Work delegation

[CamiKaze]

How is work delegated in your team?

Is it based on seniority or is it based on how many tasks are on an employee's plate?

I've recently been given a task that I believe is too senior for me to complete. I'm still a junior in the current role that I'm in. Management and team leaders don't take the time to read through the spec sheet before delegating a task, they just give it based on how many tasks are on your plate.

There are also no seniors to guide me as they all left the company, seeking a better work environment as the one I'm in is extremely toxic.

What are your thoughts on these and how would you go about tackling this issue?

 

[Ancalagon]

Tasks are not delegated. Developers generally pick their own tasks, although we do discuss it because we want knowledge to be shared. We don't want people to specialize too much.

Except in the case of production support issues - then those have to be delegated based on who is currently on support.

 

[CamiKaze]

Tasks are not delegated. Developers generally pick their own tasks, although we do discuss it because we want knowledge to be shared. We don't want people to specialize too much.

Except in the case of production support issues - then those have to be delegated based on who is currently on support.

We don't discuss anything. You just get given a task and you must run with it, regardless of if you have other deadlines to commit to.

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

We have larger quarterly features which are usually delegated to whoever has the most knowledge of that particular area. If nobody is more familiar with it than somebody else then it generally goes to somebody that has the least amount on their plate at the time (and if the team lead has confidence that person can manage it).

Similar story with general bug fixes and QOL, tasks go to those who are most familiar with that code. We'll also be given tasks that are outside our comfort zone from time to time so that we can widen our knowledge of the project (this is also true for review requests).

I also self assign some tasks I see if I know I can fix that thing easily and it's unassigned.

 

[HavocXphere]

[Not IT]

In a pretty classic pyramid format.

Manager gets the job as a whole & builds a team they think is suitable for the scope & complexity. The actual execution is delegated one level further down to the seniors who half do the work and half delegate it another level down.

What are your thoughts on these and how would you go about tackling this issue?

Go to the team leader and highlight that:
1) You think the task may be a little above your current skill

2) That you're willing to attempt it anyway but will need more guidance

Even better communicate that in writing.

they just give it based on how many tasks are on your plate.

That's a pretty sht approach. This should be done considering pretty much everything. Workload yes, but also skillset (getting it done), development opportunities (giving someone a chance to grow), team morale (outsource if tedious), perceived fairness, opportunity cost of the resource etc.

 

[DeathStrike]

we run scrum and agile development. so we have sprint planning meetings where tasks are discussed before hand and we are all more or less on the same page when things go to development. that way any developer can take any task at any point... should someone get hit by a bus the project doesn't die with them.

all eggs in one basket. sounds lije your company doesn't care much for their developers. hence all the senior people left.

you should look at this as an opportunity to upgrade your skills though. Google the hell out of it if you can't get help elsewhere.

 

[CamiKaze]

[Not IT]

In a pretty classic pyramid format.

Manager gets the job as a whole & builds a team they think is suitable for the scope & complexity. The actual execution is delegated one level further down to the seniors who half do the work and half delegate it another level down.


Go to the team leader and highlight that:
1) You think the task may be a little above your current skill

2) That you're willing to attempt it anyway but will need more guidance

Even better communicate that in writing.


That's a pretty sht approach. This should be done considering pretty much everything. Workload yes, but also skillset (getting it done), development opportunities (giving someone a chance to grow), team morale (outsource if tedious), perceived fairness, opportunity cost of the resource etc.

I have raised it before but because I am a junior, who am I to suggest a better way of working? That is their mindset.

 

[HavocXphere]

I have raised it before but because I am a junior, who am I to suggest a better way of working? That is their mindset.

Then bail. No point in working for people that listen to common sense

 

[CamiKaze]

Then bail. No point in working for people that listen to common sense

I can't really bail. There are not many SAP ABAP roles available in Cape Town and they know this.
My previous experience is being a Senior Programmer in both C# and Java then I eventually made the switch to SAP without signing any contract, so I still have my title from my previous job and still the same salary from my previous job even though I am doing C#, ASP.NET and the extra work which is SAP ABAP (getting paid for a job that is within 1 job family and not the other).

I actually want to move out of software development and get into Architecture. I feel that I have outgrown development.


Otherwise, maybe with the help from other forumites, we could maybe document a proper structure or way of delegating tasks, I will document it and send it to my top level manager.
I just need to get an understanding of how work is delegated in other companies/teams.

 

[Werfetter]

We have larger quarterly features which are usually delegated to whoever has the most knowledge of that particular area. If nobody is more familiar with it than somebody else then it generally goes to somebody that has the least amount on their plate at the time (and if the team lead has confidence that person can manage it).

Similar story with general bug fixes and QOL, tasks go to those who are most familiar with that code. We'll also be given tasks that are outside our comfort zone from time to time so that we can widen our knowledge of the project (this is also true for review requests).

I also self assign some tasks I see if I know I can fix that thing easily and it's unassigned.

We have a similar approach (though I do performance testing and test automation). Tasks are delegated based on a couple of factors, time, familiarity, complexity experience, workload and expertise. Basically any job could go to anyone based on the situation. A junior might be given something that is above his current experience if the time available is enough and so on. We discuss it in 10 minute sessions on a weekly basis and decide as a team who does what.

 

[Other Pineapple Smurf]

Delegation of tasks vs cherry picking is very dependant on your environment.

* Delegation ensures time critical tasks are completed on time. Can lead to too much read tape with feedback and periods of time with no work while waiting for review and new work. But is great for skills development as tasks are broader.

