Effective Delegation 

Many new and mid-level managers struggle with effective delegation. Matching the right tasks to the right team members can be difficult, often resulting in team overload, lower productivity, and missed opportunities for growth. This not only affects team morale but can also impact the organization’s overall performance. In fact, 81% of managers report facing challenges with delegation, highlighting how common and consequential this issue is.

To address managers’ challenges with delegation, I designed a learning program that focuses on realistic, practice-based scenarios. Managers engage in interactive activities where they match tasks to team members’ skills, availability, and strengths, allowing them to experience the impact of their decisions in real time. I used the ADDIE's methodology which I will explain below:

Analysis: I identified that many managers lack clarity around effective delegation. To deepen understanding, I also spoke to various employees to get their perspectives on the challenges caused by poor delegation and possible solutions.

Design: I built the course around realistic scenarios, requiring learners to assess team members’ skills, strengths, and availability. This approach also directly aligns with Knowles’ principle of adult learning. Which is that adults prefer problem-centered, practical learning that connects directly to their work. 

Development: I incorporated Interactive branching scenarios and real-time feedback were created to give learners opportunities to practice delegation and see the immediate consequences of their choices.  I also included delayed consequences presented as if they occurred  further down a timeline (e.g. 2 weeks later). Thus helping managers recognize both the short- and long-term effects of their delegation decisions.

Implementation: The program was designed to be flexible—delivered in-person, online, or hybrid—and self-paced to fit into managers’ demanding schedules.

Evaluation: Learners receive scenario-based feedback, while facilitators guide reflection discussions to strengthen transfer to workplace settings.

The Process

After completing my action map, I developed a text-based storyboard to lay out both the informational pieces and the practice opportunities. The course blends short content segments with interactive scenarios, giving learners the chance to review key delegation principles and then apply them in decision-making tasks. Each branching path provides targeted feedback, helping learners understand why a choice was effective or ineffective. Since I did not have an SME, I drew on research and instructional design standards to ensure the examples were realistic and aligned with best practices. The storyboard also served as a clear blueprint for stakeholders, illustrating how the course would balance information delivery with hands-on practice.

For this project, I created an interactive prototype of the course’s first module using Articulate Storyline. The prototype included a title screen, a scenario introduction where learners face the challenge of delegating tasks within a team, and interactive activities that walk them through the decision-making process of matching tasks to the right people.

Learners can explore different team member profiles, reviewing their strengths, workload, and skills to decide who would be the best fit for various tasks. Each choice provides immediate feedback on whether the delegation decision was effective, highlighting the impact of their decisions on team performance and morale.

Smooth transitions, subtle animations, and visual cues were added to enhance the user experience, making it more engaging and reinforcing the learning objectives at each decision point. Interactive elements, such as clickable team member profiles and task descriptions, encouraged learners to explore different scenarios and outcomes, ensuring a hands-on approach to understanding delegation.