Shell Assessment Tests

Shell Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You work in the goods-out office of a brewery. A pallet of bottled beer is due to leave this afternoon for a wholesaler. Checking the paperwork you see the batch has a best-before date four days away, while the customer’s standing agreement requires at least thirty days’ shelf life on delivery. Your team leader says the wholesaler never checks, the beer is perfectly good, and the pallet should go as planned. The transport is booked. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Hold the pallet back yourself and tell transport the load is cancelled, since sending stock that breaches the customer's shelf- life agreement is not something you are prepared to process.
   2. Send the pallet as instructed but attach a note to the delivery paperwork recording the short shelf life, so that the wholesaler can see the dates when the load arrives.
   3. Tell your team leader you are not comfortable sending stock that breaches the agreed shelf life, and ask him to check with the customer account manager before the load goes.
   4. Send the pallet as your team leader instructs, since he has more experience of what this wholesaler accepts and the beer is well within its best-before date.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Tell your team leader you are not comfortable sending stock that breaches the agreed shelf life, and ask him to check with the customer account manager before the load goes.

   Least effective: D. Send the pallet as your team leader instructs, since he has more experience of what this wholesaler accepts and the beer is well within its best-before date.

   A: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: the conclusion is sound and the route is not. Cancelling a booked load without telling anyone who can decide leaves the customer with no delivery and nobody aware of why.

   B: Passes responsibility to others: it moves the problem onto the customer's goods-in desk to discover on arrival, which meets the letter of disclosure while still knowingly breaching the agreement your employer signed.

   D: Breaches confidentiality or process: it knowingly ships against a signed customer agreement on the basis that the customer will not notice. Deferring to seniority does not make it the brewery's decision to take.

   The most effective response is to tell your team leader you are not comfortable sending stock that breaches the agreed shelf life and ask him to check with the customer account manager: the agreement is the customer’s, not the brewery’s to waive, and there is time before the load leaves to put it to the person who owns the account. It raises the objection with the person who gave the instruction rather than going around him. It beats holding the pallet back and telling transport the load is cancelled, because that leaves the customer with no delivery and no explanation, when a check with the account manager might have produced an agreed answer. It beats attaching a note to the delivery paperwork recording the short shelf life, because that discloses the breach at the moment it is too late to prevent, and makes the customer’s goods-in team deal with a decision the brewery took knowingly. The least effective response is sending the pallet on the grounds that the beer is well within its best-before date: it ships against a signed agreement on the reasoning that the customer will not check, which is the logic that turns a one-off into a practice. That is worse than the note on the paperwork, which at least records the dates, and worse than cancelling the load, which at least stops it. The principle: when an instruction breaches a commitment your employer made, raise it with the person who gave it and get the decision to the person who owns the relationship.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are an estimator at a car body repair shop. You and the workshop foreman, Gary, disagree about how long a repair should take. He has twice overridden your estimates and told customers a shorter time, and two cars have now been late, with the customers complaining to you. Gary has been at the shop twenty years. Four more estimates are due this week. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Start telling customers a longer time than your estimate, so that even if Gary shortens it the promise still holds and nobody is disappointed.
   2. Leave the estimating to Gary, since he has twenty years in the workshop and the customers complain to you either way, and concentrate on the paperwork side.
   3. Talk to Gary this week, show him the two jobs that ran late against your estimates, and agree how the two of you will set a time before it is quoted to a customer.
   4. Take it to the shop owner, explaining that Gary has overridden your estimates twice and that customers have complained about late cars.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Talk to Gary this week, show him the two jobs that ran late against your estimates, and agree how the two of you will set a time before it is quoted to a customer.

   Least effective: B. Leave the estimating to Gary, since he has twenty years in the workshop and the customers complain to you either way, and concentrate on the paperwork side.

   A: Avoids the difficult conversation: padding every estimate hides the disagreement inside the quoted price and makes the shop look slower than it is, while Gary carries on overriding you.

   B: Abandons own committed work: it gives up the job you are employed to do because the disagreement is uncomfortable, so estimates keep being wrong, cars keep running late and nobody is accountable for the times.

