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I’m responsible for reviewing all work


Prophet Zacharia
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That comes via email from HQ until 5 pm. My boss does this role until 1 pm, I cover from 1-5 pm. Someone else covers after me. Lately, other departments have started submitting partially completed review requests between the 4-5 o’clock hour, with the promise that they’ll get the completed submission in ASAP. This becomes my responsibility under current arrangements.

While I find this complete bullshit to make me responsible for work that can’t be completed until more information is available, my boss is hesitant to make too much of a fuss so as to not disrupt  the “work flow” of the other departments. Which is fine for him, because if his reviews run over, he’s still at work. For me, it sometimes means still doing work at 6:30 pm on a Friday, due simply to a late, incomplete submission. 
I’ve tried the active route to try to improve the process, now I will take the passive route and decline to review an incomplete packet. If it’s not complete enough for me to make a decision on it, I’m going to defer it to nights. I’m sure that will make me the bad guy and somehow result in people hitting me repeatedly with completed packets at 4:55 pm, but I’d rather that than to try to piecemeal a review without all the facts.

I’m a bit fed up.

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Sorry brother.  How long does it take to review a packet?  Subtract that time from your end of review time and then set a hard deadline for packet submission.  Do this for all the watches, not just yours.   Equitable for all.  If you submit a packet after deadline, it automagically defaults to the next watch for review.

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5 minutes ago, jsharr said:

How long does it take to review a packet? 

It’s variable, even with all the information. Maybe 20-30 minutes on average, some faster, some more complicated. There’s some work-arounds if you’re seated at a computer, these can also help address the issue of an incomplete data set. But I’m often driving during the time in question, and I don’t want to bolt myself to my office desk until 5:00 pm, which is what I fear would happen if I tried to change review times in a more formal manner. :dontknow:

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9 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

It’s variable, even with all the information. Maybe 20-30 minutes on average, some faster, some more complicated. There’s some work-arounds if you’re seated at a computer, these can also help address the issue of an incomplete data set. But I’m often driving during the time in question, and I don’t want to bolt myself to my office desk until 5:00 pm, which is what I fear would happen if I tried to change review times in a more formal manner. :dontknow:

Since @12string already popped in, seems willing to help, is very good with e-mail, and is an all-around sucker good guy with regards to working extra, just forward them to him starting at about 4:00 pm.

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6 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Since @12string already popped in, seems willing to help, is very good with e-mail, and is an all-around sucker good guy with regards to working extra, just forward them to him starting at about 4:00 pm.

I'll forward them to my boss.  Pretty sure he won't even notice the difference in subject matter

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45 minutes ago, jsharr said:

Sorry brother.  How long does it take to review a packet?  Subtract that time from your end of review time and then set a hard deadline for packet submission.  Do this for all the watches, not just yours.   Equitable for all.  If you submit a packet after deadline, it automagically defaults to the next watch for review.

This is indeed a pretty good idea, and probably one to try first.

If that doesn't work, then I would suggest when they send you incomplete information then you tell them to packet where the sun doesn't shine.

In a professional manner, of course.

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2 hours ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

It’s variable, even with all the information. Maybe 20-30 minutes on average, some faster, some more complicated. There’s some work-arounds if you’re seated at a computer, these can also help address the issue of an incomplete data set. But I’m often driving during the time in question, and I don’t want to bolt myself to my office desk until 5:00 pm, which is what I fear would happen if I tried to change review times in a more formal manner. :dontknow:

Seems like you hate the situation but it's been going for ...several yrs.? If it has been, it's going to take more to change habits.

So your role, a submitted packet if stopped/not reviewed means work can't be done the next day by next party? Is that the "critical" dependency?  

I work in govn't.  A division after years of receiving subpar drawings from firms, that didn't meet basic technical standards, we started to track them and then we send back drawing if it failed our software drawing checker, without human review.  That meant the drawing was just shitty...  We were wasting taxpayer's money by paying staff to tell engineering firms how to fix drawings to comply to standard. Then after lst review, by human, it still failed, we ...charged them a fee to move foward on their drawing.  All of this is by blanket service contract with them. 

It works...but took awhile to drum this message. It took alot of kickass effort by the manager to get the CEOs to the table on this.

Have fun 'cause hard to call the shots when one isn't boss.

 

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3 hours ago, shootingstar said:

but it's been going for ...several yrs.?

No, I’ve only been in this position for 14 months. But it wasn’t until recently they started trying to sneak these incomplete packets in the four o’clock hour.

 

3 hours ago, shootingstar said:

hard to call the shots when one isn't boss.

I’m pretty happy I’m not in my boss’ position most days. There are some things that are annoying about accepting his decisions, but far less than having to deal directly with HQ the way he has to. The bosses at HQ are way worse, I got away from them a few years ago.

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Just now, Prophet Zacharia said:

A week later and no terrible last minute emails! Online complaining therapy must really work!

I instituted my policy behind your back.  Your boss loved it, said he wished he had critical thinkers like me on his staff.  We both got a good laugh out of that.

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6 minutes ago, jsharr said:

I instituted my policy behind your back.  Your boss loved it, said he wished he had critical thinkers like me on his staff.  We both got a good laugh out of that.

I hope you don’t cost me my job, we’re at 50% of our normal work rate this week. Not sure why, to be honest, the work dried up after the weekend!

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1 minute ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

I hope you don’t cost me my job, we’re at 50% of our normal work rate this week. Not sure why, to be honest, the work dried up after the weekend!

I may have suggested simply deleting every other incoming email.  Seemed a good idea at the time*


* stupid auto correct!  I actually typed That sucks.  Hope things improve.

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Just reject all the incomplete submissions and eventually people will start waiting until you're not there to submit them. :nodhead:  Actually, this might work even if you start rejecting all the complete ones too. :nodhead:

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