Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on English for project management meetings. In this lesson, we’re going to look at delivering an initial test build to the client.

In our last lesson, we looked at how important it is to set clear expectations with a good project kickoff meeting. But no matter how well you’ve educated the client about your work process, you’ve still got work to do when you deliver an initial test build. You can’t just hand it over to the client and wait for their feedback. It would be nice if project management was that simple, but it’s not. Handing off an initial test build needs to be dealt with carefully.

For one thing, you need to manage the client’s expectations. That means making sure they understand that you’re not delivering a final product. Rather, you’re giving them something to try out, or test. In this way, project management involves collaboration, or working together with a client. And that’s something you will want to emphasize when you deliver the initial test build.

Collaboration is especially important during the testing process. And it’s a good idea to outline the procedures very carefully for the client. If you don’t, then you’re likely to encounter obstacles. When you hand over a test build, you might also discover the client’s needs have changed. Or that they want something new. In this case, it’s important to clearly identify a change in the project scope. And you need to make sure the client understands that there may be cost overruns connected to a change of scope.

In today’s dialog, we’ll hear Martin, a project manager with OptiTech. He’s been leading the development of new software for a logistics company. Martin is having a teleconference with Zara, a manager at the client company, and Liam, their IT manager. They are discussing OptiTech’s initial test build.

Listening Questions

1. At the start of the conversation, what does Martin want to focus on when they look at the initial test build?
2. What does Martin say is the first step in the testing process?
3. How does Martin respond to Zara and Liam’s request for “load tendering tools?”

Download: Podcast MP3

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson, which continues our look at a project kickoff meeting.

Anyone who’s been involved with projects should know just how important it is to have good communication with a client. And good communication starts right at the beginning, at a project kickoff meeting. That’s when you’ll have the chance to make sure a client understands how you work and how the project should run.

In our last lesson, we looked at some of the basics that you need to cover in your first project meeting. Today, we’ll look at some more ways of increasing your chances of avoiding problems and ensuring that a project runs smoothly. In many cases, it can be a good idea to actually bring up potential obstacles in your meeting. If you see something that might impact the timeline or the budget, you can let the client know about it. And that might mean that you have to educate the client about your work process.

When you educate a client about your development process, you might find yourself using too much technical language. But if you want the client to really understand, you might have to rephrase that information in simpler terms. Of course, you don’t want to focus too much on potential problems. And for that reason you should know how to redirect a discussion away from problems and toward other issues. For example, you might need to ask the client for important information to get the project started.

In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin Martin and Jill. Their company, OptiTech, is starting a new project to develop software for a logistics company. Martin and Jill are kicking off the project by holding a teleconference with Zara, the manager of the client company, and Liam, their IT manager. In this part of the dialog, Martin and Jill are making sure Zara and Liam understand potential obstacles and the development process.

Listening Questions

1. What does Martin say is the cause of some potential obstacles?
2. What is Jill’s simple explanation of a technical idea that Zara didn’t understand?
3. When Martin redirects the discussion away from obstacles, what does he say he wants to discuss?

Download: Podcast MP3