Businesses with a hierarchical structure need to delegate effectively in order to keep costs down and deliver value to customers. Tasks should generally be assigned to the lowest-paid person capable of performing them. This requires effective delegation: junior team members being briefed on important tasks and empowered to perform them without significant senior intervention. The 'POUCH’ framework illustrates the principles of effective delegation and represents the high stakes associated with delegation and the importance of trust. Successful delegation means finding someone you can rely on to do the job and trusting them to get on with it once you’ve briefed them.
 
PREPARATION
This involves identifying who is able to complete the task and briefing them thoroughly. To guarantee success, the designated individual needs to have the knowledge, skills and resources necessary to complete the task well.
 
OUTCOMES
The person to whom you’ve delegated must understand what needs to be achieved, in what timeframe, and be aware of any other constraints related to the project. However, they should not be told exactly how to complete the task. Instead, they should be given the freedom to achieve the outcome in their own way.
 
UNDERSTANDING
When delegating a task to someone, it’s important to ask them to play back the requirements in their own words. This provides an opportunity to point out missing details and for clarification if necessary.
 
COMMITMENT
Effective delegation requires the employee to guarantee on-time delivery. If they have any concerns about completing the task, ask what could prevent them from delivering successfully, discuss what would need to happen in order for them to pull it off, and figure out how to make this happen.
 
HELP
Before leaving your employee to get on with the task, ask them to anticipate obstacles that might push them off track. For each potential obstacle, agree on the support they’ll be given to overcome it.