As an engineering manager, you have to balance your own workload and the needs of your team. Delegating tasks is a key skill that can help you optimize your time, empower your team members, and achieve your goals. But how do you delegate effectively and ensure that everyone is working at their best? Here are some tips to follow.
Before you assign any tasks, you need to know your team's strengths, weaknesses, preferences, and availability. This will help you match the right person with the right task, based on their skills, interests, and bandwidth. You can use tools like skill matrices, feedback surveys, or one-on-one meetings to gather this information. You also need to consider the diversity and dynamics of your team, and how different personalities and backgrounds can affect the collaboration and communication.
Assessment of your team will include going beyond just cataloging strengths and weaknesses. It is important to connect with each team member to understand their goals and aspirations. Once you know what motivates them, it is easier for you to align projects according to that. During 1:1s I tend to understand what each member I lead wants out of their career. If you can convince them that your interests are aligned with making them successful in achieving those goals, you've already won!
Consider the diversity and dynamics of your team, recognizing how varied personalities and backgrounds can impact collaboration and communication. Tailor task assignments to accommodate these differences, promoting inclusivity and leveraging the unique strengths of each team member.
In my experience the most important thing is to understand the individuals profiles, what they are good, their preferences and interests and distribute the tasks considering their experience and velocity, so we can understand what would be a challenge or not.
Once you have a clear picture of your team, you need to define the tasks that need to be done. You should break down large or complex projects into smaller and manageable chunks, and prioritize them according to their urgency and importance. You should also set clear and realistic expectations for each task, such as the scope, the deadline, the quality standards, and the deliverables. You can use tools like project management software, checklists, or SMART goals to organize and communicate the tasks.
There are few methods to follow actually. There are a few software tools like JIRA will be easy to follow. Create tasks prepare nice instructions on particular tasks then assign to the resources. If you're not clear about the tasks there will be questioning and you're not able to finish tasks on time.
Every team has a charter. It generally draws the boundary of a team's influence. Two things to remember, it's not fixed and within this boundary, every team needs to find the right owner. When you have that defined, depending on whether your team is driven by customer requirements, internal roadmaps or organizational direction; or a combination of all; you need to create a forward looking roadmap. It's easy to always prioritize burning things and low hanging fruits. But those environments cannot retain talented individuals as they look for more than solving an immediate problem. I encourage teams to start with a 3 year plan, it's easier to predict a perfect world. After that you track you steps backward to identify concrete objectives.
After you have defined the tasks, you need to delegate them to your team members. You should do this in a way that shows trust and respect, and avoids micromanaging or overloading. You should explain the purpose and value of each task, and how it fits into the bigger picture. You should also give your team members some autonomy and flexibility to decide how to approach and execute the tasks, as long as they meet the expectations. You can use tools like delegation matrices, RACI charts, or feedback loops to clarify the roles and responsibilities.
The biggest problem I see today is delegating without authority. It is very dangerous and quickly feel like micromanaging. As a leader when you're delegating a task, keep in mind that you need to trust the expertise of the person. You cannot do everything and putting a leader into all decision making is a recipe for disaster. Identify the right individuals who can drive things to the end and take complete ownership. Don't have such people on your team? Train or hire. Every one wants to grow and this is an essential skill for senior members of your team.
It's important to give delegations. So trust your team, focus on results! Try not to do Micromanagement. If your timeline is clear and feasible to finish on time, you're on track. It's really nice to give chance to others to reach success.
When delegating a task, explain the reason why the person has been chosen for this mission and its importance, creating a connection of the task to the achievement of the team's overall objectives.
Start by clearly explaining the purpose and value of each task, emphasizing how it contributes to the overall objectives of the project. Providing context helps team members understand the significance of their assignments and fosters a sense of purpose. Grant your team members autonomy and flexibility in determining how to approach and execute their tasks, within the parameters of the project's goals and expectations. Encouraging creativity and problem-solving empowers individuals to take ownership of their work and deliver innovative solutions. Utilize delegation tools such as delegation matrices, RACI charts (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed), or feedback loops to clarify roles and responsibilities.
First of all, you need to delegate with trust, you need to empower your team. To do that you need to have a very clear Engineering goals and a roadmap of features defined. By doing so, you provide a transparent framework within which the team can operate, ensuring that everyone understands their responsibilities and how their contributions align with broader project goals. Finally, fostering an environment of trust and open communication encourages team members to take initiative and perform at their peak, knowing they have the support and clarity needed to succeed.
Delegating tasks does not mean that you are done with them. You still need to support your team members throughout the process, and provide them with the resources, guidance, and feedback they need. You should check in regularly with your team members, and monitor their progress and performance. You should also be available and responsive to their questions, concerns, or issues. You should also recognize and appreciate their efforts and achievements, and celebrate their successes. You can use tools like coaching sessions, status reports, or recognition programs to support your team.
If you don't prepare your guides in a particular way, there will be some questioning about the tasks. So better prepare instructions even it will be nice to do some tasks together and give freedom to the team to do.
Finally, you need to evaluate and improve your delegation skills and your team's results. You should review the outcomes of each task, and compare them with the expectations. You should also solicit and provide feedback to your team members, and identify the strengths and areas for improvement. You should also reflect on your own delegation process, and learn from your mistakes and successes. You should also look for opportunities to improve your team's skills, motivation, and collaboration. You can use tools like retrospectives, surveys, or performance reviews to evaluate and improve.
We're all human beings here. So better to understand your team members characteristics and made a nice balance between the team members without creating conflicts. So create a peaceful workforce then give the delegations.