Saying You Do Not Understand a Ticket

Scene: Wei opens a ticket called "Fix the filter on the orders page." That is the whole description. He is new here. He does not want to look slow. But guessing costs far more than asking. Here is what he says to Ana. She wrote the ticket.

Wei: Hi Ana, I want to pick up the filter ticket today. I want to make sure I get it right. Can I check two things with you? Ana: Sure, go ahead. Wei: First, which filter do you mean? There is one for status and one for date.

Ana: The status filter. Sorry, I should have said that. Wei: No problem. Second, what should it do? Right now it shows nothing when I pick "shipped." Ana: It should show all shipped orders. That is the bug. Wei: Got it. That is much clearer.

Wei: Let me say it back. When I pick "shipped," the page should list every shipped order. Today it lists none. I fix that, and nothing else on the page changes. Ana: Exactly. Add that to the ticket. Then the next person will know too.

Notice three moves. He said what he already understood. He asked specific questions, not "I don't get it." Then he said it back in his own words. Asking early is not a weak move. It is the cheapest thing you will do all week.