A colleague and I were recently talking about something we've both experienced during a project's construction administration phase. The contractor sends an RFI, expressing the urgency of the request, advocating for a speedy response from the architect. As the architect, we investigate the RFI and provide our answer in a timely manner. Everyone's happy. Then we receive two more RFIs, these are both "time sensitive" as well. We then receive 5 more, each of these also "require immediate response." You get the picture. When everything is urgent, the very meaning of the term becomes moot. Suddenly, the point of priority disappears. We tend to expect this from (some) contractors, but this hyper-prioritization also unfolds within design teams, leaving staff overwhelmed, stressed, and frustrated. But what should be done instead?

Chaos creates confusion

"Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid."

- Fyodor Dostoevsky

I remember early in my career, a project manager gave me some redlines to pick-up. "I need these asap," he told me. I got to work on them. Thirty minutes later he brought me some sketches. "Sean, we gotta get these sketches out before lunch, get them into the model." Okay, I jump over to these to get them done in time, lunch is around the corner. An hour later: "Sean, I need those redlines! Are you done yet?" No, I wasn't done, I was working on the sketches. "I said I needed these done, hold off on the sketches," he shot back.

That same day, I was given an additional task from another manager, and was told how urgent that was as well. Yes, I tried to explain that I had other assignments, but I was just supposed to "hustle." In the end, I finished the work, but there were many mistakes, I had to work over time, the managers were unhappy with the work, and we are all stressed out. 

Structure creates empowerment

"Be the chief but never the lord."

- Lao Tzu

To their credit, this was an atypical day, and a deadline was approaching, but nevertheless, the leadership had failed me. They later apologized. But every now and then this comes up within design teams, and it's usually when leadership is under a lot of pressure to deliver. I get it, in those moments everything seems like a priority. But, staff members need structure, especially in high pressure situations.

By definition, everything can't be done "asap." We know that means as soon as possible, but if we're honest, that's not what some managers mean when they say it. They mean, "do it right now." Leaders need to establish very clear priorities for team members. What is truly urgent? That should be communicated to the team. This doesn't mean that other tasks will be forgotten, those should be followed up on also, but perhaps some of those can be done in a week, instead of "right now."

When staff has some space to structure their day, work with excellence on their work, and refer to a coherent list of priorities, some higher and some lower, the debilitating pressure and confusion begins to lift. This is especially relevant today, when leaders may be on edge with employees out of the office working from home. So, give staff space to complete some tasks, make clear the truly urgent ones, and everyone will be down a more empowering and fruitful path.