Hi,

My Manager is very short tempered,it looks like she is shouting when she says something in meetings. The project I was working was messed up by the contractor by not understanding what exactly needs to be done.This is delaying the project and I am really worried of how to communicate this to her. The contractor admitted his mistake.Any suggestions of how to handle my boss without pissing her off.

Thanks

Go to her on your hands and knees and beg her forgiveness. It would also help if you licked her shoes.

Did she tell the contractor or was it you explaining what she said to the contractor?
Where and how did it end up he didn't understand?

Relay the facts, and be ready to duck! Make sure your A$$ is covered, and can't be blamed.

My boss is a screamer. Lol I have actually seen her scream so loud that her false teeth flew out of her mouth. I have worked for her for about 10 years now and have seen just about everything. I will say that she has calmed down a lot in the last 10 years. When I have to approach her with bad news I usually do it over the phone and take the phone away from my ear while she rants ( it also helps that I work from home and we usually communicate by phone) If she behaves too badly, I tell her to think it over and call me back. So my advice if at all possible warm her up with a phone call, before a face to face meeting.

Hopefully you can start by explaining what steps you took to make sure he understood, either by telling him verbally or making sure he read and understood the specs. Then, summarize what has been done to get things back on track. Save the part about him admitting fault maybe as an ace in the hole. (Do you have documentation that he admits fault? Can he ask for more money later? The construction contracts I was involved with would definitely require documnetation of this error on the contractor's part.

Depending on my seniority I would be tempted to ask her if I should come back when she is in better control of her emotions. Find a better place to work when feasible.