You may ask why it is even important to be on the same page as your IT professional; you hired them to handle the things you aren’t educated on in the IT industry and make informed decisions on your behalf, right? Well, as with any chain of command, the two of you must have a sustainable line of communication to ensure that nothing gets lost in translation and you are always on the same page.
Also, by communicating regularly and in a way that the two of you will have a shared vocabulary, you’ll be able to solve problems together much faster and effectively. That said, here are some tips on how exactly you can be on the same page as your IT professional.
Record Everything
A lot of people have thought that they don’t need to write anything down during a meeting, feeling like they’ll never be able to forget what happened, and not even making it back to their desk before thinking to themselves; “what was that one thing they said in the beginning?”
It is impossible to remember everything that happens during a meeting without writing it down, especially if you’re conversing with your IT professional over critical subjects. Documenting what is said during your conversations and meetings can enable you to refer back to it later should you need a reminder and help you to monitor whether you’re still on the right track after a while.
Ask Questions
IT is a complex industry to be in, but that doesn’t mean you can’t ask any questions in fear of sounding less intelligent – in fact, asking questions means you’re on your way to getting to the bottom of it! You may start to feel as if you are getting a bit too much with your questionnaire to the IT professional the entire time.
Still, odds are they feel impressed that you’re actually taking an interest in their work and making an effort to dig deeper and understand their processes better. During a meeting, you should also write down any questions you may have and only read them aloud once your IT professional is done talking; then, the two of you can have an in-depth conversation about any queries you may have.
Get Involved
Talking is one thing, but consider jumping in and being a part of the entire process! By doing this, you’ll save loads of time on constant status reports because you don’t know what’s going on, and the two of you will also solve problems much quicker and finish the project in no time.
Getting involved from day one will also ensure that everything goes according to plan and that both of you are there to see to it that the project doesn’t stray from the original idea. It may feel like you’re intruding at first, but odds are your IT company will be relieved to have you onboard and be able to work together instead of solo.
It is also essential to always do follow-ups with your IT professional, especially if you often don’t see each other. At the end of the day, being on the same page as your IT professional will ensure your systems and processes always run exactly how you want them.
