Well first of all do i understand them and do my customers know what I already know. Thus here is my first step;
1, what does my customer want?
I need to get in there and start asking questions and listen very carefully. Listening is a skill which is hard to practice, but its important at this stage to make sure YOU understand the requirement. Always best to make sure you take minutes of these conversations so you can reference back as well. This will aid any piece of work in the future and make sure you stay on track.
2, what doesn't the customer want?
Never presume at this point that items not mentioned are out of scope but try and get a clear picture of what the end result looks like and this will eliminate some of what may be the initial requirements. Always be checking back with the customer on progress. As issues arise then its good to know if you need to plough on or descope some of the work.
3, so who is the audience?
Knowing who you are delivering to will help with timescales, methods, media and costings. A picture should now be starting to emerge.
4, funds
Some pieces of our jobs don't cost anything do they, or may be they do? Time is probably our big cost at the moment with more and more work to get through. So be clear with this one - how long is it going to take to get the job done? Yes its an indirect cost but one which easily has an impact on those tasks which bring in the money. On the flip side make sure there is money in the budget to make your tasks happen.
Ok, so now you have gone through this simple process you can hopefully prioritise that work you have in the in-tray. Some of the tasks won't seem as scary as first thought and you'll know a lot more of what to do as well.
