Lesson 7

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Lesson 7, a professional project
Goals:
1. Make a professional project; 
2. give information about the progress of a project.
“I know that you believe you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you understood that what you heard is not what I meant” (Anonymous author)
What is a project?
You shouldn’t let the following situation happen to you:
/ˈbeɪ.t̬ə/
Describing Projects – Useful Phrases
What are your current projects? 
What are you working on (at present)? 
What are your major initiatives in this area? 
We are currently working on . . . 
We are in the process of . . . 
We are developing . . . 
We are designing . . . 
We are building . . . 
We are marketing . . .
Se algo pode dar errado, Dará errado!
Lei de Murphy para a gestão de riscos
MURPHY’S LAW: ‘IF ANYTHING CAN GO WRONG, IT WILL’. LET’S NOT LET THAT HAPPEN, OK? SO, GET READY!
Now we’re going to learn some useful vocabulary on this topic. Let’s start, shall we? Remember that most of the words we are going to study can be used out of the business world.
	
	TERMS
	
	DEFINITIONS
	Abstract (resumo, sinopse)
	A short summary of the written report.
	Background information (informação do problema/histórico)
	Current knowledge related to the problem.
	
	
	
	Critical path (trâmite critico)
	
	The sequence of activities that must be
	
	completed on time for the entire project to finish on schedule.
	
	
	
	To kick off (dar o pontapé
inicial)
	
	A figurative expression meaning “to start”, can also be used as a noun “kickoff”.
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	Lead time (tempo de
preaparação)
	
	In general, the time between making a request and receiving the results. This term is often used to refer to the time between placing an order and receiving the delivery.
	
	
	
	
	
	Milestone (marco)
	
	A critical event during the life of a project,
	
	usually the accomplishment of a project deliverable.
	
	Schedule (tabela de prazos, de datas)
	
	A set of target dates for completing elements of a project.
	
	Specifications (especificações)
	
	It is usually abbreviated to specs. Specifications are a set of requirements (technical, time and cost) and detailed descriptions of the deliverables.
	
	Subcontractor (subempreiteiro, subcontratante)
	
	It is a person or company that does part of a job for someone or another company. They are hired to help the project go faster and more effectively, usually in building works and civil engineering. They’re often hired to reduce costs or mitigate project risks.
	
	Timeframe or time frame (prazo, calendário)
	
	The period of time in which a project or one phase of a project is meant to be completed.
	
	
	
	To green light”, “to give the
green light” (dar luz verde)
	
	To give permission for a project to begin. Example: “The commission has given the green light for a wind farm development.
	
