Challenges Faced When Project Goals Are Unclear

There are two ways to look at this.

Option 1

This is the way you are pushing for - which is, in order to be able to do something well - you need to know what the desired outcome is, so that if there are key decisions you need to make within your own sphere of influence that might have a bearing on other parts of the project, you can decide accordingly.

Option 2

This is the easier and harder option - just do what you have been asked to do.

If I told you to build a bridge over a river, without any context apart from a deadline, you would probably build the quickest and cheapest bridge possible.

If, it then turns out that the bridge is to support the movement of an army and needs to be able to hold a 70 Tonne MBT - then you have to have the confidence to turn around and tell them that this what not in the scope you were provided and to pound sand.

Now - whilst the internet and especially Reddit is repleat with tails of Malicious Compliance around this idea - you don't have to go that far.

What you can do

Welcome to the world of CYA Emails - Aka - Cover Your Ass Emails. If you have tried to get the information that would enable you to do a good job and that information has been specifically and explicitly denied you - you can follow it up with an Email.

PUT EVERYTHING IN WRITING

Here, one of two things will happen.

Either the people that aren't providing the info will cotton on to what you are doing (creating a paper trail that will shift the blame onto them if it fails) and so be self-motivated to be more forthcoming

OR

When the inevitable excrement connects with the rotating blades, you get to sit back, with an umbrella and a waterproof coat and watch the chaos with a smug look of 'I told you so'

Now - to be clear, this is not an excuse to do a deliberately bad job in order to get back at Management - You should try to do the best within both your abilities and the information you are given - but it is protecting yourself so that if it does turn into a failure - you can show that you tried your best to prevent it from being so.