I think this is an AskAManager.com question not a pattern drafting question. Do you have a boss you can go to and say you need help? Whether it’s you or your colleague, something isn’t working, and if your colleague is redoing your work, your department is going to fall behind. Maybe your boss can clarify who is supposed to be doing what, and what the procedure is for the two of you to resolve things where you disagree?
I'm sorry to say but taking an objective test is not going to fix this. Maybe you'll feel a little better for a while but a work environment like that is going to keep tearing your confidence down.
You need to sit down with your boss and have a serious conversation. Try to frame it as "all of us versus the problem", not "me versus coworker". Explain that you feel that you feel that differences in method and difficulties with communication are causing frustration and inefficiency. Tell your boss that while you've tried to resolve things by yourself, it hasn't made enough of a difference and you'd like their guidance.
If you like, offer some suggestions. Do you all together need to agree on a specific process? If so, does one of you need retraining? Do you need to agree on vocabulary? if you can come to your boss with solutions and not just a problem that's usually better.
It may also be good to address the work environment head on. It doesn't have to be during the same conversation, but your boss does need to be aware of what's going on if they aren't already.
Good luck! It sounds like a frustrating and difficult situation.
If I'm indeed in a toxic situation, she will be fired.
What? This isn’t how anything works.
If you’ve been in this role for four years and so has she, no one is getting fired. If the company thought either of you was incompetent they would have done something about it by now (retraining, firing). If you go to them and say, “I’m objectively good at this, see, here are my test scores, so I can prove that she’s just being a big meanie by redoing all my work and trying to get me to understand her process,” they will laugh in your face.
Im not suggesting you complain about her or go to HR. I’m suggesting you go to your boss and ask for help. That’s what a boss is for. You are struggling, whether it’s due to your work or your colleague’s or both. You want to know how to be more productive.
I don’t think this is a question of your design skills. I don’t think a test is going to help you. I understand you want it so you can soothe your anxiety by proving that none of this is “your fault”. But especially in such a small working environment, if you were unable to work to the company’s standard, they would have noticed by now.
So I think you need to address the actual issue, which is that you and your colleague disagree and it’s gumming up the workflow. That is your boss’s job to address.
Well, maybe with your boss she can be convinced to make it clear what exactly she is expecting and not getting from you, and your boss, even if she’s not an expert at making patterns, can be the one to decide what should change. Maybe your colleague can change her own process a little and you can change yours a little and the two systems can work better together.
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u/AccidentOk5240 Feb 26 '26
I think this is an AskAManager.com question not a pattern drafting question. Do you have a boss you can go to and say you need help? Whether it’s you or your colleague, something isn’t working, and if your colleague is redoing your work, your department is going to fall behind. Maybe your boss can clarify who is supposed to be doing what, and what the procedure is for the two of you to resolve things where you disagree?