   D: Escalates prematurely: Gary has not been shown that his shortened times are what made the cars late, and the first he would hear of it is from the owner, over something evidence and a conversation could settle.

   The most effective response is to talk to Gary this week, show him the two jobs that ran late against your estimates, and agree how the two of you will set a time before it is quoted: there is now evidence that the shortened times do not hold, and four more estimates this week will repeat it unless you agree a process. Showing him the jobs makes it about the work rather than about who is right. It beats taking it to the shop owner and explaining he has overridden your estimates twice, because Gary has never been shown the consequence, and going to the owner first turns a solvable working practice into a complaint about a twenty-year employee. It beats telling customers a longer time than your estimate so the promise holds either way, because padding conceals the problem inside customer quotes and leaves the shop quoting times it does not believe. The least effective response is leaving the estimating to Gary and concentrating on the paperwork: it abandons the role altogether, so the times stay wrong, customers keep being let down, and nobody owns the problem. That is worse than the other two, which handle it poorly but keep trying. The principle: take the evidence to the colleague, agree how the decision gets made, and only escalate if that fails.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are an administrator in a college admissions office. It is results week, your colleague who shares the enquiry inbox is off sick, and incoming enquiries have roughly doubled since Monday. You have also promised the finance office an enrolment reconciliation they need before they can start invoicing tuition fees. This morning the queue of unanswered enquiries is growing visibly, and your team leader asks how you plan to manage the day. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Assure your team leader you will cover the doubled enquiries and still deliver the reconciliation today, so nobody needs to worry about the absence.
   2. Set the reconciliation aside for the week and put all your time into the enquiry queue, assuming the finance office can start invoicing a little later.
   3. Take a few minutes to assess the workload, tell your team leader realistically what you can cover today and where support is needed, then work through the enquiries steadily.
   4. Tell your team leader, in front of the rest of the team, that the situation is unmanageable and management should have arranged cover, and continue only with your normal workload.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Take a few minutes to assess the workload, tell your team leader realistically what you can cover today and where support is needed, then work through the enquiries steadily.

   Least effective: D. Tell your team leader, in front of the rest of the team, that the situation is unmanageable and management should have arranged cover, and continue only with your normal workload.

   A: Over-promises: committing to absorb a doubled enquiry load and still deliver the reconciliation today gambles on a pace one person is unlikely to sustain, and sets up a late failure that is harder to manage than an honest assessment now.

   B: Abandons own committed work: dropping the reconciliation on an assumption leaves the finance office unable to start invoicing, without checking what they actually need, a promise quietly shelved rather than pressure honestly managed.

   D: Blames others publicly: announcing in front of the team that the situation is unmanageable, while refusing to adapt, turns pressure into complaint; it does nothing to reduce the queue and undermines the team leader and colleagues who still have to cope.

   The most effective response is to assess the workload, tell your team leader realistically what you can cover and where support is needed, then work the queue steadily: it meets the spike calmly and gives an honest picture of what one person can and cannot do, which keeps output up without pretending the pressure away. It beats assuring your team leader you will cover everything, because that promises a pace one person is unlikely to sustain, and the resulting failure would surface late in the day when it is hardest to fix. It beats setting the reconciliation aside for the week, because that quietly shelves a commitment the finance office is relying on, based on an assumption about their timetable rather than a conversation. The least effective response is declaring the situation unmanageable in front of the rest of the team and doing only your normal workload: unlike over-promising, which at least throws effort at the problem, and unlike shelving the reconciliation, which at least keeps the enquiry queue moving, it converts pressure into public blame and refusal, helping nobody and souring the team on a difficult day. The principle: under a workload spike, stay composed. Assess honestly, tell people what is realistic, and keep working, rather than over-promising, quietly dropping commitments, or blaming.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a supervisor at a coffee shop. Your two colleagues have both called in sick, you are running the shop alone through the morning rush, and the queue is out of the door. Your area manager rings to say she is coming in at midday to review the shop’s cleaning records with you, which will take an hour. You have not had a break. The records are up to date. It is 10am. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Say nothing about being short-staffed, serve through the rush, and get through the review at midday as arranged so that your area manager is not given the impression you cannot cope.
   2. Tell your area manager now that you are alone with both colleagues off, ask whether the review can move or whether she can send cover, and carry on serving while she decides.
   3. Close the shop for fifteen minutes to take your break and reset before the review, since you have been alone since opening and cannot keep serving without one.
   4. Ask your area manager to postpone the review, explaining that you are on your own, and leave it to her to find a new date when the shop is properly staffed.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell your area manager now that you are alone with both colleagues off, ask whether the review can move or whether she can send cover, and carry on serving while she decides.

