How delegate

You can delegate by task, project, or function:

• Delegating by task. This is the easiest approach and a good place to start. Through this approach, you assign specific tasks or subtasks to staff members.

Example:

You decide to delegate writing a report to Karim, conducting research on new customer relationship management systems to Mai, and planning an offsite meeting to Ahmed.

• Delegating by project. A project involves a group of tasks designed to achieve a specific objective. Delegating by project increases the scope of the delegation assignment. It requires a staff member who can handle a wider range of responsibilities.

Example:

You decide to delegate the development and execution of a customer survey to Fatima, which includes many tasks: meeting with Marketing to get input, writing the survey, collecting client contact information, choosing an online survey application, conducting the survey, and analyzing the results.

• Delegating by function. If you have large numbers of direct reports, you may choose to delegate assignments by function. "Function" refers to groups of tasks and projects that are related to one ongoing activity—such as sales, marketing, or training. In this delegation approach, each function is delegated to one staff member, who provides you with regular updates on activities within that function.