Bee Dub: It's your mgr's job to manage daily operations, oversee the super's activity and make sure things get done. It's your super's job to take direction from your mgr and tell him what he needs or reasons why he can't do certain things (e.g., too much work, don't have the right materials, isn't experienced or needs a pro to do a specific job).

Before you hire a consultant to find where problems lie, try it yourselves. He'll need time to look at all areas of operations, and that could cost a lot of money.

If your mgr and super blame each other that little gets done, ask yourselves questions and do some investigating. A few suggestions:

- Are your mgr and super open and at ease when your Board talks to them, or do they just complain or seem to be evasive?

- How satisfied are you with your mgr's performance in areas that don't involve the super? For example - dealing with owners, overseeing condo expenditures, making sure important letters/notices are sent to owners or posted in a timely manner, how easy it is to reach him and how promptly he replies to calls or e-mails from board members?

- How satisfied are you with your super's performance in the work he does do? Is he qualified? Is his work shoddy? Does he reply promptly to owners' requests for service? Do owners find him cooperative and like him? Is there much time when things could be done but aren't? Do you know where he is during his working hours and what he's doing?

- You might consider a questionnaire to give owners with a "poor to excellent" check-off scale for rating all areas of management and staff performance. People all have their own issues and ideas of what's important, but probably no one can give you a better gauge of what is or isn't being done, or how well things are done, than the people who deal with your mgr and super on a regular basis.

- Have each of your board members write a list of specific areas that they feel aren't being attended to properly, or at all. Then compare notes and see where you all have the same issues or complaints.

I don't know any consultants you can hire to investigate this matter but, as I said, it will likely take a lot of time and money. An objective "outside" opinion can be a good thing, but it could also be way off base and wasteful in the end. I'd still suggest that you try to determine where the "fault" lies internally first through those closest to the situation - your board and your owners.