   Least effective: C. Close the shop for fifteen minutes to take your break and reset before the review, since you have been alone since opening and cannot keep serving without one.

   A: Hides the strain until failure: it conceals the one fact that would change her plan, so she arrives to a shop with a queue and no cover, and the next rota is built as though today worked.

   C: Abandons own committed work: shutting a trading shop mid-rush with a queue outside is a unilateral decision affecting customers and takings, taken without telling the area manager who is on the phone at that moment.

   D: Passes responsibility to others: it raises the problem, which is right, then narrows it to one solution. Cover for the shop would suit her visit and you better than a cancelled review, and it is never offered.

   The most effective response is to tell your area manager now that you are alone with both colleagues off, and ask whether the review can move or whether she can send cover: she set the midday review without knowing, that is the fact that would change her plan, and she is on the phone now. Offering her the choice keeps both options open while you keep serving. It beats asking her to postpone the review and leaving her to find a new date, because that raises the same problem but presents only one solution, when cover would suit the shop and her visit better than a cancellation. It beats serving through the rush in silence so she is not given the impression you cannot cope, because that leaves her arriving to a queue and no cover, and confirms to the business that a single-staffed rush is workable. The least effective response is closing the shop for fifteen minutes to take your break: it shuts a trading shop mid-rush on your own authority, with a queue outside and your area manager on the phone, without telling her. That is worse than the other two, which mishandle the conversation but keep the shop open. The principle: when circumstances have changed under someone else’s plan, give them the fact and the options while they can still act, and keep working meanwhile.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You work in a council customer services team. You and your colleague Nadia job-share the housing repairs inbox. She believes tenants should be told realistic timescales even when they are long; you have been giving the target timescales the service publishes. A tenant has complained that he was told two different things by the two of you. Your team leader has asked you both to sort it out. Forty repair emails are waiting. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Agree to use Nadia's realistic timescales from now on, since the complaint came from a tenant being given the published target and then finding it was not met.
   2. Ask your team leader to rule on which timescales should be quoted, and hold the forty repair emails until she has decided so that no more tenants get conflicting answers.
   3. Carry on quoting the published targets, since they are the service's official position, and let Nadia answer her share however she prefers until somebody tells one of you otherwise.
   4. Sit down with Nadia today, agree a single form of words that gives the published target and what is realistic, use it on the forty waiting emails, and take it to your team leader to confirm.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Sit down with Nadia today, agree a single form of words that gives the published target and what is realistic, use it on the forty waiting emails, and take it to your team leader to confirm.

   Least effective: C. Carry on quoting the published targets, since they are the service's official position, and let Nadia answer her share however she prefers until somebody tells one of you otherwise.

   A: Prioritises harmony over honesty: it settles the disagreement by conceding rather than resolving it, and commits the team to quoting timescales that differ from the ones the service publishes.

   B: Delays the decision: it seeks the right ruling at the cost of forty tenants waiting longer for any answer at all, when a shared form of words could go out today and be confirmed afterwards.

   C: Avoids the difficult conversation: it accepts that tenants will keep getting two different answers from the same inbox, which is the exact complaint, and waits for someone else to fix it. Choosing to continue a known defect is worse than choosing the wrong fix.

