During my year-end performance review, one important area is project management esp. written specifications. We call them “functional spec” and “tech spec”.

 

I was expected to run the project FOR my managers and present them a set of control documents such as requirement spec, design spec, time line etc. They would read these from time to time and get an idea of where things stand.

 

I did a lot of these “quick-and-dirty” documentations for myself primarily and also made them readable by others. I used several “wiki” pages, which are not consolidated into one document. My managers didn't like these documentation. I think they prefer a consolidated MS-Word document. Due to this and other factors, they perceived that i failed to meet their expectations on project management, planning and organization. It also affected (to a lesser extent) my ratings in communications, initiatives.

 

Throughout my career, I pay more attention than colleagues to (early) planning, self-organization, documenting things, preventive initiatives… These are my strong areas, as many classmates, clients and colleagues told me. I feel my project management performance was average, with some strengths and also, due to the drive for speed, some weaknesses. My managers considered it below-average.