Definition:
When an event is triggered in one place, that leads to multiple different parts of an organisation needing separate updates, and such requests all lead back to a single person.
Explanation:
An odd little phrase I heard recently. It comes about when a number of requests along the same line will come to you, usually from managers of some description. They will be very vague and very open to interpretation, and often without context.
The root cause of this will be a senior person that has heard something or been made aware of something, and in their desire to learn more about it, they will ask all of their subordinates to investigate. These will in turn ask the same of their own people, and this will roll down to the project manager level, who will then all concentrate on one or two subject matter experts to provide them with a genuine answer.
There will be a certain amount of Chinese whispers to these requests, but subject matter experts will be able to see this sudden trend of being asked about something all along the same lines.
By the time it reaches a subject matter expert, it often will not make any sense and require clarification from the original manager, leading to frustration. However, the most fun part is watching how the managers take what is often a blunt and no nonsense answer and convert it to a more “seeming” response, frequently changing its meaning.
Disclaimer: As always these posts are not aimed at anyone client or employer and are just my personal observations over a lifetime of dealing with both management and frontline associates.