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Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: c343012b065b02b8f7391c1ee2149abfd53afb13dfe362b946f7c688430e8309

# Delegation Poker

Small groups review decision scenarios and reveal numbered cards representing seven levels of delegation. They compare scores, discuss divergent bids, and map agreed authority levels onto a shared board.

**Time:** 35 minutes. UWT suggested duration for 2 decision rounds plus group debrief.
**People:** 3 to 21. Small groups of 3 to 7 participants running parallel rounds.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Compare perspectives on decision authority and record agreed delegation levels for recurring team situations.
**Use it when:** Use when a team and manager need to establish shared expectations for recurring decisions and team autonomy.
**Skip it when:** Skip when decision authority is strictly mandated by law or company policy with no room for team autonomy.

## Materials and tools

- One set of 7 Delegation Poker cards numbered 1 to 7 per participant
- One copy of the Delegation Levels Reference Sheet per group
- One blank Delegation Board template or flip chart per group
- One marker pen per group

## Before participants arrive

1. Print and cut 1 to 7 card decks for each participant.
2. Provide one Delegation Levels Reference Sheet with sample scenarios to each table.
3. Draw a seven-column Delegation Board labeled 1 through 7 on flip chart paper for each group.

## Say this to open

Delegation is not an on-off switch. It spans seven levels, from telling to full delegation. We will read a decision scenario, pick a card privately, and reveal together. The goal is to talk through our differences and settle on clear decision boundaries.

## How to run it

### 1. Introduce the seven levels (5 minutes)

Distribute card sets numbered 1 to 7 to all participants. Review the seven levels: 1 Tell, 2 Sell, 3 Consult, 4 Agree, 5 Advise, 6 Inquire, and 7 Delegate. Read the opening script and confirm everyone understands the definitions on the reference sheet.

### 2. Round 1 scenario and vote (8 minutes)

One person at each table reads Scenario A aloud. Each participant privately chooses one card reflecting their preferred delegation level. When called, everyone reveals their card at the same time. Check whether votes cluster together or spread across the spectrum.

### 3. Discuss and score round 1 (7 minutes)

The person with the highest card and the person with the lowest card each share their reasoning. Apply the Highest Minority rule: if an isolated player chose the highest card alone, that card scores zero points, while all others score face value. The group discusses and records the agreed level, or a narrow range if perspectives remain split, on their Delegation Board.

### 4. Repeat for round 2 (8 minutes)

Read Scenario B aloud. Participants choose cards privately and reveal simultaneously. Outlying bidders explain their rationale. Award points while checking for isolated high minorities. The group agrees on an autonomy level or range and records Scenario B under that column on the Delegation Board.

### 5. Debrief and close (7 minutes)

Gather the whole room. Review the boards across groups. Take up to 3 observations on where expectations diverged most and how clarifying decision boundaries supports team delivery.


## Debrief questions

- Where was the gap between the highest and lowest card widest, and what caused the split?
- How does separating 'advise' from 'consult' clarify who actually owns the final decision?
- What is one recurring team decision we should add to our active Delegation Board next week?

**Finished output:** A completed Delegation Board displaying agreed delegation levels or ranges for tested decision scenarios.

## Remote

Distribute a digital whiteboard containing private voting areas or a poll with options 1 through 7. Place participants into breakout rooms of 3 to 7. Participants submit hidden picks, reveal simultaneously, discuss outliers, and move scenario sticky notes under columns 1 through 7 on the shared digital board.

## Hybrid

Keep in-person participants at physical tables and remote participants in virtual breakout rooms. Both cohorts use an identical digital Delegation Board so in-person and remote teams view and record scenario placements in a unified format.

## Access and participation choices

- Provide large-print text reference sheets listing all 7 levels alongside the numbered cards.
- Participants may pass on explaining their vote and defer to a peer without penalty.
- Participants may reveal choices via written slip or digital poll rather than speaking.

## If the session gets stuck

**One person dominates discussion and pressures others toward a single number.**

Enforce the turn rule: only the highest and lowest card holders speak first, with a strict two-minute limit each.

**The group cannot reach a consensus number after discussion.**

Record the decision as a range such as Level 3 to 4 on the board and set a 30-day review date to evaluate how it works in practice.


## Terms used here

- Highest Minority: A scoring rule where an isolated player who bids higher than everyone else gets zero points, discouraging unsupported over-delegation.
- Delegation Board: A visual chart with seven columns corresponding to the delegation levels, displaying which decision types sit at each tier.

## Participant material: Delegation Levels Reference Sheet

Level 1 - Tell: Manager decides and informs the team.
Level 2 - Sell: Manager decides but explains the rationale.
Level 3 - Consult: Manager asks for input before deciding.
Level 4 - Agree: Manager and team decide together by consensus.
Level 5 - Advise: Team asks for manager input, but team decides.
Level 6 - Inquire: Team decides and informs the manager afterward.
Level 7 - Delegate: Team decides fully with no follow-up required.

Sample Scenarios:
Scenario A: Selecting and purchasing new collaboration software under $500.
Scenario B: Approving individual annual leave schedules during peak project delivery periods.
Scenario C: Setting sprint goals and daily task priorities (optional extension round).

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Management 3.0 documentation under the practice name Delegation Poker & Delegation Board.

Retained the seven delegation levels, simultaneous card reveal mechanic, Highest Minority scoring rule, outlier discussion, and Delegation Board mapping from Management 3.0 source evidence. Aligned timing note and step sequence to 2 core scenario rounds with Scenario C preserved as an optional extension, and added explicit range recording to resolve stalemates.

[Management 3.0](https://management30.com/practice/delegation-poker/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/delegation-poker-delegation-board-management-3-0-practice/