   The most effective response is to sit down with Nadia today, agree a single form of words giving both the published target and what is realistic, use it on the forty waiting emails, and take it to your team leader to confirm: there are two problems, forty tenants waiting and a genuine disagreement about what to tell them, and a shared form of words solves both at once. Giving the target and the realistic expectation together is not a compromise between the two positions, it is the answer a tenant actually needs. It beats agreeing to use her realistic timescales from now on, because conceding to one view commits the team to quoting something other than the published target without anyone senior agreeing. It beats asking your team leader to rule and holding the emails until she has decided, because that makes tenants pay for an internal disagreement. The least effective response is carrying on quoting the published targets and letting Nadia answer her share however she prefers: it knowingly continues the practice that generated the complaint, with tenants still receiving two different answers from one inbox, and waits to be told to stop. That is worse than the other two, which pick a direction. The principle: agree a shared answer with your colleague, use it now, and have it confirmed afterwards rather than pausing the work.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You work behind the counter of a bakery. A customer ordered a birthday cake for collection at noon today with ‘Happy Birthday Amelie’ piped on it. It is 11am and you notice the cake in the fridge reads ‘Happy Birthday Amelia’. The decorator is in until 1pm and could re-pipe the inscription in twenty minutes. The customer’s phone number is on the order. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Hand the cake over at noon as it is, since the difference is one letter, the customer may not notice and it is too late to change it now.
   2. Ring the customer, explain the spelling error, and ask whether she would like it corrected or would rather collect the cake as it is.
   3. Have the decorator re-pipe the inscription and say nothing about the error, since the cake will be correct by the time the customer collects it at noon.
   4. Ask the decorator to re-pipe the inscription now, and ring the customer to let her know it is being corrected and will be ready at noon as arranged.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Ask the decorator to re-pipe the inscription now, and ring the customer to let her know it is being corrected and will be ready at noon as arranged.

   Least effective: A. Hand the cake over at noon as it is, since the difference is one letter, the customer may not notice and it is too late to change it now.

   A: Ignores the customer's actual need: a misspelled name on a child's birthday cake is the whole point of the order, and it is not too late, since the decorator is in and there is an hour. Relying on her not noticing is concealment of a known defect.

   B: Delays the decision: it hands her a choice she does not need to make. The name is simply wrong, the decorator is in, and twenty minutes is available before noon.

   C: Hides the problem: the outcome is right and the customer is never told that a cake with her daughter's name misspelled nearly went out, so she cannot check the spelling on the order for next time.

   The most effective response is to ask the decorator to re-pipe the inscription now and ring the customer to say it is being corrected and will be ready at noon: the name is wrong, there is an hour and a decorator on site, so it can be put right and still be ready. Telling her means she is not surprised and can confirm the spelling. It beats ringing to ask whether she would like it corrected or would rather collect it as it is, because that puts a decision to her that does not need making, when the fix is already possible. It beats having it re-piped and saying nothing about the error, because that gets the cake right but leaves her unaware of a mistake that came from the order itself. The least effective response is handing it over as it is on the grounds that the difference is one letter she may not notice: it claims the change is too late when an hour and a decorator are available, and relies on a misspelled name on a child’s birthday cake going unremarked. That is worse than the other two, which both produce a correct cake. The principle: when there is time to put a mistake right, put it right and tell the customer you have.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a funeral arranger. You have had an emotionally difficult week and today have taken three arrangement meetings back to back. A family arrives for the fourth, an hour early, and the son tells you at the door that the arrangements you sent contain the wrong name for his mother. You are tired and know you are close to your limit. Your funeral director is in the office. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Apologise for the mistake and start the meeting straight away without mentioning the error to anyone else, since raising it would only draw attention to a failing in your own work.
   2. Apologise, correct the paperwork immediately and start the meeting an hour early, since the family are here and have already been let down once.
   3. Apologise for the error, settle the family with a short wait, and tell your funeral director now so the paperwork is corrected and she can take the meeting if that is better.
   4. Apologise, correct the name, and ask the family to wait until the original appointment time so that you have a short break before the meeting begins.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Apologise for the error, settle the family with a short wait, and tell your funeral director now so the paperwork is corrected and she can take the meeting if that is better.

   Least effective: A. Apologise for the mistake and start the meeting straight away without mentioning the error to anyone else, since raising it would only draw attention to a failing in your own work.

   A: Hides an error to protect yourself: a family's mother's name was wrong on their arrangements, and the reason for not telling the funeral director is how it reflects on you. That leaves the error unexamined and the family with a tired arranger.

   B: Abandons own limits at the family's expense: starting an hour early when you know you are close to your limit takes the most demanding meeting of the week at the worst moment, and this family need you at your best.

