A funny thing happens when engineers become managers: the workload doesn’t shift, it stacks. Suddenly, you’re coding, documenting, unblocking, planning, aligning… and drowning in a never-ending to-do list. 

Too many tasks, not enough hours, and a creeping fear that dropping anything will break something.

The fastest way out is getting sharp about what to delegate and what not to delegate. It brings back your time, mental health and sanity. And doing it strategically will make it an easy, repeatable and mess-free process. 

Let’s explore the factors that help you decide what you can and cannot delegate with examples. 

What to delegate and what not to delegate

“There’s so much to do.” 

It’s a common phrase you can hear new managers and leads say. But when you go through their tasks, you find several items that shouldn’t be on their plate now. Instead, they should be delegated. 

But deciding what to delegate and what not to as a first-time manager is tricky. You can’t rely on your instinct. There should be a better way to do it…..and luckily, there is. 

The following are 6 factors you should consider to decide if the task belongs to you or your team. 

Is this a hands-on task my team can already execute?

If so, it should move off your list.

• Is someone else better positioned to do it?

Delegate work where another team member has stronger expertise or context.

• Will this task develop someone on my team?

Prioritise delegation when it helps a team member build capability or independence.

• Does this require my judgment, authority, or stakeholder alignment?

These responsibilities stay with you.

• Is this work strategic, high-impact or high-risk?

Managers own direction and decision-making.

• Will delegating this remove it from my plate long term?

If yes, delegate to create sustained capacity.

Let’s see some examples of what you can delegate and what you shouldn’t delegate 

Tasks you should delegate immediately

There are tasks you’re holding onto that have zero business sitting on your to-do list anymore. And they usually are everyday repeated technical tasks. This is the very first category you should delegate. 

Not because you’re too senior for them or you’re now above the work. But because your team grows faster when you stop being the default executor.

These tasks are predictable and teachable. They build skill and confidence in your team. And they free you to focus on the work that actually moves the needle.

Here’s what should already be out of your hands:

Repetitive, structured technical work

• writing unit tests
• basic API integrations
• data cleaning scripts
• dashboard or report updates
• log monitoring and alert configuration

Routine maintenance work

If a task happens weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, it’s a delegation goldmine.

• weekly metrics pulls
• sprint prep checklists
• backlog grooming admin work
• sanity checks for pipelines or services

Teach it once. Review it twice. Then step back.

Foundational documentation

• API docs
• onboarding guides
• readmes
• runbooks
• troubleshooting steps

Junior and mid-level teammates often love owning documentation because it lets them solidify their knowledge, improve communication skills, and leave a mark.

First drafts of anything

Your job is to refine, not to start from scratch. Editing takes minutes. Drafting can take hours.

Delegate the first draft for:

• feature scopes
• technical summaries
• stakeholder updates
• project outlines
• retros and sprint notes

“Quick fixes” that quietly eat your day

If you’ve ever told yourself, “I’ll just do it real quick,” that’s a task someone else should own.

• renaming variables
• tweaking SQL queries
• fixing a UI label
• adjusting a dashboard filter
• upgrading a small dependency

Anything your team needs practice in

• running standups
• handling low-stakes stakeholder questions
• leading a small feature
• owning a bug triage rotation

Since you now know what to delegate, you should also know how to delegate effectively. I have broken down the delegation process into simple steps that make it fuss-free for both you and your team. 

Tasks you should not delegate

Managerial and leading tasks

Remember, all the managerial and leading tasks belong to you. That’s your main job now as a manager or lead. Think of 

• feedbacks 
• performance reviews
• compensation conversations
• behavioral corrections
• conflict resolution
• decision-making 
• strategic planning

Team vision, priorities & strategy

As a lead or manager, you’re the one giving direction to your team. They follow your strategy and plan. So you cannot delegate things like:

• deciding priorities
• setting the roadmap
• identifying critical tradeoffs
• capacity planning

High-stakes architecture and system-level decisions

You can involve your team to co-design and brainstorm together. But the final call is yours. 

Think of major technical tasks like 

• system architecture
• long-term tech direction
• major data model changes
• infrastructure decisions with multi-quarter consequences

Sensitive stakeholder conversations

This is again a part of your new role that solely belongs to you. 

• negotiating timelines
• handling escalations
• communicating delays
• pushing back on unrealistic expectations
• resetting scope with non-technical stakeholders

Defining “what good looks like”

Don’t delegate:

• quality bars
• coding standards
• data validation expectations
• review guidelines
• incident response norms

Your team can help evolve these. But the foundation should come from you; otherwise, you’ll end up with 6 different quality bars each pointing in a different direction. 

Final approval on high-impact work

You’re not doing the main hands-on work, but you’re accountable for the outcome. Never delegate final sign-off for high-impact and high-risk tasks. Here are a few examples. 

• production releases on critical systems
• ML model deployments with business impact
• data pipelines feeding leadership dashboards
• features with compliance/legal consequences

Cross-team alignment

Nothing derails engineering/data teams faster than silent misalignment. And it’s your responsibility to ensure it doesn’t happen. 

• syncing with other teams
• aligning on dependencies
• clarifying ownership
• negotiating resource constraints

Final thoughts

I hope this guide has clarified what you can and should delegate. If you’re new to the leadership and management realm, take a deep breath and accept the learning curve. Implement one thing at a time, and you’ll see the progress. 

If you want more practical frameworks on delegation, mindset shifts, and managing your team the right way as a new manager, the Foundations of Leadership for Nerds is the right thing for you. 

I’ve designed this e-book to help new tech leads and managers navigate the chaos of management and ace their new role. It offers practical and implementable guidance without giving you more tasks to do.