I relate to this style more than the other comments in this thread, this seems more typical of a large company.
You need to define clear needs out of your request: start with your end goal, the processes you need, the mechanical details of the processes you need to write, how much detail you are comfortable with, and the format in which you want it . and take all of that to the senior or director level of whatever department manages those systems. They may or may not know the exact information you need, but it should be their job to delegate and translate the request such that their reports can collate what you need in the form that you need it. And because it’s the director delegating, the engineers have inherent CYA and will be a lot more comfortable giving you what you need.
Unfortunately this adds to the bureaucracy, but it really is the most effictive way of translating business needs to engineering needs. It’s not a straightforward process, and accurately defining the steps that need to happen for a job to get done, takes someone with a lot of experience and training.
If you’re in a startup or smaller company, then I think the other comments that prioritize asking and listing to what the engineers recommend, is the best approach.
I just started reading the dune series, after watching the movies, and I’m having a great time with it! Somehow the books do a better job of detailing the conversations between all the different characters, and setting the stage for movie 2.