	
Now, shall we broaden our project vocabulary by doing the exercise below?
1. During our last meeting, we developed a good action plan.
(a) acting plan (b) action plan (c) act plan
2. limit project options. If, for instance, you have "resource constraints", you are limited in the resources you can use for a project.
(a) Constants (b) Constraints (c) Contracts
3. Will we be outsourcing (terceirizar) this task? No, we're doing it in-house.
(a) in-house (b) at-house (c) in-home
4. How's the project going? It's going well, but we're a little behind schedule.
(a) behind schedule (b) behind the schedule (c) behind the times
5. How long is the estimated project time? = How long do you think the project will last?
(a) project duration (b) project time (c) project schedule
6. To "set dependencies" means to set a system of who is responsible for what and who answers to whom (in a project).
(a) depends (b) a deep net (c) dependencies
7. The difference between a "process" and a "project" is that a process is often repeated, while a project is not.
(a) redone (b) repeat (c) repeated
8. The traditional three constraints ( = limitations) of a project are it's scope ( = what must be done), time and cost.
(a) scope (b) coping (c) escape
9. If something is done on a " tight budget" it means that there's not a lot of money to spend.
(a) greedy (b) narrow (c) tight
10. One of my responsibilities as a project manager was to track ( = to keep an eye on) and report progress.
(a) track (b) trace (c) trick
11. Making a list of tasks with the most important ones on top is called prioritizing.
(a) prioritizing (b) priority writing (c) priority making
12. Large-scale projects are usually very complex, and require a lot of planning.
(a) scalability (b) scale (c) scaled
13. Nancy, since you're really busy, I've delegated some of your duties to Tom.
(a) deflected (afastar, evitar) (b) determined (c) delegated
14. Critical time = crunch time
(a) Crunch (esmagar) (b) Crash (catastrophe, colisão) (c) Crutch (muleta)
15. I have allotted ( = set aside (alocar)) 10 hours to complete this task.
(a) allowed (b) allotted (c) alienated
16. A deliverable is a tangible, measurable output of a task.
(a) deliverance (b) deliverable (c) delivery
17. A project's implementation phase is the time when it's moved from a development status to a production status.
(a) information phase (b) implementation phase (c) implementing phase
18. If an activity is not "effort-driven" but "of a fixed duration", it means that:
the activity will take less time if more people are hired
the activity is not interesting.
the activity will take the same amount of time no matter how many people work on it
KEY: 1 – B; 2 – B; 3 – A; 4 – A; 5 – B; 6 – C; 7 – C; 8 – A; 9 – C; 10 – A; 11 - A; 12 – B; 13 – C; 14 – A; 15 – B;
16 – B; 17 – B; 18 – C.
PROJECT VOCABULARY DIAGRAM
For any project to be successful, it needs to be well planned. The diagram shows the important factors when planning a project. Use the diagram to help you complete the sentences below.
Exercise 
For any project to be successful, it needs to be well planned. The diagram shows the important factors when planning a project. Use the diagram to help you complete the sentences below.
Communication – efficiency - joint venture - man - hours - objective – over - purchasing plan – recruit – short-term – uncontrollable
1. Our objective is to increase productivity by 5%. 
2. The project will be a joint venture with a Russian company. 
3. One uncontrollable factor is the exchange rate. If the dollar falls, then the project will be more expensive. 
4. We will have 10 people on the project with a total of 1000 man-hour over the next six months. 
5. Our short-term objective is to reduce costs by 3% within two months. 
6. One possible problem is a lack of communication between the companies due to the language barrier. 
7. The project finished on time, but unfortunately, it went over budget. [we spent too much money]
8. We needed some new hardware, so we drew up a purchasing plan. 
9. We want to improve our efficiency. That means we’ll have more productivity and lower costs. 
10. We didn't have the right people, so we had to recruit two IT experts.
	Turnover (rotatividade)
	In a human resources context, turnover or staff turnover or labor turnover is the rate at which an employer gains and loses employees.
	Joint Venture (empreendimento conjunto)
	A partnership or conglomerate /kənˈɡlɑm·ər·ət/, formed often to share risk or expertise.
	Purchasing plan (plano de compra/aquisição)
	A plan that details all the expenses of a project. 
	Man hour (hora/homem)
	A man-hour or person-hour is the amount of work performed by an average worker in one hour.
	Market share (participação no mercado)
	The percentage of a total market, in terms of either value or volume, accounted for by the sales of a specific brand.
	Profit (lucro)
The return received on a business undertaking after all operating expenses have been met.
	Troubleshooting (solução de problema)
	To investigate as a troubleshooter; determine and settle problems with.
	Contingencies (contingências)
	An event that may occur but that is not likely or intended; a possibility. A possibility that must be prepared for; a future emergency.
Let’s see how all this works in everyday life:
