Preparatory questions for staff with management responsibility
Eight W-rules for delegation:
1. What needs to be done (content)?
- What are the individual tasks to be achieved?
- What is the desired result?
- What are acceptable differences from the desired result?
- What difficulties can be expected?
2. Who is to do it (person)?
- Who is most suitable for carrying out these tasks or actions?
- Who should help with carrying them out?
3. Why should he do it (motivation, objective)?
- What is the point of the task or action?
- What will happen if the work is not completed or only partially completed?
4. How should he do it (scope, details)?
- What should be the procedure in carrying out the work?
- What process should be used?
- What rules and regulations should be observed in particular?
- Which posts, departments need to be informed?
5. What should be used to do it (materials)?
- Which people are available to him? (money, organisational materials, staff members etc)
- Which aids should be used?
- What equipment does the member of staff require?
- What paperwork is required?
6. When should it be completed by (intermediate and final deadlines)?
- When should/must the work start?
- When should/must the work be finished?
- What intermediate deadlines/outputs must be adhered to?
- When will by I be informed about the progress of the task by the staff member?
- What do I have to check and when in order to intervene if required?
7. What are the possible objections by the member of staff to the delegation of this task?
- Which personal benefits/advantages would he be putting at risk?
- What is his estimation of any possible gain in benefit?
8. What are your own possible objections against successful delegation to the member of staff?