One of the core responsibilities of a manager is to get the best work done efficiently. It’s not just about delegating; it’s about strategic assignment. It is often the key to unlocking both peak employee performance and maximum return on the company’s dollar. Poorly assigned tasks can lead to confusion, rework, burnout, and wasted time. This month, we thought we’d share our proven framework for assigning tasks that truly get the most out of your employees’ time and the company’s money.
Let’s start from the beginning:
Define Clarity and Purpose
The single biggest time-waster is a vague request. Before the task leaves your desk, ensure you can answer these three questions for your employee:
What is the deliverable? Why is this important? What would constitute success?
It’s really that simple.
Know Your People
This is where the financial ROI truly comes into play. You don’t want your most expensive, highly-skilled engineer spending two hours formatting a spreadsheet that an intern could do in 30 minutes.
You will want to assign tasks based on expertise. A task should be challenging enough to be engaging, but within the employee’s proven skill set. Keep an eye on their current workload. Assigning a critical task to someone already juggling 12 high-priority items is a recipe for delay and mistakes. Use your project management tool or a simple check-in to ensure the workload is balanced.
For development, strategically assign a task that is slightly above their current skill level. This is an investment in their future, and the company’s. Try your best to provide the necessary support and mentorship they need to be successful.
Provide the Necessary Resources and Autonomy
Nothing stalls progress faster than an employee waiting for a piece of information, a login, or approval. Before you delegate, ensure they have all the required tools, data, contact names, and budget approvals. Waiting for resources wastes company money for every hour they are held up.
You’ll want to make sure they know who’s in charge. Clearly state how much autonomy they have. Can they make a final decision on the design? Do they need to check with any specific department? This prevents decision-paralysis and keeps the project moving forward at pace.
Once the task is clear and resources are provided, step back. Trust them to execute. Micromanagement is a massive drain on your time and has a tendency to crush an employee’s morale and productivity.
Establish a Simple Feedback Loop
The goal isn’t just to assign the task, it’s to get it completed correctly, on time, and efficiently.
The best way to do this is to agree on a simple check-in system. Stay in the loop without hovering over the project, regardless of how important you know it is. This allows you to catch errors early without disrupting their focus and trust.
If an employee veers off course for whatever reason, step in and correct the process or the approach, not the person. Frame it as a lesson to improve efficiency for the next task. Once the task is complete, hold a brief project review. Make a list of the lessons learned and update any relevant knowledge base. This reduces the time needed for future, similar tasks, providing an excellent ROI.
Strategic task assignment is an investment. When you invest time in clearly defining, appropriately matching, and well-resourcing a task, you ensure that every minute your employee spends is a direct, valuable contribution to the company’s success.
Fusion IT can help get your business to a place where you can focus on strategy, so reach out at (616) 828-5360 to learn more.