DecisionIntermediate

Delegation Poker

Developed by Jurgen Appelo as part of Management 3.0, Delegation Poker uses playing cards to make delegation levels explicit. Seven delegation levels range from 'Tell' (I decide, I tell you) through 'Consult', 'Agree', 'Advise', 'Inquire', to 'Delegate' (you decide, I trust you). Teams use it to align on who makes which decisions — eliminating the ambiguity that causes most organisational friction.

Duration

30m–1h

Group size

2–20 people

Materials

Delegation Poker cards (7 levels per player)

Origin

Community

How to run it

1
Each participant gets a set of seven cards numbered 1–7, each with a delegation level label.
2
The facilitator reads a decision or type of task: e.g. 'Hiring a new team member', 'Choosing technology stack', 'Setting sprint goals.'
3
Each participant privately selects the card representing the delegation level they believe applies (or should apply).
4
Cards are revealed simultaneously.
5
Discuss divergent selections: why did people choose differently? What's the current reality vs the desired state?
6
Agree on the appropriate delegation level for each decision type and document it.

Tips

The game's value is in the conversations triggered by divergence, not in the final numbers.
Most teams discover they have fundamentally different assumptions about who is empowered to decide what.
Document the results in a Delegation Board.',

Variations

Run as a team-only exercise, or include managers and direct reports together for cross-level alignment. Combine with a Delegation Board to create a visual map of decision authority.

Where it fits

Management and leadership workshopsAgile team empowermentOrganisational designRole clarity sessions

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Method descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices.