From work life to home life, delegating tasks helps get stuff off your plate and brings colleagues, family, or friends together to work as a team. The question that many people struggle with is “How do I delegate effectively?” With our brand-new feature in To-Do – task assignments – we're here to show you how.
Assign tasks on a shared list1. Learn to let go
Many of us find it hard to delegate, since we think it’s simpler for us to do it ourselves. This is a myth. Delegating helps you work on higher-level tasks and gives you more time to work on areas that interest you more. It also increases trust within your team and helps everyone to grow and learn. So ask yourself - are you busy working on tasks that could be handled by others? If the answer is yes, then it’s time to share that long list with your colleagues.
Add notes and files to your tasks
2. Make your list the best it can be
Let’s go back to that long list of tasks, now shared among your colleagues. Are the tasks clear? Make sure to use action words so that everyone knows what the task involves. You can break the tasks down into steps, and even attach presentations or images so whoever you delegate the task to will have a clear idea of expectations. Does the task need more precise instructions? Add them in the notes. This isn’t about micro-managing – rather, it’s about making sure your colleagues can hit the ground running as soon as you assign the task to them.
Choose the best person for the task.
3. Play to their strengths
Any team has a variety of strengths and weaknesses. Look at the tasks and your team members and delegate mindfully – who would be the best person to accomplish this task? Who needs to learn more about a particular area? Head to the detail view, select Assign to, and pick the ideal person for the job. You’ll then see their image or initials pop up in the task name when you look at the list. If there are still some tasks that you’re the best candidate for, you can also choose to assign it to yourself, making sure all your colleagues know who’s doing what.
4. Trust your colleagues
You’ve created an actionable list of tasks, you’ve shared it with your team, and you’ve assigned it to your colleagues. Now you can keep an eye on the list and make sure your colleagues are keeping on top of their tasks. You can set a due date so that everyone knows exactly when they need to complete their tasks by. However, it’s important to let your colleagues choose their own work timelines that fits in with the rest of their schedule. And this is why your reminders don’t show up on a colleague’s lists – everyone can set their own reminder for a particular task. Getting close to a deadline and that task still hasn’t been checked off? Take the opportunity to check in with your colleague to see if they need any help.
See everything assigned to you in the Assigned to me list
5. Concentrate on your tasks
Everyone is hard at work on those delegated tasks. Now it’s time for you to check off the tasks that you’ve assigned to yourself. Head to the Assigned to Me list to see all the tasks that have been assigned to you across all your shared lists, as well as tasks that have been pulled in from Planner. You can add these to My Day so you have a clear idea of what you can accomplish that day.
And that’s it. With task assigning in To-Do you can get a clear idea of who’s working on what in your team. And delegating doesn’t need to stop when you leave work. Share the load on your grocery list, that birthday party, or even a wedding – giving everyone a clear idea of what their responsibilities are. Let us know what you think of our latest feature in the comments below or over on Twitter or Facebook.
Microsoft
