プロジェクトの進捗管理において必要な進行状況の把握やトラブルへの対処、戦略プランの変更などについての表現の復習とフォローアップを行います。
Recall the previous three lessons about explaining progress.
- Q&A about milestones
- Giving updates, both good and bad
- Talking about changing and changed plans
Which lessons were challenging? Which do you need more practice with?
This unit can be a bit heavy so it's common for students to need more practice with this topic.
5.1 Q&A about milestones
Warmup/Language A key stages
- Staffing, entry, and on-boarding phase.
- Discovery and dialogue phase.
- Analysis and solution phase.
- Feedback and decision to act phase.
- Recommendation phase.
- Implementation phase.
- Expanding the client account.
Language B grammar for the beginning/middle/end (correct use of perfects)
Language C natural questions about progress
5.2 Giving updates, both good and bad
Language A: Phrases to start
- bring you up to speed
- fill you in
- give you an overview
Language B: Phrases when things are going well
- Everything's on track.
- We’ve had to overcome a lot of hurdles.
- It's coming along perfectly.
Language C: Phrases when things are not going well
- We've encountered a few issues.
- We hit a snag.
- We hit a wall.
- We're about half a day behind schedule.
5.3 Changing plans
Language A: Grammar frameworks:
- was going to...
- I was going to tell you, but then I got a call from the client and had to go to their office ASAP. I'm sorry!
- was supposed to...
- Ken was supposed to tell you. He didn't?!
- Should have/Should be...
- The report should be coming in any time now.
Language B: the future
- will/be going to
1. You are the team leader of a profitability optimization project that started two weeks ago. Check in with the team. Imagine a question and a response based on your experience.
- John, the most junior member, in fact this is his first project. He is in charge of calculating the fixed and variable expenses of the client's target area. He has 4 Excel datasets.
- Susan is in charge of analyzing John's output to find which expense areas could be cut without negative consequences.
- John will then put together a deck based on Susan's output, and Susan will check it. The client meeting is in two business days.
- Stephen, the lead consultant, is also an industry expert who is analyzing competition.
- Stephen is also conducting expert interviews with Susan's help. They have 7 experts to speak with.
2. Report your team's progress to the partner who is in charge of overseeing your project.
3. Explain the following situations to the partner overseeing your project.
- Based on your cost analysis, your team's plan is to recommend that the company cut a low-selling product from the line because of fierce competition. However, Stephen just had two reliable sources tell him that a competitor is going to cut a product from their line in the very near future, opening up that market. The new plan is to recommend an advertising campaign once the market opens up.
- There has been some insight about management styles, but the client is resistant to taking action. The first plan was an aggressive restructuring. But, based on a meeting you just had, a more measured approach may be the most feasible.