1. What is Delegation Poker?
Delegation Poker is a practice created by Jurgen Appelo as part of Management 3.0. It is a card game that helps teams and leaders clarify who decides what and to what extent. Functioning as a collaborative poker game for delegation, it promotes autonomy built in a conscious, gradual, and structured way.
2. Why adopt this tool?
- Transparency in responsibilities: clearly defines delegation levels, fostering mutual understanding.
- Development of autonomy: stimulates trust and growth by delegating step by step.
- Active engagement: by actively participating, everyone feels heard and accountable.
3. The 7 levels of delegation
Each card represents an increasing level of autonomy:
- Tell – The leader decides and informs the team.
- Sell – The leader decides and tries to convince the team it's a good idea.
- Consult – The leader asks for opinions but still makes the final decision.
- Agree – The leader and the team discuss and make a decision together.
- Advise – The leader offers their opinion, but the team makes the decision.
- Inquire – The team makes the decision, and the leader just asks for an update afterward.
- Delegate – The team makes the decision with full autonomy, the leader doesn't even need to know the details.
Delegation Poker in action: aligning expectations and defining levels of autonomy together.4. How to play Delegation Poker
- Define specific situations, processes, or decisions that need role clarity.
- For each situation, every participant secretly chooses a delegation card.
- Everyone reveals their cards simultaneously and explains their reasoning.
- Apply the "Highest Minority" or majority rule: find the consensus, and if there are significant gaps, debate them.
- Discuss the choices to reach an agreement or understand the discrepancies.
- Record the results on a Delegation Board, showing the agreed level of autonomy for each topic.
5. Practical examples
- A team decided that vacation planning would be a level 5 (Advise), bringing clarity and removing the administrative burden from the leader.
- In another case, internal hiring decisions were assigned level 2 (Sell), while external hiring reached level 4 (Agree) after a consensus was built.
- Leadership teams use the game to create their Delegation Board, resolving ambiguities about budgets and aligning cross-departmental expectations.
6. Advantages of this practice
- Easy to apply: requires only printed cards or a digital template (like Miro or Mural).
- Strengthens dialogue: exposes structural divergences in a safe environment.
- Improves trust: by delegating gradually, leaders transfer power safely and confidently.
- Speeds up decisions: avoids bottlenecks and bureaucracy through role clarity.
7. How to implement in your team
- Download and print the cards (available online) or set up a digital board.
- Choose real and relevant topics for the current context of the team.
- Run rounds with the team, revealing choices and debating the "why".
- Build a Delegation Board that is visible and accessible to everyone.
- Monitor changes frequently and update the board accordingly.
- Revisit the game periodically to increase delegation levels as the team's maturity evolves.
Conclusion
Delegation Poker is more than a game—it's a highly practical tool for increasing autonomy, clarifying roles, and strengthening a culture of shared responsibility. It is ideal for leaders and teams looking to scale sustainably, with transparency and maturity.
Note: This article was generated with the help of artificial intelligence from the original content on the Management 3.0 – Delegation Poker website,
aiming to preserve and share knowledge in an accessible and applicable way for the community.