The Delegated Task Test

by Dwayne Phillips

When delegating a task to another person, clear communication is key. It is unfortunate that clear communication is also rare. Here is a simple test.

Person A: Are you doing task such-and-such?

Person B: Not myself. I delegated task such-and-such to Person C.

Person A: Oh, good. Task such-and-such is intricate and complex. I don’t quite understand it all, so I will go discuss it with Person C.

Person B: Well, uh, like you said, it’s complicated and all, so just talk to me about it.

Person A: Well, since Person C is the one who will actually do such-and-such, I’ll talk to him about it. Okay?

Person B: silence

Person A: I’ll tell you what we can do here. I’ll give you a blank sheet of paper, and you write task such-and-such on it. Then I’ll go to Person C and give him a blank sheet of paper to write task such-and-such on it. Finally, I’ll compare the two written descriptions of such-and-such to ensure they agree. Okay?

Person B: silence

Person A: Perhaps you, Person C, and I should sit in the same room at the same time and discuss such-and-such.

Person B: Perhaps.