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In today's episode, you'll practice reporting on progress.
That means informing your boss or colleagues about your current work.
This is also called updating someone on the status of a project.
Reporting on progress happens in formal settings, such as at meetings, but often also in informal settings, such as around the water cooler, or maybe even over a drink after work.
Today's listening provides an example of this very common kind of informal project update.
It takes place in the offices of Airmex Services, a company that specializes in the maintenance, repair and modification of passenger loading bridges, which are commonly called jetways.
These are the bridges that connect an airplane to the flight arrival gate so that passengers can exit.
Recently, Air Max Services has been helping airports modify their jetways to fit the new Airbus A380 supersized passenger planes.
You'll hear Rudy, a project manager, update his boss, Max, on the status of one such project.
They meet each other during a break in the coffee room.
As you listen, pay attention to both the vocabulary and the verb tenses Rudy and Max use to discuss the progress of the project.
Before we start, here are today's listening comprehension questions.
Remember to check the website for the answers.
1.
What is Joe, the project engineer, worried about?
2.
Does Rudy think he's right?
3.
How do they plan to respond to the problem?
4.
How does Wolfgang feel about the solution?
How's it going, Rudy?
Not bad.
Just back from Terminal A. Really?
Speaking of Terminal A, can you give me a quick update on Gate 53?
Sure.
Well, no major issues.
That's good.
But Joe, the site engineer, has run the new numbers in AutoCAD and he's worried that the A380 aft passenger door might damage the mountings on the jetway extension.
Hmm.
Are you sure he's right?
I don't want us to be doing any one-offs unless it's really necessary.
Actually, I think he's really on the ball with this one, and quite impressed with his work.
So, what are we going to do?
Well, Joe has already designed a modification.
The new build shouldn't be much more expensive.
That's fine.
Just check with Ella in contracts to make sure we're covered for the costs.
Then shoot me an email.
No problem, of course.
But I still think we're coming in way under budget.
What about making the deadline?
Any problems there?
I don't think so.
Joe is carrying out tests over the next couple of days.
We'll be able to make up for lost time over the weekend.
Good.
I want you to prepare a brief report on this for Tuesday's key accounts meeting.
I think we have a good story to tell here about how we bend over backwards to meet customer requirements.
It sounds like Rudy, the project engineer, deserves a promotion.
For once, things have gone well.
Let's go through the dialogue together.
When the listening begins, Wolfgang and Rudy have met each other in the break room where they're having a cup of coffee.
Rudy says that he's just gotten back from Terminal A.
A terminal is the place where transport vehicles, in this case airplanes, Unload passengers and goods.
That is where Rudy is working on one of his projects, the extension of a jetway at Gate 53.
Extension means to make longer.
When Wolfgang hears that Rudy has just returned from Terminal A, he uses this opportunity to ask Rudy about his project.
How does he do this?
Let's listen again.
Really?
Speaking of Terminal A, can you give me a quick update on Gate 53?
This is a great informal way to ask a colleague or a subordinate about the status of a project.
First, Rudy links to what was just said.
Speaking of Terminal A, then he asks about the project.
Can you give me a quick update on Gate 53?
Let's practice some more examples of this technique.
Talking of Paris, would you mind giving me a brief report on the marketing activities there?
While we're on the topic of production, can you bring me up to speed on the new factory?
So, fill me in on the Hanover project.
What's going on there?
Speaking of the release date, how about promotion activities?
What's the latest?
How does Rudy respond to Wolfgang's request for an update?
Remember he says, no major issues.
Here, issues is a nice way of saying problems.
This use of issue to mean problem is common in business English.
It makes you sound more optimistic or positive.
Basically, Rudy is telling Wolfgang that everything's fine.
What else could he have said to communicate this idea?
No worries.
Everything is looking good.
Everything's on track.
Good news!
It's all smooth sailing over here.
We're looking good.
Well, there is, however, one minor issue with Rudy's project, isn't there?
What is it?
Let's listen to Rudy explain again.
But Joe, the site engineer, has run the new numbers in AutoCAD and he's worried that the A380 aft passenger door might damage the mountings on the jetway extension.
Rudy says that Joe, the site engineer, has found a possible problem.