SITUATION 1: AN INITIAL PROJECT OVERVIEW MEETING
Read the following internal meeting between a director and a project manager who is having a project passed/handed over to him. Focus on the words/phrases in BOLD and think about their meaning.
Director: "Hi John, take a seat. Do you know much about the project?"
Project Manager: "Hi Peter. I know a little about it."
Director: "Well, I’ll tell you about it now. The main purpose of the project is to incorporate the existing TB Management Application into the TB Office Application. The scope is very large, it’s an essential application for the company and it will be used for the whole company across the world. Because we don’t want to risk bringing down the whole computer system, the roll out will be done in stages. First, in the UK and Holland, then in the rest of Europe, and then the rest of the world. We’ve done the business case, how much we predict it will cost and how much money we expect to save when it’s being used. Now, it’s with the Board of Directors, waiting for their sign off. But that’s just a formality, we’ll have the confirmation of the project in a couple of days. Do you have any questions?"
Project Manager: "Yes, what are the deliverables?"
Director: "Just the incorporation of the app into main office application and some new report and statistical functions."
Project Manager: "I suppose that a risk analysis has been carried out. What are the main risks if it’s rolled out and doesn’t work?"
Director: "Well, the worst case scenario is that the company’s main office application won’t work. That’s why the roll out will be in different phases. But we doubt anything so severe will happen."
Project Manager: "What will the budget for the project be?"
Director: "About $3.5 million. I know it’s not a lot, but because of the crisis, there are constraints on spending. We can’t spend like we used to. There’s also a time constraint, it needs to be up and running in 9 months. That’s if everything goes according to plan. And as you know nothing ever does!"
Project Manager: "It does seem challenging."
Now let’s check the meaning of some of them. Did you get them?
	Scope (escopo)
	A preliminary /prɪˈlɪm.ə.ner.i/ project scope statement specifies the goals of the project, the resources needed and describes the expected end results.
	Roll out (lançamento, implementação)
	This is another way to say 'launch', although 'roll out' is more frequently used with processes and IT projects. This can also be used as a verb.
	Sign off (aprovação)
	This is a more neutral way of saying 'approval'. it means that senior management approve something. It is also a verb, 'to sign off'.
	Deliverables (produtos a entregar, produtos de uma atividade, resultado esperado)
	It is something that can be achieved as the result of a process, plan or project. A deliverable may be a physical object, a new product or the completion of a project.
	Worst case scenario (situação mais desfavorável)
	It means the worst thing that could happen.
	Budget (orçamento)
	The total sum of money allocated for a purpose or period of time.
	Constraint (limitação, restrição)
	A restriction or limitation that influences the project plan.
	Up and running (estar em funcionamento)
	It is used to say that something is working ok.
	On schedule (em dia, dentro do prazo)
	It refers to progress that matches the original plan.
Exercise 
Below is a definition/description of each of the words/phrases in bold above. Now fill in the blanks with one of these words/phrases in bold. Only use each word/phrase once and write it as it is in the text.
budget –deliverables - goes according to plan - just a formality - risk analysis - roll out – scope - sign off - up and running - worst case scenario – constraint
1. Another way to say that something has been implemented correctly and is working, is up and running. 
2. Another way to say ‘implementation’ is roll out.
3. The actual objects/services that a project will provide at the end are the deliverables. 
4. The amount of money given to do a project is called the budget. 
5. When you are very confident that something will be approved, you say just a formality.
6. A formal way to say 'limits', is constraints.
7. A report/study that examines the possible problems a project could cause, is the risk analysis. 
8. Another way to say 'to go well', is goes according to plan.    
9. Another way to say 'approval', is sign off.      
10. Another way to say 'the worst possible situation', is worst case scenario.
11. A different way to say 'overall size' and 'purpose' when talking about a project, is scope.
Read the following business project update meeting between a finance director and an internal project manager about the current situation with a project. Focus on the words/phrases in BOLD and think about their meanings. 
SITUATION 2: BUSINESS PROJECT UPDATE MEETING
Finance Director: 'Hi, Claire, I hope you had a good journey. The traffic is terrible around here'. 
Project Manager: 'No problems at all, I must have been lucky.' 
Finance Director: 'Anyway, where are we with the project? Will you finish the development stage by next month?'
