Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on how to scope a project. This is the first of a pair of lessons on project management English and scoping new work for a client.
So what does it mean to “scope” a project? We use this word “scope” to describe what’s included and what’s not included in a project or agreement. So when we “scope” something, we’re asking questions and trying to understand what’s involved in a project.
There are many obvious questions you might ask when scoping new work. But you’ll likely find yourself having to educate the client about technical issues and costs. You may have to dig deep into assumptions and address client concerns. And you may have to present different solutions for the client to consider. In this way, scoping isn’t just about asking for simple project details. It’s both factual and relational.
In today’s dialog, we’ll listen to Jill, a software developer, talk with Ivan. Ivan works for a large retailer that wants to make significant changes to their HR software. Jill is asking questions to try to understand the company’s wants and needs so she can scope the project and put together a proposal.
Listening Questions
1. What does Jill believe Ivan is suggesting about their current approach?
2. What does Jill say about the cost of what Ivan is asking for?
3. At the end of the conversation, what does Ivan ask Jill to include in her proposal?
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