ground-delegationlisted

# Skill: Delegation > "A senior engineer knows when to code, when to delegate, and when to collaborate." ## When 1. **At blueprint creation**: Assess each task and assign Owner (`self`, `sub-agent`, or `team`). 2. **Before each task**: Re-assess. Context may have changed. ## Mechanism First The epigraph says "when to code" — but that is not a delegation choice. `ground-mechanism` decides the executor **kind** (code or model). This skill decides the executor **context** (self, sub-agent, team). Ask mechanism first. If the answer is code, there is nobody to delegate to. ## The Primitives | Primitive | Communication | Best For | |----------------|------------------|---------------------------------------------------| | **Self** | — | Judgment-heavy, context-dependent, architectural | | **Sub-agent** | Reports back only | Bounded, mechanical, verifiable | | **Agent team** | Peer-to-peer | Research, competing hypotheses, cross-layer work | ## The Criteria ### Sub-agent — all four must be true: | Criterion | Question | |------------------|------------------------------------------------------------| | **Bounded** | Can you specify input and expected output in one sentence? | | **Context-free** | Does it NOT require knowledge of other in-flight tasks? | | **Mechanical** | Is the approach obvious once started?