   D: Hides the strain until failure: it buys a few minutes without telling anyone how the week has gone, so the funeral director cannot judge whether you should be taking this meeting at all.

   The most effective response is to apologise for the error, settle the family with a short wait, and tell your funeral director now so the paperwork is corrected and she can take the meeting if that is better: the family need the error put right and they need an arranger who is not at the end of a very hard week, and she can do both. Settling them first means the apology is not delayed by the internal question. It beats correcting the name and asking them to wait until the original time so you get a short break, because a break nobody knows about leaves her unable to judge whether you should be taking the meeting. It beats correcting the paperwork and starting an hour early, because beginning while you know you are close to your limit gives this family the least of you at the point they need the most. The least effective response is starting the meeting straight away without mentioning the error to anyone: it hides a mistake on a family’s arrangements to stop it reflecting badly on you. That is worse than the other two, which handle the pressure badly but put the error right openly. The principle: fix what the person in front of you needs, and tell whoever can rebalance the work the truth about your own capacity.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a scheduler for a solar panel installer. A customer’s installation is booked for Monday and he has arranged scaffolding at his own cost for that day. On Friday you learn the inverter for his system is out of stock for two weeks. The panels themselves could be fitted on Monday, with the inverter added later, but that would need the scaffolding twice. He is contactable. Your installations manager is available. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Ring the customer today, explain the inverter delay and that fitting the panels on Monday would mean paying for scaffolding twice, and let him choose what to do.
   2. Postpone the whole installation until the inverter arrives, and tell the customer so he can cancel his scaffolding before Monday.
   3. Leave Monday's booking in place and say nothing, since the panels can go up as planned and the inverter question can be dealt with once the installation has started.
   4. Send the team on Monday to fit the panels as planned, and tell the customer on the day that the inverter will follow in two weeks.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Ring the customer today, explain the inverter delay and that fitting the panels on Monday would mean paying for scaffolding twice, and let him choose what to do.

   Least effective: C. Leave Monday's booking in place and say nothing, since the panels can go up as planned and the inverter question can be dealt with once the installation has started.

   B: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: the scaffolding is his cost and his arrangement, so whether to use Monday's booking for the panels alone is his call, not a scheduling decision to be announced.

   C: Hides the problem: he is paying for scaffolding on the strength of a complete installation, and the plan is to let him find out mid-job. Withholding a known two-week gap from someone spending his own money is concealment.

   D: Commits the customer to a second cost: it commits him to a second scaffolding hire without asking, and he learns of the two-week gap only once the team is on his roof.

   The most effective response is to ring the customer today, explain the inverter delay and that fitting on Monday would mean paying for scaffolding twice, and let him choose: the scaffolding is his cost, the choice between one visit later and two visits with double hire is financial and belongs to him, and Friday leaves him time to cancel or keep the booking. Giving him the facts and both options is the whole job. It beats postponing the whole installation until the inverter arrives, because cancelling on his behalf decides how his own money is spent without asking. It beats sending the team on Monday and telling him on the day that the inverter follows in two weeks, because that commits him to a second hire and tells him afterwards. The least effective response is leaving Monday’s booking in place and saying nothing: it lets him pay for scaffolding believing the system will be complete, and plans to explain mid-installation. That is worse than the other two, which decide for him but at least tell him. The principle: when the trade-off costs the customer money, put the facts and the options to them while they can still change the arrangements.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You work in a florist’s shop. It is 9am. A funeral tribute must be delivered to a church by 11am and still needs an hour’s work. A wedding order for Saturday needs its flowers conditioning today, which takes forty minutes and can be done any time before closing. A customer has just walked in wanting a hand-tied bouquet, which takes fifteen minutes. You are alone until noon. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Make a simpler version of the funeral tribute so it takes half the time, then serve the customer and condition the wedding flowers comfortably before noon.
   2. Make the customer's bouquet first since she is waiting in the shop, then the funeral tribute, then condition the wedding flowers.
   3. Tell the customer the bouquet will be about an hour, start the funeral tribute so it is ready for 11am, then make the bouquet and condition the wedding flowers.
   4. Condition the wedding flowers first while they are fresh from the delivery, then make the funeral tribute and the bouquet before noon.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Tell the customer the bouquet will be about an hour, start the funeral tribute so it is ready for 11am, then make the bouquet and condition the wedding flowers.

