What this feature does for you
Assign trusted team members to manage your OKRs while you retain ownership and accountability. Your delegate updates progress, maintains details, and keeps information current, freeing you to focus on strategy while ensuring your objectives, key results, and initiatives never go stale.
Why delegation matters
The ownership challenge
Senior leaders need to own strategic OKRs to drive them forward and maintain accountability. However, these same leaders often face time constraints that make regular updates difficult. When executives can't provide frequent status updates, OKRs become outdated. They show stale information during business reviews, prevent teams from aligning with current leadership priorities, and create extra work for program managers who need to track down updates.
How delegation solves this
Separate ownership from operational updates. You remain the visible owner: your name, your accountability, your control over who helps. Your delegate keeps the OKR current by updating progress, maintaining details, and managing alignment based on their proximity to the work.
Benefits for owners:
OKR statuses stay current without requiring you to provide detailed updates
Full visibility and control over who manages updates
Step in anytime. Delegation supplements your access, it doesn't replace it
Benefits for delegates:
Clear responsibility eliminates "who should update this?" confusion
Permissions to keep OKRs accurate without constantly requesting changes
Visibility for your contributions. The system tracks your updates
Benefits for your organization:
Strategic OKRs remain reliable for decision-making
Business reviews work with current data
Teams confidently align with leadership priorities
How delegation works
What delegates can do
Delegates have broad permissions to keep OKRs well-maintained:
OKR details: Update title, description, team assignment, time period
Alignment: Connect to parent OKRs to show strategic alignment
Check-ins: Create new check-ins as well as edit or delete check-ins made by the OKR owner or previous delegates.
Full context: View complete history including all previous updates by any user
What stays with the owner
Three restrictions preserve your strategic control:
Ownership: Only you can transfer the OKR to someone else
Delegation: Only you can add, change, or remove delegates
Deletion: Only you can remove the OKR entirely
Notifications keep everyone informed
New assignment: When a delegate is assigned, they'll receive immediate notification with link to the OKR. If the delegate is assigned to multiple OKRs, they'll receive a batch notification.
Removal: If an individual is removed as a delegate, they'll be notified they're no longer responsible for managing the OKR.
Delegate leaves company: You will receive notification for each affected OKR
Assigning and managing delegates
Work as a delegate
Handle common situations
Your delegate leaves the organization
You receive notification for each affected OKR. The system automatically removes them as a delegate. Assign new delegates promptly or handle updates yourself.
Delegation isn't working
Make updates yourself anytime as the owner. You retain full access. Discuss obstacles with the delegate: training needs, unclear expectations, competing priorities. Remove the delegate or assign a different person if the relationship isn't productive.
Transferring ownership completely
Delegation is different from ownership transfer. To make someone the new owner, change the Owner field (not Delegate). Ensure that you’ve removed your assigned delegate prior to transferring ownership.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between owner and delegate?
The owner is accountable for success, maintains strategic control, and their name appears prominently on the OKR. Owners can do everything including delete the OKR and change ownership. A delegate keeps the OKR current on the owner's behalf. They have extensive permissions for updates but cannot delete the OKR, change ownership, or modify the delegate assignment.
Can I be both an owner and delegate on the same OKR?
No. If you own it, you already have full permissions. Delegation is specifically for when the owner wants someone else keeping the OKR current.
Will my delegate see sensitive information?
Delegates see everything about their assigned OKRs: descriptions, all historical check-ins, alignment, and details. Only assign people you trust with complete visibility.
Can delegates assign more delegates?
No. Only owners control delegate assignments. If a delegate thinks someone else is better suited, they should discuss with the owner who can make the change.
What happens to check-ins when I change delegates?
All existing check-ins remain with original authorship preserved. The new delegate can see the full history and can edit/delete prior check-ins made by other users.
Can I delegate just check-ins, not OKR details?
No. Assigned delegates can update OKR details as well as provide check-ins. However, they cannot change the OKR owner or delete the OKR.
What if my delegate makes a change I disagree with?
You can edit the OKR anytime to modify or revert changes. The system tracks who made each change. Discuss expectations directly if issues recur, and remove the delegate if the relationship isn't productive.
Do delegates count toward team OKR metrics?
No. OKRs count toward the owner's statistics for coverage, alignment, and other reports. Delegation is operational support, not ownership transfer.
Can I see who changed what on delegated OKRs?
Yes. The audit trail shows who made which updates and when, supporting accountability while crediting delegates for their work.