Project Manager: 'Well, we are ahead of schedule with some of the tasks in the development stage. For example, the customer reaction task went quicker than we expected. So, we finished it before the planned date. But we have encountered some unexpected issues with government regulations. The culture department doesn’t like some of the photos, so we are going to have to change them. So, there will be a bit of a delay.'
Finance Director: 'So, you are behind schedule, aren’t you? Are you late with that part?'
Project Manager: 'Unfortunately, yes. You know that the government is always slow. So, it's taking longer than planned. And because of this, it has a knock-on effect on the rest of the project. We can't start anything else until we have changed the photos!''
Finance Director: 'So, what you're saying is that you won't finish the project in June as we agreed? You won't meet the project's final deadline?' 
Project Manager: 'Well, once we have changed the photos, which should be next week, we're going to work harder and longer. So, I'm sure that within a month we'll be on schedule with the project again. And we'll meet the final deadline in June.’ 
Now let's check the meaning of some words and do the exercise. Did you get them right?
	Ahead of schedule:
(adiantado)
	It is very commonly used in both business and projects to mean that something is progressing quicker than planned.
	Behind schedule (atrasado)
	It refers to a failure to keep up with the plan.
	Knock on effect (efeito dominó)
	It is normally used when talking about problems or delays, when it has consequences on another part of the project. This phrase is normally followed by the preposition 'on'.
	Deadline (prazo, data de entrega)
	The latest time or date by which something should be completed.
PROJECT OVERVIEW QUIZ
Below is a definition/description of each of the words/phrases in bold above. Only use each word/phrase once and write it as it is in the text.
When something is happening slower than expected, it is taking longer than planned.
The previously agreed date to finish something like a report or project, is the deadline.
A word very similar to problems, is issues.
When things are going as expected, they are on schedule.
Each of the large parts of a project, like development, implementation, etc. is called a
stage.
A noun which
has a similar meaning to “behind schedule”, is delay.
When something influences or affects something else, we say it has a knock-on effect.
When parts of a project are taking longer than expected or planned, the project is behind schedule.
The smaller parts of a project, within a stage, are called tasks.
When things are going quicker than expected, the project is ahead of schedule.
ahead of schedule - behind schedule – deadline – delay – issues - knock on effect - longer than planned - on schedule – stage - tasks
KEY: longer than planned – deadline – issues - on schedule – stage – delay - knock on effect - behind schedule – tasks - ahead of schedule
SITUATION 3: A PROJECT REVIEW MEETING
After a business project has been completed or implemented, it is normal to undertake a review of its performance and results. This is called a Post Implementation Review (PIR) meeting. This type of review has three main purposes.
Firstly, to see if the project has achieved what was originally planned. Secondly, to see how the project can be improved both now and in the future. And lastly, to learn from the mistakes that happened so as to ensure they won’t happen in future projects. 
Read the following Post Implementation Review (PIR) meeting for an IT project that has recently been completed. Focus on the words/phrases in BOLD and think about their meaning.
PROJECT MANAGER: 'Thanks for coming to this PIR for the recently completed project to incorporate the TB Management Application into the TB office application. Today, we have representatives of all of stakeholders here. The project team, the users of the application and management. Unfortunately, the IT director who was responsible for creating and overseeing the project can't attend. I know it's normal to have the project sponsor at this meeting, but she has sent her assistant to be here in her place.
As usual, we've updated the gap analysis, which will show us the difference between where we are with the aims of the project and where we should or could be. I can confirm that the project is delivering what it was intended to. The new report functionalities are working well and real-time statistics can now be generated from all applications and databases. The application is performing everything which was specified in the original project charter, which defined the purpose and objectives of the project.
As you know, the project was completed by the deadline. There were no major problems when the project was implemented in the live environment, it was a smooth transition between the old system and the new system. But some of the end users did report some minor response problems. These were ironed out by the end of the first day and there have been no further reports of this type problem.