   Least effective: A. Make a simpler version of the funeral tribute so it takes half the time, then serve the customer and condition the wedding flowers comfortably before noon.

   A: Reduces the work rather than the schedule: it quietly downgrades a funeral tribute the family ordered and paid for, to buy time for jobs with no deadline, and the family find out at the church.

   B: Delays the decision: fifteen minutes for the bouquet leaves only forty-five for an hour's work on a tribute that must reach a church by 11am, so the fixed deadline is put at risk by the flexible one.

   D: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: it puts forty minutes of work that can be done any time before closing ahead of a tribute with a church service at 11am.

   The most effective response is to tell the customer the bouquet will be about an hour, start the funeral tribute so it is ready for 11am, then make the bouquet and condition the wedding flowers: the tribute needs an hour and a church service fixes the deadline absolutely, so it has to start now. The other two both fit afterwards, and telling her the wait means she can choose whether to stay. It beats making her bouquet first because she is waiting in the shop, since fifteen minutes spent first leaves forty-five for an hour’s work, which loses the one deadline that cannot move. It beats conditioning the wedding flowers first while they are fresh from the delivery, because conditioning can be done any time before closing and the tribute cannot. The least effective response is making a simpler version of the funeral tribute so it takes half the time: it delivers something smaller than the family ordered in order to create time for tasks with no deadline, and they discover it at the service. That is worse than the other two, which sequence badly but deliver the work that was ordered. The principle: start the job whose deadline cannot move and whose duration you know, and tell the person waiting how long they will wait.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are a research assistant in a university laboratory. You and a postdoctoral colleague, Wei, disagree about whether a set of anomalous results should be included in a paper being submitted next week. He wants to exclude them as experimental error; you think they are real and should be reported. The principal investigator is at a conference and reachable by email. Wei is drafting the paper now. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Defer to Wei since he is more experienced and it is his paper to draft, and keep your own record of the anomalous results in case they matter later.
    2. Email the principal investigator now setting out the disagreement, since inclusion of data is her decision and the submission deadline is next week.
    3. Say nothing further and let the paper go out without the anomalous results, since Wei is confident they are experimental error and challenging him would strain a working relationship you rely on.
    4. Set out to Wei why you think the results are real, and if you still disagree put the question to the principal investigator by email before the paper is submitted.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: D. Set out to Wei why you think the results are real, and if you still disagree put the question to the principal investigator by email before the paper is submitted.

    Least effective: C. Say nothing further and let the paper go out without the anomalous results, since Wei is confident they are experimental error and challenging him would strain a working relationship you rely on.

    A: Prioritises the record over the outcome: a private note protects you while a paper goes out without data you believe are real, which is a question about the published science rather than about seniority.

    B: Escalates prematurely: Wei has not yet heard your reasoning in full, and taking it straight to the principal investigator at a conference makes a formal dispute of something a conversation may settle.

    C: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: it lets data you believe are real be excluded from a publication because raising it would be uncomfortable. Silence about what goes into the scientific record is a different order of wrong from raising it clumsily.

    The most effective response is to set out to Wei why you think the results are real, and if you still disagree put the question to the principal investigator before submission: whether the anomalies are error or signal is a scientific question with evidence behind it, he has not yet heard your full reasoning, and there is time to reach her. Talking first is proportionate and escalating on continued disagreement is proper. It beats emailing the principal investigator now to set out the disagreement, because doing that before he has heard the argument turns a scientific discussion into a dispute referred over his head. It beats deferring to him while keeping your own record of the anomalous results, because a private record protects you and does nothing about what is published. The least effective response is saying nothing further and letting the paper go out without them: it allows data you believe are real to be excluded because the conversation would be awkward, which is a decision about the scientific record taken for social reasons. That is worse than the other two, which handle it imperfectly but keep the question alive. The principle: argue the evidence with your colleague first, then take it to whoever owns the decision, before the work is committed.