Project Planning And Delegating

What Does Project Planning Mean?

Project planning is a procedural step in project management, where required documentation is created to ensure successful project completion. Documentation includes all actions required to define, prepare, integrate and coordinate additional plans. The project plan clearly defines how the project is executed, monitored, controlled and closed.

Project planning requires an in-depth analysis and structuring of the following activities:

Setting project goals
Identifying project deliverables
Creating project schedules
Creating supporting plans

What is delegating ?

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.

When to delegate?

Before diving into how exactly to delegate, it’s important to know when you should start delegating tasks. Here are some signs that you need to start delegating some of your tasks and projects:

You simply don’t have time to complete all of the tasks laid out before you
Someone else at the organization is better suited for a task
You would like to help a team member gain more experience in a certain area
New more important priorities surface, and you’d like to re-structure your time

Why to Delegate

Most leadership roles involve a variety of tasks that — simply put — cannot all be completed by one person. Sometimes leaders feel they must take up the reins of all of these tasks themselves to ensure they are done properly.

On the contrary, delegating some of these tasks to employees can improve task efficiency and benefit the organization in ways that aren’t obvious at first. A study by Harvard Business Review determined that delegating can actually increase the income and overall efficiency of organizations. Not only does delegating empower others in the organization, it helps optimize the performance of the group. The more members who are included in the ownership of projects, the more efficient your organization will become.

How to Delegate

Delegating isn’t something that comes naturally to most people. Follow these steps to become a better delegator, and to optimize how you use your time.

Delegation Step 1: List Your Responsibilities

Delegation Step 2: Choosing Delegation Authority

Delegation Step 3: Determining What to Delegate

Delegation Step 4: Deciding to Whom to Delegate

Who should be delegated?

Three key criteria to decide if a task should be delegated

1. Importance and urgency

Using a simple matrix for deciding delegation and importance and urgency are the two criteria. If it’s not important and not urgent — dump it. If it’s important and urgent — do it now. If it’s important, but not urgent — decide when to do it. If it’s not important, but urgent — delegate. By delegating unimportant tasks early, you don’t allow them to escalate into important/urgent tasks later on and the cycle continues.

2. Creating leadership and skill building

Is delegating the task an opportunity to help a less experienced employee build a new skill or hone a fledgling one? Does giving the task to someone else offer the ability to create leadership (even if only for a project) in an emerging manager? Will it stretch them to learn even more about the job/industry/responsibility? Those are important questions to ask for the professional growth of the team.

3. How much you trust the team

The biggest factor I use to decide if a task can be delegated does not relate to the task itself. It is completely dependent on the team member and the team environment. If the business has well-defined core values and a team member has “bought in” to those values, then I trust that they are ready to take on any delegated tasks and complete them within the parameters of the business’s core values.

8 Steps to delegating tasks effectively at work

Task delegation is an important project management skillset for any project manager. You need to learn how to delegate tasks to someone else in the team and how to keep track of it.

1. Carefully choose the right person for the job

Experienced managers match the level of responsibility with an employee’s expertise. They know their team members and understand their preferences. When team members are assigned tasks they’re interested in, they are sure to perform better than expected.

2. Focus on the goal

While delegating a task, make sure that you are focusing on the results you need rather than micromanaging the whole thing. George S. Patton, a celebrated US Army General said: “Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with results”.

3. Be open to new ideas

As the project manager, you’ll obviously have the final say in the direction of the project. It is, however, a good practice to involve the team in making some decisions. Even if they suggest a different approach than what you had in mind, appreciate their input and be flexible enough to accept better suggestions.

4. Empower your team to make decision

You must have had tasks where you felt that your hands are tied because you couldn’t make any decisions. Avoid making your team feel that. If you delegate tasks to your team, give them enough authority to make decisions, and take the necessary steps to fulfill your demands.

An empowering environment is a sufficient motivator for team members that encourages them to go above and beyond the call of duty.

5. Maintain a system of check

Decide with your team and put aside some time every week to check the progress of your team. Talk to them about the problems they are facing while completing the given task and suggestions on how they can proceed.

6. Motivate your team

It is a given that motivated employees will be more productive at work. As a project manager, you can motivate your team by offering them certain incentives. Have a monthly performance review and recognize your top performers. Recognition is a great motivator that ensures consistency and fosters healthy competition within the team.

7. Train future leaders

By delegating tasks, you train your team members to be future managers and project management specialists. Teach them and be a proper mentor. Even if they mess up, don’t belittle them and offer constructive criticism so that they can improve in the future.

8. Learn to say ‘Thank you’

There is nothing worse than a team that feels underappreciated. When a member successfully completes a task you delegate, be sure to show genuine appreciation and point out the things they did right. This will inspire loyalty in your team and provide them with the validation they need to continue performing splendidly.

Collection & Edit by Marketing Dept from Team Happy Leader Community – Shasu Group

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