What is Delegation Poker & How Does it Work?

Frederic Laloux, the author of Reinventing Organizations, has said, "The bond between a boss and the subordinate often makes for an unhealthy parent-child relationship."  

The Delegation Poker tool from Management 3.0 aids teams in reaching a consensus on making decisions; it utilizes cards numbered from 1 to 7, which correlate to a delegation level, similar to Planning Poker. We also suggest you check our best Project Management Certification online to ace your knowledge about project management.

What is Delegation Poker?

Jurgen Appello, the author of management 3.0, said, "I don't empower people to please them; I empower people to make better decisions than me."  

Of course, most leaders know that empowered teams perform better, but does empowerment imply that all decisions must be made entirely decentralized or that managers should never make decisions? Well, undoubtedly not, so how do we choose when project manager delegate tasks, and to what extent can delegation poker cards provide a practical, productive, and entertaining method of addressing these issues?  

Delegation Board

Let's start by examining the seven levels of delegation poker cards:  

• Level 1 is telling the manager to make the decision and explaining why no discussion is necessary or requested.  
• Level 2 is selling the manager's decision to the team while also trying to convince them of the direction, so they feel involved and buy into the choice.  
• Level 3 involves consulting the manager, who seeks feedback from the team before making a decision.  
• Level 4 is an agreement where the team and manager discuss the issue and come to a decision by consensus before moving on. 
• Level 5 is advice, where the manager offers their advice and hopes the team will listen.  
• Level 6 is to inquire where the team makes the decision, but the manager then asks for the team's justifications.  
• Level 7 is decision-making delegation, where the team makes the decision independently. 

Here is a simple delegation poker example to help you understand it better.

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Why Include the Delegation Poker Game in Your Management Practices? 

Management is not something grown innately out of nature. It's something we invented in the 20th century. So it will not work forever, and we need to reinvent and reframe new management paradigms. For example, delegation Poker is a new framework for delegating work and building teamwork. Management is not something grown innately out of nature, its something we invented in the 20th century, and so it doesn’t mean it’s going to work forever, and we need to reinvent and reframe a new management paradigm so Delegation Poker is a new framework for delegating work and building teamwork. 

Delegation Poker is a highly recommended management tool to improve a team's productivity, especially when the distribution of labor is slightly unclear within the delegation. 

Delegation Poker enables the team to feel utmost responsibility for themselves, feel engaged, and come to a consensus with productive negotiations. Furthermore, the decision becomes more efficient when everyone's ideas are considered. 

Why give a team member authority? 

Empowering your team may spend less time controlling, deciding, and supervising what everyone is doing and more time on other projects. It entails being available to concentrate on other tasks. Giving the team more authority through delegation benefits the manager as well.

Advantages of Delegation Poker in Project Management

• It provides transparency in the team's decision-making process. 
• It promotes the exchange of ideas and information among teammates and enables the manager's vision within the team. 
• It promotes adhesion among the delegates. 
• It encourages the delegates to have equal responsibility and participation. 
• It is an excellent time-saving option and makes the entire process fun through simple games; hence the team can also focus on other vital projects. 
• It encourages the teammates to equal participation. 
• It enables employees' freedom and self-organization and ensures their voice is heard within the team. 
• It contributes to a reduction in the hierarchy and decentralization of decision-making. 
• It reduces the manager's workload in such matters and enables equal distribution of labor. 

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7 Levels of Delegation Poker

There are 7 degrees of delegation in Delegation Poker. 

1. Tell: "I'll let them know." 

The manager makes a choice and dictates it, usually without any explanation or debate. 

2. Sell: "I'll try to sell it to them." 

The manager makes a choice, justifies it, and makes a move to persuade the team. 

3. Consult: "I'll seek advice before making a decision." 

The management seeks the team member's bits of advice before making a choice. 

4. Agree: "We shall obtain all consent." 

All parties engaged in the decision-making engage in a debate and negotiation. 

5. Advice: "I shall recommend, but they decide." 

The team decides after asking the management for guidance. 

6. Inquire: "I'll ask when they make a decision." 

The manager asks about all the possible outcomes and the reasons once the team member decides. 

7. Delegate: "I shall assign totally." 

How Does “Delegation Poker” Work? 

The team is given autonomy over the choice by the management. Every game step is mapped out and written from the manager's perspective. 

A closer look reveals that the delegation's seven tiers have a symmetrical structure. The team's involvement varies in the first three divisions, and management makes choices. This is evident in Levels 5, 6, and 7 when management participates in decision-making differently. In level 4, which is in the middle, management and the team collaborate to make a choice. 

How to Promote Transparency and Self-organization with Delegation Poker? 

The decision must be taken swiftly and according to areas of knowledge and expertise in a world full of ever-increasing dynamics in the digital world. However, decision-makers frequently lack sufficient context in hierarchical systems and become the organizational bottleneck. At this point, "Delegation Poker" provides a chance to handle the many stages of decision delegation.  

How Did I Implement this Practice? 

You must have this thought now, how to play delegation poker?  

Let's play some delegation poker now, then. Now that we are aware of the seven levels of delegation. A list of decisions to be considered is compiled before delegation poker is played, and each decision is placed on the board.  

Now you'll remember that these choices should be repeated. Things that repeatedly happen need to be decided, not something that needs to be settled immediately. After everyone has had the time to analyze that recurring decision, they choose the delegation card that reflects how those decisions are made. Then, the team and managers will meet in person or online to discuss the first item.  

On the count of three, the decision will be made. Everyone reveals the card they chose, and then there is a discussion. There is frequently a discrepancy between what the manager believes the delegation level and what the team typically believes it to be. This initial step clarifies the current delegation level for everyone involved.  

When there is an agreement, you record the current delegation level on the delegation poker board with a check mark, and we go on to the following procedure. We next vote once more to decide whether the present delegation level is appropriate or if it needs to be adjusted.  

This time, managers and team members will choose a delegation card that symbolizes where they believe the delegation level should be, not where it is already, not what it should be at the moment. The outliners and you gain some understanding of the delegate decision-making process behind the chosen card, just like in planning poker. Everyone reveals their new card after the count of three.  

Once the group has decided upon the new delegation level, we will mark the new target on the delegation board. Then we record any appropriate actions that need to be completed to advance toward this new delegation level. The remaining decisions are then subjected to the same procedure as before. 

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Conclusion

Delegation Poker by Management 3.0 enables the team to self-organization, self-management, and share equal responsibility with the management.  

You can apply these levels of delegation to the vital decision areas; for example, 'team membership' could be level 5, it's their decision as a team, but the manager offers their opinion first. 'Project Selection' could be level 3; the manager decides on priorities and values the team members' input. By clarifying these boundaries, the manager enables self-organization safely and productively. We recommend you enroll for KnowledgeHut's best Project Manager courses for more information about delegation poker.