Delegate the result, not the steps. Write the brief down. Match the task to the person's skills and hours. Agree how much authority comes with it. And review the finished work against the brief, then give the credit. Five principles. Most failed delegation skips the second and the fifth.
The five principles
1. Delegate the result. Say what done looks like and who it is for. Do not dictate the route. If you need the route followed exactly, you are not delegating; you are dictating.
2. Write it down. Result, audience, must-haves, due date, done checks. Five lines. A spoken brief lives in two memories and matches neither.
3. Match the task to the person. Skills, yes, but also hours. The most common delegation failure is handing a ten-hour task to someone with two hours free.
4. Agree the level. Do they decide and tell you, or recommend and you decide? Say it out loud. Most arguments about delegation are two people assuming different levels.
5. Review the result, then credit it. Compare the finished work with the brief. Say what matched. Pass the credit on, in public if they like that. Delegation that ends in silence does not get repeated.
Why two and five get skipped
Writing the brief feels slower than just saying it. Reviewing feels like extra work after the work. Both save more than they cost: the brief prevents the rewrite, and the review is what turns one handover into a habit.
Where M-Tracker fits
M-Tracker makes principles two and five automatic. Each delegated task has a brief: result, audience, must-haves. When the person sends the work, M-Tracker compares it with the brief and writes a plain review they see first, so most gaps are fixed before you look. You review finished, checked work and give the credit. The hour you delegated stays delegated.
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Questions people ask
What should I never delegate?
Feedback to your people, hiring decisions, and anything you were asked to do personally.
How do I delegate to someone less experienced?
A fuller brief and a lower level of authority. Not more checking in the middle.
How long until delegation pays back?
The first handover costs more than doing it. The third one is where you start winning.
Work you can trust, without redoing it.
Your team gets feedback before work reaches you, or your client.
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