What to do when your manager's written and verbal instructions conflict: a worked situational judgement question

Effectiveness criterion: a genuine contradiction from the same authority is best resolved by a quick clarifying question, which is faster and more reliable than guessing which signal to trust.

Your manager's written instructions say to prioritise accuracy over speed on a task, but their verbal comment that morning said to get it out quickly. What is the most effective first action?

aFollow the verbal comment, since it came later and probably reflects the latest situation
bDo the key checks only, so the work goes out quickly but is not entirely unchecked
cDecide for yourself which matters more on this task, based on who will use the output
dFollow the written instruction, since it was set out deliberately for this task
eBriefly ask your manager which takes precedence for this task before proceeding

Worked solution

Correct answer: Briefly ask your manager which takes precedence for this task before proceeding

The principle

Effectiveness criterion: a genuine contradiction from the same authority is best resolved by a quick clarifying question, which is faster and more reliable than guessing which signal to trust.

Steps

The two instructions conflict and neither format (written vs verbal) reliably indicates which is current or intended.
Guessing based on recency or formality risks acting against what the manager actually wants.
A short clarifying question resolves the ambiguity directly and cheaply, before any work is wasted.

Heuristic to carry forward

When instructions from the same source contradict each other, ask a brief clarifying question rather than inferring intent from format or timing.

Why each other answer is wrong

Follow the verbal comment, since it came later and probably reflects the latest situation: Reasonable guess, but the comment may have been casual; you risk dropping the accuracy the written brief demanded.
Do the key checks only, so the work goes out quickly but is not entirely unchecked: A sensible compromise, but it satisfies neither instruction fully and is still a guess.
Decide for yourself which matters more on this task, based on who will use the output: Uses judgement, but decides a question the manager can answer in seconds.
Follow the written instruction, since it was set out deliberately for this task: Defensible, but ignores a more recent steer from the same manager that may reflect a changed deadline.

Practise more questions like this one at the Wamberry practice page.