[concreteinterface]

I am working as an engineer for an electrical contractor. I came to the company as an apprentice, moved up to technician, then signed on with the company and took a role as an engineer. Shortly after my job started it evolved into project management. I mainly manage a health care system here in town installing data cabling for 5 major campuses and all of the out-lying clinics and 3 rural hospitals. After 3 years of working as a PM for this particular customer, I have come to the conclusion that this customer is enough for me to handle. On top of this I am still responsible for being the expert on security systems, access control systems, sound masking systems, and any other special systems the other PMs don't know much about.

Contributing factor 1: My boss is hard to get decisions out of. Decisions that directly affect the company's performance. When he does make a decision it's usually a quick decision based on very little information or what I view as bad information from hearsay or someone that I do not view as an expert in the field. I see it as I am the person that should be researching products, talking to people and providing him with truthful information and my opinion based on my past experience in the field. I feel I am not able to get him this information because I am too preoccupied with this healthcare provider and meeting their demands.

Contributing factor 2: The other people in my office are not experts in the special systems field. I feel I am there to provide them with guidance and assist with making decisions with budgeting, recommendations, and best practices. When I provide them with advice, I am usually responsible for the advice given. I am having trouble in coping with the situations where I make a recommendation without having the entire story. For example, someone will come into my office and say something like "How much does a on a door card reader cost"? This triggers a million questions in my brain that I would have to have the answers in order to definitely answer their question. Say you relate this to a car dealership... A customer walks in the door and says "I want to buy a car" and this person as never driven or bought a car before. The car salesman would have to educate the customer on things like air conditioning, power brakes, power steering, that you need to do regular oil changes, etc. The person is basically saying to me "I don't care, I just want a car. How much does a car cost"? This is mostly because this person is busy and needs to move on. So I end up throwing out a number. My problem is whether that number is right or wrong, I am expected to assume the responsibility for the number I gave even though it was based on bad information. Compounding the issue is what I described above: No time to be the expert I want to be.

Contributing factor 3: I have no previous project management experience. I was thrown in the fire and I am just learning as I go. It's like walking around a dark room and trying to find the exit but the walls have random spikes on them. Every once and a while I hit a spike and it hurts like hell. The spikes are also continually moving. I also feel like I'm trying to learn a piece of computer code and sometimes when I come to a decision point, past experience puts me in a decision loop that I can’t get out of. Like “I did this last time and I got the spike, if I go this way I know I’ll hit a spike” I just don’t know how to get out without hitting a spike.

This stress has caused me to increase drinking, be constantly tense, be incredibly tired, not sleep well or at all, lose interest in talking to people, road rage, be upset with society, be upset with people in the supermarket for being in the way, be too concerned with other people just in general, become paranoid, not speaking with or being frustrated with family issues, lower sex drive, and just plain not enjoy life. One positive is that I did quit using tobacco.

I’m begging someone to please give me some direction on something… anything I can do or what this is and how to deal with it. I ask people for advice all the time but I never get any solid advice, just “you gotta deal with it man”. Thanks.

[hvert]

Factor 1: This is very, very common. People who make it into management often get there in part because they make quick decisions based on little information. You mention that you see it as your job to provide him with better information, but does he see it that way also? Unless you are getting in trouble for not giving him better advice, I would let this go. It is not your job to make good decisions for your boss or to worry about whether or not his decisions are good and take into account all the information out there.

That is something that has consistently gotten on my nerves throughout my whole working life and I have finally come to this conclusion. It is not my money, it is not my company, it is not my job to make those decisions.

#2: There are a few ways to handle this one.

If people are always asking for quotes on the same thing, you could make a questionnaire: How many people do you need to fit in your car? What color do you want? Will you drive it off road? Insist they fill it out and answer those questions before you give a number.

If that is not practical, phrase numbers in a very specific way. "A Toyota Corolla with four doors and standard tires costs $17k. It is too small for large families but gets the job done for a 1-2 person household."

Also, give out a range. "Cars costs can range from $4k to $100k depending on desired features, condition, and budget."

I find that most people are satisfied with a range, even if it is a big one. It's part of the education process. They may think they want the Hummer until they know how much it costs and what the mileage is.

Factor #3: Could you get your company to pay for PMP certification? I am not sure that it would help you with your current stress levels, but it's a great thing to get if you are in the field. There are some really useful techniques and concepts that may help you with your work. I also find that taking classes makes it easier for me to let go of some of the frustrations at work -- it gives me something else to think about.

It also gives you more options, which I find really helpful when I am extremely aggravated with a workplace. I've landed tons of interviews just because I have those three letters on my resume.

Well I don't know if this will help or not. In my field we get questions like "how long will it take to..." with no to little information about the task. After failing enough deadlines you basically set for yourself trying to answer the question "it depends" becomes second nature. This would be my suggested response. "It depends." They are going to argue with you at first. Try to get you to stop what you are doing. Your boss gives in apparently. It doesn't mean you have to. It is ok to say you don't feel comfortable giving a quote without enough information. You just tell them you can't look at the problem right now can we set up a time or can you get some specs or whatever. Specs in writing would be ideal because you can now say "this is the information you gave me" and the work is on them. So is the responsibility. Eventually they'll respect your time and expertise more but it might come with some turmoil. You have to stand your ground. Recognize that they probably don't know everything that goes into a quote or they only have a vague idea. You are probably going to have to teach them.

PM roles are notorious for landing on people's feet with no training. It is a rock and a hard place kind of role. If you like that role and a lot of people do, ask for training. If they don't want to provide it I'm not sure what to suggest without knowing what your goals are for your career and with that company.

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