I recall often a saying from my Army years: “You can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility.”
Failure to delegate properly can lead to very challenging situations that bottleneck resources, increase risks to the org, and require a painful amount of resources to recover from.
One common question among engineering leaders: “When delegating, how do I strike the ideal balance between a micro-managing approach vs. hands-off approach?”
Here is a quick mental model that I used to help myself and leaders on my teams:
- Technical Reliability (TR) – **For this specific task or type of project** On a scale of 1 to 5, how reliable is this person’s technical skillset? (1 – Low, 5 – High)
- Professional Reliability (PR) – On a scale of 1 to 5, how reliable is this person’s professional communication? (1 – Low, 5 – High)
- Criticality Factor (CF) – What is the risk level of this task/project, from a scope/schedule/budget or strategic perspective? (1 – High, 5 – Low)
The level of supervision is determined by the lowest of all three scores.
However, to minimize the level of frustration between the leader and the individual delegated to, coaching conversations look different for each scenario.
Imagine the following:
- Scenario 1 – Junior team member, routine project (TR – 1, PR – 2, CF – 5)
- Team member is given a clearly defined task, multiple check-in milestones throughout the week, what to have prepared for check-ins
- Ongoing technical/professional coaching in each of these areas by supervisor/lead
- Scenario 2 – Mid-level team member, challenging project (TR – 4, PR – 3, CF – 3)
- Team member is given a right-sized project or series of project deliverables, with weekly/bi-weekly check-ins on project status and ongoing risks & blockers
- Coaching by supervisor/lead focuses on helping the team member stay organized, plan ahead, and communicate proactively
- Scenario 3 – Senior-level team member, high-risk/visibility project (TR – 5, PR – 5, CF – 1)
- Team member has nearly autonomous reign over project team, and day-to-day tasks throughout the project. Even at this level, the project criticality may dictate 2-3x/wk, or even daily 10 min stand-ups with management. Goal is to minimize interruption to the senior team member’s work, but also allow management to continue monitoring risks and step in quickly to assist with organizational resources if/when necessary
- Coaching conversations reassure the senior team member that they are respected and trusted to lead, while also keeping management updated enough to have a lifeline open if a small crack leads to something bigger
There are many more scenarios; these are likely the most common.
Leaders must keep a thumb on the pulse, ensure that their level of involvement remains appropriate throughout assigned tasks/projects, and adjust accordingly.