Delegation in Project Management

Delegation :

It is that the assignment of authority to subordinates during a defined area and making them liable for the results. Delegation means entrustment of a part of the work, or responsibility and authority to another, and the creation of accountability for performance. It refers to a manager’s ability to share his burden with others. It takes place when one person gives another the right to perform work on his behalf and in his name, and the second person accepts to corresponding duty or obligation to do what is required of him. It is a skill of which we have all heard but few understand.  It is often used either as an excuse for dumping failure on to the shoulders of subordinates or as a dynamic tool for monitoring and training your team to realize their full potential.

It is an administrative process of getting things done by others by giving the responsibility.  Every superior delegates the authority to subordinates for getting a specific work done. The process goes to the extent where actual work is executed. The person who is made responsible for a particular work must be given the requisite authority for getting it done. A project manager is not judged by the work he actually performs on his own but the work he gets done judged by the work he actually performs by himself but on the basis of the work done by the others. He assigns duties and authority to others and ensures the achievement of desired goals. So, we can say these delegations is the assignment of authority in a defined area to others and making them responsible for results.

Objectives of Delegation : 

The objective of the delegation is to get the job done by someone else. To enable someone else to do job for you, you must ensure that the following objectives and key parameters as follows.

◉ To know what you want.

◉ To have the authority to achieve it.

◉ To know how to do it.

◉ Delegate tasks must be the following key parameters.

    ◉ Specific

    ◉ Measurable

    ◉ Agreed

    ◉ Realistic

    ◉ Time-bound

    ◉ Ethical

Characteristics of Delegations : 

The delegation has the following characteristics as follows.

◉ Delegation takes place when a person or manager grants some of his powers to others.

◉ Only a part of authority delegated.

◉ It is only the authority that is delegated not the authority.

◉ It creates accountability.

Guiding Principles : 

Goals while delegating are to be as follows.

◉ Provide opportunity for growth and development.

◉ Increase morale and self-confidence.

◉ Enhance creativity and skill.

◉ Increase staff involvement and commitment to the job.

Problems in Delegation : 

The main problem which one has to confront in a delegation is as follows.

◉ What tasks to retain and what to delegate?

◉ How to establish trust worthiness of the delegatee?

◉ How to ensure the proper flow of communication?

◉ How control can be exercised?

◉ How to motivate the delegatee to assume the total responsibility?

Source: geeksforgeeks.org