Sarah carried out a survey among the end users and it had favorable results. The survey assessed their opinion about the new changes to the applications. Once they knew how to use the new database and report functions, they met their demands and saved them a lot of time when generating statistics. They also praised the on-site support, saying that they were very helpful. One of the areas identified, where in effect we dropped the ball is with training and documentation. It seems that the training didn't cover the areas which most of the end users needed. They also commented that user documentation was very confusing and was of little benefit.
These issues are currently being addressed by Sally. She'll update me in a couple of days with her recommendations. You can find a copy of the survey's findings on the desk in front of you. I've already informed the project sponsor of these results and she seemed happy.
Although the project has been a great success, there are some lessons which we can learn from this, especially with the problems with the training and user documentation. I would like to hear your suggestions on how we can avoid making these mistakes in future projects.
Now let’s check the meaning of some of them. Did you get them right?
	Stakeholder (parte interessada)
	It is a person who is involved in an organization (internally or externally) and has responsibilities towards the carrying out of a project in some way.
	Sponsor (patrocinador)
	The person who provides funding for the project, approves changes and supports the project in the company.
	Gap analysis (análise das lacunas)
	A report that analyses the performance of a project or process.
	End users
(usuários/consumidores finais)
	It refers to the customers who use/consume a product, process or service. This is used for both internal and external customers.
	To iron out (resolver, corrigir)
	This is an informal way to say 'solve' minor problems or difficulties, e.g. 'There was a small problem with the design, but that has now been ironed out'.
	To assess (avaliar)
	It is a more professional way to say 'evaluate'. It is very common to 'assess' performance, results, progress etc... in reviews, surveys, reports etc...
	Demand (necessidade, exigência)
	In this context it means 'needs' or 'requirements' (both of these words can replace it) that a customer/end-user has from a product or service.
	Support (apoio)
	This is the common name for people whose purpose is to help customers/end users, e.g. 'customer support' or 'IT support'.
	To drop the ball (pisar na bola)
	This is an informal expression. It means that somebody has made a big mistake or done something badly.
	To address (lidar com, analisar, abordar)
	In this context it's a very professional way to say 'to deal with' or 'to look into' an issue or problem.
	Findings (conclusões)
	It refers to the conclusions which are made after something has been examined or investigated (in a report, review, survey etc...). The findings also include recommendations.
PROJECT OVERVIEW QUIZ
Below is a definition/description of each of the words/phrases in bold above. Now fill in the blanks with one of these words/phrases in bold. Only use each word/phrase once.
An expression that means somebody has been done something badly or made a big mistake, is drop the ball.
The conclusions of a report or survey, are called findings.
A report that analyses the performance of a project or process is called a gap analysis project.
The people who use a product/service are often called end users.
The people who are either involved in a project or will be affected by its result/outcome are called the stakeholders.
Another way to say 'deal with' or 'look into’ is address.
Another way to say ’requirements’ is demands.
The document which states/sets out the purpose and objects of a project is called a project charter.
Another way to say ‘evaluate’ is assess.
An expression that means that a minor issue or problem has been resolved is iron out.
A noun that means the change from one state/situation to another is transition.
The senior manager who is ultimately responsible for a project, is called the project sponsor.
The people who are there to help customers with their questions or problems for products/ service are called support.
The name of written information which is stored on computer files or on paper is called documentation.
Address – assess – demands – documentation - drop the ball - end users – findings - gap analysis - iron out - project charter - project sponsor - stakeholders – support - transition
KEY: drop the ball – findings - gap analysis - end users - stakeholders – address – demands - project charter – assess - iron out – transition - project sponsor – support – documentation
ROLE PLAY: Now it’s your turn. Choose one of the following situations and make up a dialogue.
SITUATION 1 – An Initial Project Overview Meeting, in which you will present a project to your co-workers so it can be rolled out. (retirar ing de present)
SITUATION 2 – An Update Meeting in which you will the development of the project. (retirar a vírgula entre Meeting e in)
SITUATION 2 –
A Review Meeting in which you will undertake a review of the project
performance and results. (retirar a vírgula entre Meeting e in)
AND SOME FINAL ADVICE: Never start a project without having at hand all the resources you will need.
Next class, you will study the following topics:
how to prepare a lecture;
how to give a lecture.
In this class, you:
Make a professional project;
give information about the progress of a project.