Mastering The Delegation Process
/
I often hear from people that they aren’t sure how to delegate tasks. The easiest way to do this is to write down what you need help with. What are you struggling with, what do you dread doing?
The most popular tasks I see delegated are 3d renders, CAD drawings, social media management and marketing, sourcing, bookkeeping and administrative tasks such as proposals, invoicing, tracking shipments, emailing updates to clients, scheduling appointments, uploading product into database, etc.
After you’ve decided what you want to delegate create a list for what you’d want your assistant to do.
If you are currently working with assistants or plan to work with one or more in the near future, define what everyone’s responsibilities are so things don’t fall through the cracks. Communication is key! The more everyone is on the same page, the better.
Now that you know what you want to delegate, how do you go about keeping everything organized? I’ve seen several ways that interior designers assign tasks to their assistants, especially when working virtually.
Asana or Trello. Some use free project management programs like Asana or Trello to create To Do Lists and Task lists where all communication is kept for an easy to find place of assignments, tasks and emails. Nothing gets lost in the shuffle in these programs.
Google Drive. Others use Google Drive and share documents to keep everything in one location that is also updated in real time. You could share a calendar of tasks to be completed and your assistant could mark when they have been completed and sent back to you.
Weekly To Do List. I know a few designers that will send their assistant a To Do List via email along with deadlines each week. On Monday, the assistant knows what projects she needs to work on and when they need to be completed.
What works for you. I have other designers who tend to fly a bit more by the seat of their pants and are assigning tasks as they come in and the assistant is making sure everything is getting done on time.
Ask your assistant. Since my team is full of seasoned interior design assistants some of my clients just ask their assistant what they find to be the most efficient way to communicate and receive tasks. No need to reinvent the wheel if you are open to working with your assistant in the manner she/he has found to be the most effective.
As you can see, I match my clients with people who can work in the style that my client already has in mind. I’m sure you organized your business very different from the interior designer down the street. What works for you may not work for someone else and that’s okay!
This is why we match for work style and personality as well as expertise.
I hope you had an amazing 4th of July holiday and as usual, feel free to reach out if you need anything.
Have a great rest of the week!
Danae