Delegation

Define and Describe the Competency

At its core, delegation is the transfer of authority and responsibility to a subordinate or team to complete tasks or projects.  However, in an organizational context, delegation represents the standard practice of most organizations and is the status quo process towards nearly every goal.  A single leader is most likely not able to sufficiently accomplish all the tasks and goals given to them, they in turn delegate authority and responsibility to their subordinates (Cooper, 2015).

Contribution to Leadership Ability

New leaders are especially prone to taking on too much responsibility.  Naturally they became leaders because of their exceptional skills as a team member and contributor.  But those individual contributions will not lead a team into creating a great final product.  Leaders need to change their perspective from contributors with extra responsibility, leaders need to see themselves as intentional leaders first and foremost (Cooper, 2015).  In the past, I have always taken a hands on approach as a leader, often taking on too much responsibility under the guise of "leading by example."  Once I started delegating more responsibilities to team members, they became more active and fulfilled with their roles.

Importance Towards Organizational Leadership

Delegation is an important skill for developing leaders and project managers.  While very small projects may not require entire teams to effectively complete a project from start to finish, projects with complexity will require many people with different skill sets and responsibilities.  Learning how to effectively delegate these responsibilities to subordinates and external parties will enable leaders to finish on time and within budget. 

Demonstrating My Growth and Development

Delegation is something I learned from group projects at ASU.  As a group leader, my initial instinct is to take ownership of vital tasks to ensure they were done correctly.  But this was a disservice to myself and my teammates.  Properly delegating tasks while providing coaching and feedback allows for professional growth and more freedom to shape the final product.  The academic setting still requires contributions from all group members, but this mindset prevents leaders from hoarding responsibility from other members.

Project Management Artifact

Project charters are extremely important artifacts for project management.  They provide an outline for the all the key components for the upcoming project to include the project goals and limitations, list of stakeholders, basics project schedules and milestones, and more.  One of the most important aspects of the project charter is the clear delegation of project responsibilities to team members and stakeholders.  Below are excerpts of project charters from various projects I have worked on at ASU.

Full Documents Available Below

Reference

Cooper, T. (2015, October 15). Delegation: The 30% solution. Pmi.org. https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/delegating-work-with-new-mindset-9912