
• Timeline: What are the key milestones and deadlines?
• Resources: What resources (tools, documentation, mentorship) are available?
• Deliverables: What specific outcomes are expected (e.g., a detailed project plan document, a timeline of tasks)?

This shared understanding helps avoid miscommunication and aligns efforts toward a common objective.

4. Monitor and Support Appropriately

Adjust your support based on the developer’s experience and confidence level. For a junior developer, set up regular check-ins and progress updates to ensure they are on the right track. This approach not only keeps the project on track but also makes the developer feel supported and valued. As engineers grow in their role, they need less direction but timelines and urgency.

In short, delegation is mostly about a good match between the person and task. As a leader, we need to provide clear guidelines, and support our team throughout the process. By focusing on these principles, we can transform delegation from a challenge into a powerful tool for achieving team success.