Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

It can be most helpful to many if you would write what you do to accomplish your job.

How do you do your job?

Can you answer that question? Most people I have met cannot. I find that quite frustrating. Part of my job is to describe to possible customers how my colleagues do their jobs. We want possible customers to become real, paying customers, but those pesky possible customers want to be convinced that we know what we are doing. Hence, they want a description of how we do our job.

There are other possible benefits to describing, on paper, how you do your job. One is that other persons can look at your description. They can offer suggestions. Now we reach the point where we discuss ego—caution folks. Yes, I can do my job better than I do it now. “Better” is of course subjective, so I have to proceed with caution. It may be that I don’t want to improve in the way you want me to improve. If, however, I don’t at least listen I will never know.

Think—I know, another dangerous suggestion. How do you do your job? Start with a few scribbles and build it to an actual half a page or so. Put it away for a week. Look at it again.

This is not a request for analysis paralysis. Use your information to your benefit.