* Cherry picking is better suited for choice tickets to get those low hanging fruits completed. Problem is this can lead to distractions, task bias and developers focusing only what interests them. Also leads to limited skills development as tasks are very narrow.

A good environment will actually make use of both as it ensures projects get done on time and those quick tickets get smashed during quiet times or team hotdesk sprints.

 

[Nerfherder]

we run scrum and agile development. so we have sprint planning meetings where tasks are discussed before hand and we are all more or less on the same page when things go to development. that way any developer can take any task at any point... should someone get hit by a bus the project doesn't die with them.

all eggs in one basket. sounds lije your company doesn't care much for their developers. hence all the senior people left.

you should look at this as an opportunity to upgrade your skills though. Google the hell out of it if you can't get help elsewhere.

^^ this

You can't control your environment only how you react to it. Perhaps the task is impossible but then who else is going to do it ? The best you can do is give it a shot and learn something in the process.

 

[CamiKaze]

^^ this

You can't control your environment only how you react to it. Perhaps the task is impossible but then who else is going to do it ? The best you can do is give it a shot and learn something in the process.

I'm not complaining as I am fairly competent in ABAP, but I also know when something really requires me to get guidance from a senior; and this is just one of those tasks where guidance is needed.
There are no senior's that can guide me on this project, as mentioned before, the actual Senior left the company and the other sweet talked himself into a management position so that he doesn't need to deal with anything difficult/challenging.
Googling the sht out of this thing didn't bring me anywhere, plus most of the info it returns is in German.

I know I can't control the environment, but at least, some sort of structure needs to be put in place where someone needs to actually read through the spec and decide who will be able to do it, who can help, and when it can be completed. As mentioned before, this is not the way tasks are being delegated, tasks are being delegated based on how many tasks are on your plate and that's that.

Also, I am a Team Leader when in my other role as a Senior Programmer in the .Net space where I actually delegate work to those that will be able to handle it. So I am no junior as a developer, it's just that since I am junior in the SAP world, you get treated as a junior by people that bullshtted their way into roles where they don't need to program anything, jut manage and delegate, or write word documents whole day.

This is not a complaint from a junior... it is rather a deeper understanding on how we can better the workplace in the world of development, based on how tasks should be delegated.

 

[cguy]

How is work delegated in your team?

Is it based on seniority or is it based on how many tasks are on an employee's plate?

We base it on what the most effective path will be. We consider the full decision tree of how assigning a given piece of work to a particular individual will impact the timeline of the various projects in progress. For the most part we just have a 5 minute conversation when something new pops up to make this decision. Nothing gets assigned by management ever. Things like familiarity with particular pieces of the code base, current work load, particular skill sets, priority of the project, work type preferences, etc. are accounted for.

I've recently been given a task that I believe is too senior for me to complete. I'm still a junior in the current role that I'm in. Management and team leaders don't take the time to read through the spec sheet before delegating a task, they just give it based on how many tasks are on your plate.

There are also no seniors to guide me as they all left the company, seeking a better work environment as the one I'm in is extremely toxic.

What are your thoughts on these and how would you go about tackling this issue?

How is it "too senior"? I would rather think of it as "may take a bit longer", or is there actually something that makes this impossible for you to do?

 

[HavocXphere]

Otherwise, maybe with the help from other forumites, we could maybe document a proper structure or way of delegating tasks, I will document it and send it to my top level manager.
I just need to get an understanding of how work is delegated in other companies/teams.

The others will have more dev relevant experience, but as a whole this isn't really something you can do via a formal processes I think (unless the tasks are very modular & repetitive). Delegation is inherently judgement driven. All our delegation is very shoot-from-the-hip style since things change almost hourly.

This still sounds like a company culture issue tbh. If they leave a "junior" high & dry then they shouldn't be surprised if it crashes & burns. Not much help from your perspective - I know.

plus most of the info it returns is in German.

That's SAP for you. Happy to help translate if that helps your cause

 

[crackersa]

We have larger quarterly features which are usually delegated to whoever has the most knowledge of that particular area. If nobody is more familiar with it than somebody else then it generally goes to somebody that has the least amount on their plate at the time (and if the team lead has confidence that person can manage it).

Similar story with general bug fixes and QOL, tasks go to those who are most familiar with that code. We'll also be given tasks that are outside our comfort zone from time to time so that we can widen our knowledge of the project (this is also true for review requests).

I also self assign some tasks I see if I know I can fix that thing easily and it's unassigned.

SAFe?

 

[CamiKaze]

We base it on what the most effective path will be. We consider the full decision tree of how assigning a given piece of work to a particular individual will impact the timeline of the various projects in progress. For the most part we just have a 5 minute conversation when something new pops up to make this decision. Nothing gets assigned by management ever. Things like familiarity with particular pieces of the code base, current work load, particular skill sets, priority of the project, work type preferences, etc. are accounted for.



How is it "too senior"? I would rather think of it as "may take a bit longer", or is there actually something that makes this impossible for you to do?

Senior in the sense that you are left clueless and there is no guidance provided once stuck. As mentioned before, the seniors left and the other wiggled himself into a management position so that he doesn't need to do any hard labour (he has a silver tongue).

In my previous work environments, you actually have a development tech lead that assigns tasks based on how they can grow the person with fairly challenging tasks and help is available when required. In this new environment, the whole team is filled with juniors and I happen to be the most senior junior. Management assigns tasks without reading or understanding the spec, so as soon as a task comes in, it gets assigned based on the number of tasks an employee has on his plate.