The Chair's Job is to Visualize Work and Have Members Take It Away
This is a personal daily report from the PyCon JP 2025 Chair (@nishimotz).
The Importance of Work Visualization and Delegation
As the chair, what I feel daily is that my role is not to “create work” but to “make work visible.” And having appropriate members “take away” the visible work is what I believe to be the core of organizational management.
Why Use the Expression “Take Away”
There’s a reason I deliberately use the expression “take away” rather than words like “delegate” or “request.” Traditional organizational management tends to assume a hierarchical relationship where leaders hoard work and have subordinates “do it for them.”
However, in volunteer-driven organizations like PyCon JP 2025, it’s ideal for members to proactively feel “I want to do this work” or “This is my area of expertise” and actively come to take on the work.
Specific Methods for Work Visualization
1. Task Decomposition and Documentation
Break down large work into small, concrete tasks, clarifying the following elements:
- What: Specific deliverables or goals
- When: Clear deadlines
- How: Overview of procedures and methods
- Why: Significance and background of the task
2. Ensuring Transparency
Make all tasks public and share progress status. This allows:
- Members to grasp the overall picture
- Finding tasks that match their interests and abilities
- Preventing duplication and omissions
3. Reducing Entry Barriers
To make it easier for new members to get involved:
- Clearly state required prerequisite knowledge
- Provide information on reference materials and tools
- Create an environment where questions are easy to ask
Practical Implementation Examples
In PyCon JP 2025’s organizational management, we practice this in the following ways:
Creating Team-Specific Task Documents
We document tasks for each team (Chair, Program, PR, Sponsor, Venue, Attendee Management) in detail and publish them publicly. This allows members to select tasks according to their interests and abilities.
Practicing Working Out Loud
We actively share ongoing work to create an environment where other members can easily participate. By making information like “I’m thinking about this” or “I’m struggling here” public, collaborators are more likely to appear.
Transparent Decision-Making
We distinguish between Type 1 (irreversible) and Type 2 (reversible) decisions, delegating Type 2 decisions to members to promote initiative.
Strategies for Having Members “Take Away” Work
1. Presenting Attractive Work
Present work not as mere tasks, but as opportunities for learning and growth:
- Opportunities to acquire new skills
- Chances to expand industry networks
- Contributing to society
2. Appropriate Support Systems
To ensure members who take on work can succeed:
- Providing necessary resources
- Regular follow-ups
- Clear consultation channels when in trouble
3. Recognition and Appreciation of Results
Properly evaluate members’ contributions and express gratitude in public forums. This creates a positive cycle where other members also want to participate.
Learning as Chair
Through this “visualization → taking away” process, I’m also learning a lot as chair:
- Delegation techniques: How to decompose and explain work for understanding
- Building trust relationships: Creating an environment where members can confidently take on work
- Organizational growth: The process where individual growth becomes organizational strength
Fighting the Temptation of “I Could Do It Faster Myself”
The most difficult aspect of being chair is “being patient even when I could do it faster myself.” Because of experience and knowledge, it’s tempting to want to do everything yourself. However, that doesn’t scale.
When others take action:
- New ideas: Perspectives I wouldn’t have thought of emerge
- Diverse viewpoints: Insights from members with different backgrounds
- Organizational growth: Member skill development and increased initiative
- Sustainability: Organizational management that doesn’t depend on the chair alone
While efficiency may decrease in the short term, the overall organizational strength improves in the long term, leading to better outcomes.
Similarity to AI Agent Collaboration
Interestingly, this principle of “work visualization and delegation” applies similarly to collaboration with AI agents. When humans don’t try to control everything and appropriately delegate tasks to AI:
- Unexpected approaches: Discovery of solutions humans wouldn’t think of
- Efficient processing: Optimization of work leveraging AI’s strengths
- New perspectives: Insights through data analysis and pattern recognition
- Scalability: Utilizing processing capabilities beyond human capacity
In PyCon JP 2025’s organizational management, we’re also exploring the appropriate division of roles between humans and AI while utilizing AI tools.
Current Challenges
Points we continue to improve:
- Task granularity adjustment: Finding the right size that’s neither too big nor too small
- Skill matching: Proposing optimal tasks for members’ abilities and interests
- Feedback loops: Mechanisms to connect completed tasks to next improvements
Current Situation: Continuing to Warm the Air
At the end of June, despite facing difficulties, we have reached a situation where the team is trying to take away my work. I refrain from words, refrain from actions, and simply continue to warm the air, hoping that a large balloon will gently rise up.
Through this late June experience, I have come to realize once again that the role of the chair is not to give instructions or manage everything, but to “warm the air” so that team members can take initiative.
When members begin to find work on their own and show a proactive attitude toward tackling it, the chair steps back and becomes a presence that supports that movement. This may be the essence of sustainable and creative organizational management.
About PyCon JP 2025
PyCon JP 2025 is a Python conference to be held on September 26-27, 2025, at the Hiroshima International Conference Center. The theme is “pieces of python, coming together.”
We are currently recruiting organizing members. We welcome those who can cooperate in various fields such as Program, PR, Sponsor, Venue, and Attendee Management. Experience is not required. Let’s create a wonderful conference together.
If you wish to participate as an organizing member, please apply through this form.
Update History
- 2025-06-25: Initial publication