A site engineer is an engineer who works on site, at the place where the construction is being done.
Joe is worried that the aft, that is the rear, passenger door, will damage the jetway when it opens.
Joe has run the new numbers in AutoCAD.
AutoCAD is software that engineers and architects use for design.
To run numbers in AutoCAD means to analyze a building or structure using the AutoCAD software.
Pay attention to the verb tense that Rudy uses here, has run.
This is the present perfect.
Rudy doesn't use the simple past tense, that is, Joe ran the numbers, because the activity running the numbers in AutoCAD is important now.
This aspect of the present perfect tense, that it's used to describe something that has present relevance, makes it suitable for giving news to someone.
That makes it a very common tense in reporting on progress.
So how does Wolfgang respond to the problem?
Hmm.
Are you sure he's right?
I don't want us to be doing any one-offs unless it's really necessary.
A one-off is a special solution that takes time and resources but can't be repeated for other companies.
Rudy responds by saying that Joe is on the ball with this one.
To be on the ball is an idiom that means to have ability and be alert.
Wolfgang's next question is, what are we going to do?
Going to is used to ask about plans or things that have already been decided.
Then Rudy says, Well, Joe has already designed a modification.
The new build shouldn't be much more expensive.
Notice Rudy uses the present perfect tense again here, has done.
Joe has already designed a modification.
Again, he doesn't use the simple past tense.
Joe designed a modification, because Joe's modification is relevant now.
It's important to their current work.
The expression the new build refers to Joe's modification.
In construction or engineering, a new build just refers to new construction.
What does Wolfgang say next?
That's fine.
Just check with Ella in contracts to make sure we're covered for the costs.
Then shoot me an email.
What does Wolfgang mean by, make sure we're covered for the costs?
When you buy insurance, it's called insurance coverage.
So, if you buy fire insurance, you're covered for fire.
In the dialogue, Wolfgang is concerned about whether their contract says the customer will pay for this modification.
Another way to say this is that the contract covers AirMech for the cost of such modifications.
Shoot me an email is another idiomatic expression.
It means send me an email.
You can also say fire me off an email.
Getting back to our dialogue, how does Rudy respond to Wolfgang's request to send an email to the contracts department to ask whether or not the contract covers them for the modification?
He says, no problem, of course, but I still think we're coming in way under budget.
That means Rudy doesn't think they will go over budget.
All right, back to our dialogue.
What's Wolfgang's next concern?
What about making the deadline?
Any problems there?
I don't think so.
Joe is carrying out tests over the next couple of days.
We'll be able to make up for lost time over the weekend.
There are three great collocations here or word partnerships that are useful for reporting on progress.
Remember, study words in groups and phrases to improve your fluency.
To make a deadline is the same as to meet a deadline.
To make up for means to compensate for.
So, to make up for lost time means to catch up when you have fallen behind.
What if Rudy thought that they would not make the deadline?
What could he say then?
It looks as though we might be going a little over deadline.
I'm not totally sure we're going to be able to meet that deadline.
We've run into a few unexpected issues that might affect our ability to make the deadline.
Finally, before we finish up today, let's listen to how Wolfgang finishes up their short informal progress meeting.
Good.
I want you to prepare a brief report on this for Tuesday's key accounts meeting.
I think we have a good story to tell here about how we bend over backwards to meet customer requirements.
Wolfgang uses an interesting idiom here. to bend over backwards to meet customer requirements.
Obviously, bending over backwards is awkward and difficult.
So to bend over backwards to do something means to spend an unusually large amount of energy to get a job done.
You can also say, bend over backwards for someone.
For example, Airmec is always bending over backwards for its customers.
Note also that Wolfgang uses another good collocation here to meet customer requirements, which means the same as satisfy customer requirements.
Well, that just about covers our topic today.
You've reviewed the present perfect tense in reporting and you've learned several useful idioms and collocations for talking about projects.
You've also studied phrases for asking for a status update, as well as diplomatic ways for talking about deadlines and budgets.
Be sure to visit our website to check your answers to the listening comprehension questions.
And here at Business English Pod we'll be bending over backwards to bring you more useful ways to improve your business English.
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