Feeling out of my depth at work

[Anyonegotacluewhattheirjobsabout]

I got a role in a company quite quickly after a lay off. The job has a wide reaching scope and you are only as good as your last project. I’m helping a client with a process that I am not familiar with and I got the, “I need you to tell us (company) exactly what we need to do to complete this document”. I took the project over from a colleague who’d told them what was needed but they don’t have a clue what to do and with me only knowing the fringes of the expected level of information I’m struggling to explain what they need. For one aspect of what we need to do is beyond my expertise and they’ve said they are engaging with another company to do modelling/simulation for example but they need to know what question they need to ask in the simulation before can do the second part which I can then engage a wider Team to help with! I’m feeling out of my depth. WWYD if feeling out your depth? My manager does not know my area of expertise as they are from another region where the processes are different and we are covering the other region. My colleague will help on Monday but I feel I have to work this weekend!

It sounds like it a bit futile you working over the weekend if it’s not your area of expertise?

Unless you can find historic documents or emails on similar projects … is this something where there should be a proper project framework and mandatory questions to check and confirm?

Id also ask management for guidance and for them to document it’s not their area of expertise either and or they have due insurances in place.

If the ‘client’ is external suggest it’d be better to seek support / resources from your company to fill the gaps than to risk disappointing the client.

Ask Chat GPT??

It’s a small company and there’s only 2 of us in the region. It’s a big field and I know on the periphery what needs to be done. I got this work as my colleague was over allocated so I am the help! There’s no one else! I think this was passed onto me by them because my colleague couldn’t get the company to see we needed their input and investment into their own strategy as a company and their final decision despite us suggesting everything and giving them information. No one else in the company has the experience!