Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Assigned to a New Team Overnight: First Steps
Updated September 2026: in 2019 I wrote about a quiet week that ended with an email assigning me to support every opportunity from a team I used to work with, followed by a teammate who rarely got involved telling me what to do. I have rewritten it as a guide to handling a sudden new assignment.
For a few days I had little work. Then, out of nowhere, I received an email from a team I had worked with earlier. I was now assigned to support all of their opportunities, and the email included a complicated request that would take real time. I also wanted to check with the delivery lead I had worked with before. While I was preparing, another teammate asked me to do some work and send a background email on the opportunity. His approach was reasonable, but I was irritated, because he did not usually get involved in these requests.
What should you do in the first hour of a new assignment?
- Read the request twice and list what is actually being asked.
- Confirm the assignment with your manager, including how long it lasts and what it replaces.
- Find the deadline and who owns the overall response.
- Identify who you need, such as a delivery lead who handled similar requests.
Why does unexpected direction from a peer feel irritating?
Because it is unclear where it comes from. When someone who is not normally involved starts giving instructions, you wonder whether they were asked to, or whether they are taking over. The irritation is usually about unclear roles, not the instruction itself.
How should you respond to a teammate's instructions?
Judge the request on its merits. If it is sensible, as sending a background email often is, do it. Then ask a simple question: "Are you working on this opportunity too, so I know who to keep in the loop?" That clarifies roles without an argument.
How do you avoid being swamped by a whole team's requests?
Agree a way of working early. Ask the team to send requests through one contact, with a deadline and a clear scope. Keep a simple tracker of open requests and share it weekly with your manager, so everyone can see your load before it becomes a problem.
Is it worth reconnecting with old contacts?
Yes. A delivery lead who handled similar work before can save you days, even if you did not always get along. Ask for specific help, such as a previous response you can adapt.