Once you’ve decided on what you want to delegate and identified who you want to delegate it to, you then need to figure out how best to communicate that to your team member.

<aside> <img src="/icons/friends_blue.svg" alt="/icons/friends_blue.svg" width="40px" />

Here’s a three-part process to make you an intentional delegation PRO:

1. (P) PREP requirements - think through what you need and what they’ll need to be successful and how you’ll check in
2. (R) Review with your team member - have a clear discussion and check for understanding
3. (O) Make it Official - document the agreement in writing through a follow up email that either you send to them or they send to you (or both!) </aside>

To complete step 1, you need to PREP for the review conversation. Review each of the questions below and ensure you’re prepared to share all of these details with your team member.

**(P)**urpose

• What do you want the person to do?
  • How will you describe the task when you meet with them?
• Why does it need to get done?
  • Try your best not to frame it as “this would really help me out.” How does this related to business goals or a goal your team member cares about?
• What makes this person the right person for this project?
  • Are they the best person on the team because of a skill they have or track record on a previous project? Or maybe you know this is aligned with one of their professional development goals?

**(R)**esources & Support

• Who needs to be involved? Do they have context? Who is giving them context?
  • Does your team member need to consult with people on other teams? What’s the political situation - does your team member have the relationships and seniority they need to get an answer from that other team?
• What information do they need? Where can they find that information?
  • Are there links to similar deliverables or context that would be helpful for them to review?
  • Is there contact information you have that they need?
• What’s the budget? What level of authority do they have for budget decisions?
  • Here’s an opportunity to get clear - do they have $2000 to spend as they see fit? Or do they need to get approvals for spending it?
• What should they do if they have a question or run into a roadblock?
  • Should they Slack you immediately? Save it for a one-on-one? Ask 3 other people before coming to you? Come to you with two options for next steps and a recommendation?

**(E)**xpectations

• What does "done" look like?
  • If this is complete and they did a fantastic job, what does that actually look like? What will be true? Get as specific as you can about the outcome you’re looking for.
• By when does this need to be done?
  • Are you going to share the hard deadline with them or create a soft deadline that gives you more wiggle room?
  • If there isn’t a hard deadline, how will you ensure you’re on the same page about timing?
• Note anything non-negotiable about "the how"
  • Your team members will take different approaches to the work than you will and that’s good! As much as you can, try not to dictate “the how.” However, if they need to use a particular software platform or a template that already exists, make sure to let them know where the guardrails are.

**(P)**rogress Updates

• How will you check for understanding?
  • This refers specifically to whether they understand and commit to completing this task as you’ve outlined.
  • How will you make it psychologically safe for them to ask questions and check assumptions during your conversation?
  • Will you ask them to verbally share a summary at the end of the meeting?
  • Send you an email by end of week outlining the project and next steps?