3 Tips On Monitoring Work You’ve Delegated (Without Micromanaging!)

All managers have found themselves in a situation where they had assigned work to their team only to get it turned in late or not at all, or receive something completely different than what was needed.

You don’t want to micromanage your team and look over their shoulder every step of the way, but you also need to make sure that you are in agreement over what is required.

How do you monitor the work you’ve delegated efficiently?

With these three tips:

Create A Consistent System

Prior to assigning work, discuss the best way for your team to work together to make sure everything is done right and on time.

Ask your employees in advance for any guidance, help or mentoring they may need on a specific task.

Also, ask their opinions on how they prefer to be managed – some may benefit from a daily check in from you while others are more self-sufficient and can work on their own, reporting their progress once a week.

Consider your staff’s preferences and decide if they are workable.

For example, a new employee may need much more guidance from you while an experienced and proven staffer can not only work independently, but can provide help to others.

Let your team know your monitoring plan so they know what to expect, and can be ready to present progress reports without being caught off guard.

Set Objectives

Everyone works differently – some people may prefer to tackle a big chunk of their project right as it’s assigned, while others may work all night before the due date to finish.

Both of these practices can present problems – if an employee does a big chunk of their assignment all at once without your input, they may go down the wrong path and have to redo a lot of their work.

On the other hand, waiting until the last minute to work on a task doesn’t allow you to provide feedback in time to make changes.

This is why it is advantageous to break down projects into parts and set objectives and deadlines for each part.

You can discuss each upcoming objective with your team in detail or not, depending on the employee and the importance of the project, giving yourself and them time to make changes.

Be Honest With Your Feedback

Remember that your employees cannot read your thoughts, and unless you voice your thoughts, they will not be aware of them.

You should feel comfortable in your relationship with your team to deliver honest and open feedback to help them improve their skills and not make the same mistakes over and over.

Instead of telling them that they did a good job and fixing errors yourself, share your opinions and suggestions with them so that they can implement them on projects going forward.

Thanks again

Mark Williams

Head of Training and Development

MTD Training