Remote Briefing Template

Delegation Done Remotely

When going remote, many leaders find it more difficult to delegate tasks and brief team members efficiently. Sending a quick note on Slack is often the first idea we have, but it isn’t an effective way to delegate.

When you’re distributed, it’s important to provide a lot of written detail. Let’s take a look at some guidelines for delegating a task remotely.

Remote Briefing Template

Communicate the task in multiple places, to avoid the task being missed:

Mention In at least 1 communication channel (Email, Slack)

Describe In your project management tool (Trello, JIRA)

Follow up In real-time (Video call)

It may feel like micromanagement, but there’s a way to do it while still giving autonomy to your team.

✍️ Write up as much detail as possible

Investing the time up front will reduce the risk the chance of confusion - especially important if you're in different timezones.

🤔 Before delegating the task, consider: • Can you clearly explain it? • If not, are you okay with giving them more ownership and autonomy? • Will investing the time payoff now or in the long run?

😌 Don’t fear the delayed response

Respect your teammates’ boundaries and personal time, and remember how you feel when people ask you out of nowhere to drop everything and switch tasks.

Plan for the possibility of a delayed response.

🙋 Ask for confirmation

Don't count on your team members doing the work unless they have explicitly told you they got the brief and will be able to complete the task.

After they confirm, encourage them to ask questions. Make sure to add your answers to the written brief and if it's possible, offer a quick call to clarify anything further.

💡 Pro-tip: Avoiding micromanagement

If you’re worried about demotivating your team with so much detail. Try stating the what not the how.

State the goal or a problem to solve. Then ask them to come up with a plan for how they will achieve it.

Junior team members may need more guidance, but if you’re confident they can tackle the task, it will give them a chance to grow and take more ownership.