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A little worried

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by gchas2

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I have been tasked to create a methodology for a change and confguration management plan for a company's desktop environment. I am learning more and more as I go along, But I just don't feel like the manger of the Dept. Knows what he wants, and whenI present my plan he won't like it. How do I communicate this to him?

7 replies

by beermonster

Having been in similar situations myself, and learning the hard way from them, let me give you an insight into what I learned from the experiences. When someone passes a task onto you, it is up to YOU to make them define exactly what it is they are after. My mistake was that I was eager to please, and didn't want to make myself seem 'stupid' by having to get things spelled out. Don't be afraid to approach your manager, and ask him to clarify the boundaries of the project he's given you - make HIM spell out exactly what he's expecting to receive out of it (after all, he's the customer in this relationship). Any semi decent manager will appreciate that far more than being delivered something that does not meet his needs, even if you are ableto pass that off as a misunderstanding.

by ebob

As well, strike up an outline. Label it clearly as "Draft" (I like to use a "watermark"). If you have some content for each section in your "outline", stick it in there too.

Then setup a time with the manager on the premise of: I have an outline of what I believe needs to go into this and I would like to spend 90 minutes with you "brain storming".

Clearly state some objectives of this brainstorming session:
1 - I want to ensure that I am heading in the direction you had in mind.
2 - I want to determine if I have included all the necessary areas of concern, and that I have not included superfluous sections.
3 - I want to start to fill in some of the content in each section.

You may want to include one other "stakeholder" like your helpdesk manager, a representative of the user community or one of your IT peers in this brainstorm session.

This includes the manager as a participant (whether (s)he likes it or not), and shows that you know the meaning of working as a team member. It will also help you get the job done "right".

by sonny

In addition to the terrific advice previously given, you might consider handing in your "draft" in notes form. Here's what I mean: spend some time on a section entitled "Purpose of this Document" or something similar. Then the rest of the draft is your outline as well as rough notes. It will give your manager a good idea of the direction you're headed and can help you change direction very early in the process.

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