101 Project Management Problems and How to Solve Them

45. When should I delegate down? Delegate up?

Project management, unless you plan to do all the work entirely by yourself, involves a good deal of delegating. We delegate to ensure ownership and coverage for all the work necessary, and also to gain confidence that the applied resources will be adequate to complete the project. Delegate project work to your team to align your tasks with the people who are in the best (or at least an adequate) position to get it done. Delegating work upward can be a bit tricky, but you’ll need to do it whenever you lack authority to proceed or you need coverage for responsibilities that cannot be provided within your team.

Delegating Down

Delegation is a basic foundation of project planning. The work breakdown ...