How to say it
In this section, you’ll find a collection of the phrases and expressions used in the extracts on the previous pages (pp. 6–11). The numbers (1–12) after each of the phrases refer to the extract it was taken from.
Asking difficult questions
How many of our projects actually start and finish on time? [1]
How often do we exceed the budget and miss the deadlines? [1]
How can we finish under budget and on time? [2]
Defining roles
Let me introduce your new scrum master. [2]
This is Mike. [2]
Everyone needs to own their role in the project. [5]
Who will monitor our progress? [5] Who do I need to inform about issues? [5]
Are we clear about who’s responsible for completing the individual tasks up on the whiteboard? [6]
As Rania is the project lead, she is accountable for the project results. [6] She will be in daily contact with the stakeholders. [6]
She will get their sign-off. [6]
Defining the working style
As a team, we agree on the plan, the tasks and the timeline together. [2] We execute the tasks. We assess the results. [2] We work to deadlines. [3]
We will share our progress more frequently. [3]
We’ll be working in two-week working cycles, or sprints. [3]
We will meet every day to review our progress. [3]
I’ll schedule them for 10 a.m. [4] We track the progress in these meetings. [5]
Every day, we set new targets. [5] We will have crystal-clear, bite-sized objectives. [7]
Showing flexibility and concern
If you prefer, you can sit down, of course. [4] How’s your back right now? [4]
Controlling the meetings
Can we all keep our points short and simple? [4]
We each have one minute to update everyone on our own individual progress. [8]
We have five minutes to set priorities and prioritize backlog. [8]
Slow down. Let's focus on one issue at a time. [9]
Can we all come around the whiteboard? [9]
Discussing deadlines
Can we extend the deadlines? [2] I’ve assigned everyone specific deadlines. [11]
Are these deadlines set in stone? [11] I’ve looked at the budget, time and scope constraints of this project. [11] We could extend the deadline by another three weeks. [11]
Checking views and understanding
Can I ask you something? [7] What’s your take on scrum, sprints and stand-ups? [7]
So, what’s the procedure? [8]
Why do you ask that? [9]
What’s your view on this? [11]
Can we add this to the whiteboard as a commitment? [12]
Will we meet all the requirements by the final deadline? [12]
Getting agreement
Are we OK with daily stand-ups? [4] I think we need to come to a decision. [9]
Do we have collective buy-in, everyone? [12]
Showing agreement
Exactly! [1, 5]
Sure. [7]
I agree. [9]
That’s a valid point. [11] Most definitely! [12]
Discussing workloads and tasks
Are we working on the right things right now to get us to our goal? [9] We don’t have enough manpower to complete this in one day. [9]
Let’s break this down into smaller stories. [9]
Keeping an eye on progress
Let me show you how far we’ve got with the design. [8]
What’s the status? [9]
How should we proceed? [9]
We’ve identified some new pain points. [10]
Have you assessed the impact of the changes? [10]
Expressing concern
Not more meetings! [3]
I’m concerned about the daily updates. [7]
What if I haven’t completed my tasks? [7]
It’s very late in the day to add new features to scope. [10]
I’m being pulled in multiple directions. [10]
Honestly, that’s a disastrous plan. [11]
Dealing with negativity
I hear your concerns. [9]
I’ll see if there is a workaround. [10] Let’s keep things constructive. [11]
Promoting a team spirit
As a team, we’re more efficient! [5] We are committed to making this work. [6]
We’re all in this together! [12] Fantastic teamwork! [12]
Well done, everyone. [12]