Delegated

Delegated is the past participle of the verb delegate and the common adjective form used to describe authority, powers, or tasks that have been entrusted to another person, group, or system to act on behalf of the original holder. The concept underpins organizational design, governance, and technology, where distribution of responsibility is intended to improve efficiency or enable authorized action.

In law and government, delegation can take the form of delegated legislation, where a legislature authorizes ministers or agencies to publish regulations within a defined framework. Delegated powers may be subject to oversight, sunset clauses, or revocation and are often intended to balance detailed rulemaking with democratic control.

In business and management, delegated work transfers responsibility while preserving accountability through clearly defined scope, authority, reporting, and performance criteria. Effective delegation requires selecting capable individuals, aligning tasks with objectives, and ensuring sufficient resources and supervision.

In information technology and security, delegated access or delegated authentication refers to granting a third party permission to perform actions on behalf of a user. Standards such as OAuth enable delegated authorization, allowing applications to access resources without sharing credentials. In distributed systems and blockchain, delegated models involve electing representatives to perform tasks such as validation or governance, which can increase scalability but may raise concerns about centralization or trust.

Originating from the Latin delegatus, the term is closely related to delegation, delegated legislation, delegated authority, and authorization.