When a techie comes to talk to you, they ask many questions (hopefully they are prepared and not shooting from the hip). Well, it is time for you to turn the tables.
You need to set the tone and boundaries for them to follow. You need to ask questions that will control the evolution of your wants into usable systems.
The most important question is to make sure your point of contact is someone you can work with on a regular basis. Someone you can trust will listen with the intent to understand. You want someone that adds value to the business versus training every ounce of your energy.
How will I know that you understand my needs?
How will you relate progress to me?
How much of my time will you need?
Write the answers down. Why? You are developing a contract. Once you negotiate both commitments, you have a formal agreement of expectations. A good techie will have no problem with this. A great techie will appreciate it. After all, actions speak louder than words. Having this in writing to compare the actions of the techies against will give you a guideline to determine if you have a great person to work with or if its time to demand a better one.
Helping businesses uncover growth opportunities. 
I'll help your business communicate what you want from Information Technology through mentoring, consulting, speaking and training. 
Subscribe to the Communicate with Geeks feed
