• Question: What is the most difficult question you have been consulted on?

    Asked by when519doum to Sujit B, sirajsayed, Ollie T, Claire SH, Catherine P, Caroline, artemiseales, Andrew M, Andrew Gartside on 17 Dec 2024.
    • Photo: Artemis Eales

      Artemis Eales answered on 17 Dec 2024:

      The most difficult question I ever feel I have to answer is one I get regularly – “Why did you do it that way?”. This is hard because even if I know I’m doing something the correct way, it can be really difficult to prove that. It’s always a tricky one, but I’m getting better at answering it!

    • Photo: Caroline Roche

      Caroline Roche answered on 20 Dec 2024:

      “How long will it take to fix?” Something had broken and the customer wanted to know how long they needed to shut down for. Trying to find a balance between needing enough time to investigate and fix the issue and making sure the system isn’t shut down for longer than necessary can be difficult.
      My usual response is to give a certain amount of time and ask them to come back to review the situation after. After the review, if it’s still no closer to getting fixed then that same question gets so much more difficult to answer.

Comments

  • Photo: melissaupjohn

    melissaupjohn commented on :

    The most difficult question is when somebody wants an solution to a problem that is quick, effective and cheap. It’s usually not possible to achieve all three of these at the same time – if it’s quick and effective, it’s generally not cheap! If it’s effective and cheap, it often takes longer! If it’s quick and cheap, it’s often not as effective as something that takes longer or costs more….. So I’m often working with the owner or the charity to figure out how to balance out the various different options, to help them decide which combination fits best for them.