Prioritisation
Part of Email and message workload
Writing requests with an owner and a needed outcome
Write a work request that names the owner, needed result, relevant context, timing and place for the answer.
A useful work request states the needed result, why it matters and when an answer or action is due. If several people must contribute, name each person’s part. “Can someone look at this?” leaves ownership and the finish line unclear.
Lead with the action
Put the outcome first, then add enough context to answer. Use these prompts when a request needs structure:
- Owner:
- Who is being asked to act?
- Outcome:
- What answer, decision or deliverable is needed?
- Context:
- Which current item and constraints matter?
- Timing:
- When is it needed, and what depends on it?
- Return route:
- Where should the answer or finished work be recorded?
A routine check may need only a sentence, as in: “Mina, please confirm by Thursday whether the approved figures are in the current report so we can send it for review.” A request spanning several teams may need a brief with options and dependencies.
When timing matters, give the deadline and reason. If it is flexible, say so. Include a time zone when a particular hour matters across locations. A message outside someone’s working hours does not, by itself, establish an expectation of an immediate reply.
Make ownership realistic
Ask someone with the ability and authority to do the work. If the owner is unclear, ask for one to be named before treating the task as assigned.
One person may coordinate several contributions, but each contributor still needs a clear question and date. If a manager must approve the outcome, name that step. Copying a manager into a message does not establish consent.
Describe a usable outcome
“Review the draft” might mean proofreading, approving its direction or checking a technical claim. Specify the judgement needed: “Please check whether the draft covers the agreed service steps and list any missing steps.” If the request is too large for a message, point to the current brief and ask the immediate question in the message.
Distinguish an answer from completed work. Someone may be able to confirm a plan before they can deliver it. Ask for the decision or next step needed now. Identify any assumption that an authorised person must settle.
Close the request
When the owner accepts substantial work, put the commitment in the team’s work record. If the proposed date is not feasible, agree on a new date, scope or owner. When the outcome arrives, check that it answers the request. Tell affected people what changed.
