Do any of you ever get the feeling that sometimes the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing? Specifically your supervisor and your external?
I was given instructions by my supervisor to prepare an update for the external. He told me to keep the update very general (i.e. what areas I've been researching, what information I've uncovered, different ways the research could be naturally progressing etc.). I did all of this, submitted it to him (and he said it was excellent!).
Then a few days later I get a lengthy email from the external saying that this wasn't what she was looking for at all, it was too vague and generic, she wanted specifics etc.
Basically I felt by the tone that she thinks I'm an idiot!
I'm rather annoyed that I wasted a lot of time I could have used more productively had the correct instructions been given to me in the first place! Any of you had similar experiences?