BEP 293 – Implementing a Plan (Part 2)

Hello and welcome back to Business English

Pod. My name’s Edwin, and I’ll be your host for
today’s lesson on collocations related to
implementing a plan.

Everyone knows that you have to plan for the

future. But many “plans” are only that: they are
just plans. But a plan is only useful if it leads to
action. Or, as a wise man once said: a plan
without action is a dream wasted. In order to
not waste that dream, we need to implement
the plans we create.

In today’s lesson, we’ll hear a discussion about how to implement a marketing plan.
And you’ll hear lots of common expressions we use when talking about
implementation. These expressions are called “collocations,” which just means a set
of words that usually go together. For example, have you heard the expression “put
something into action?” That’s a common collocation that means “to implement.”
We don’t say “make something into action” or “activate something.” It’s always
“put something into action.”

You can learn these natural combinations of words used by native speakers.
Studying collocations will help you sound more natural and expand your active
vocabulary. As you listen to today’s dialog, try to catch some of these collocations,
and we’ll go over them later in the debrief.

In the dialog, we’ll rejoin Carlos, Viv, Byron, and Marion, who are discussing how to
implement a marketing plan. In the last lesson, they talked about some of their
online marketing activities. Today, they’re going to talk about some other parts of
the plan, including the timeline.

As you listen to the dialog, try to answer the following questions:

1. Why does Carlos mention that Marion is a strong writer?

2. What does Carlos say about the importance of the CRM?
3. What does Viv think about the timeline on the CRM activities?

© 2016 All rights reserved: www.businessenglishpod.com 1

Vocabulary

Brochure: a small folding paper with pictures and descriptions of products or

services; “We’re going to need at least a thousand brochures printed for the trade
show next month.”

Lumped together: put in the same group; “For this part of the workshop, I’d like to
lump together people from different departments.”

To see something through: to work on something until it’s finished, or to make sure
something gets finished; “Choosing a strong team leader will help the group see
things through in the allotted time.”

To assign responsibility for something: to give someone a task or role; “I’m not
sure we should assign responsibility for the Carter account to Jane. She’s just too
new.”

To take on a role: to accept a position or purpose within a situation or group; “After

ten years with the company, Norm has taken on a broader leadership role in the
finance department.”

To report back to someone: to tell someone what you’ve done toward a goal,
especially someone overseeing the work; “So, you can get started on the proposal
and just report back to me next Monday so I know how far along you are.”

On message: saying things in a way that fits with an organization’s purpose or

image; “We’ve had some requests from different media for a statement, so I think
we need to meet just to make sure everyone’s on message about the crisis.”

CRM: customer relationship management, or the technologies and strategies used

to manage customers; “This new CRM tool is really going to help us increase sales
to existing customers and target our advertising.”

A biggie: something large or important; “Tony called about a problem with the
printing press. We’ve had some small issues before, but this sounds like a real
biggie.”

To push a plan forward: to make progress or take action towards the goals of a
plan; “Management wants to really push this sales plan forward so we can see
some revenue gains by the fourth quarter.

To track progress: to watch, monitor, or record steps taken toward a goal; “Our
new project management software gives us a greater ability to track progress on
every aspect of a project.”

© 2016 All rights reserved: www.businessenglishpod.com 2

In someone’s wheelhouse: if an action or activity is “in your wheelhouse,” then you
are interested in it or capable of doing it; “Well, I can help you with the design, but
the budgeting stuff is not really in my wheelhouse.”

To stick to a timeline: to do things at the times that you have planned; “Unless I
can hand off some of my other work, I don’t see how I can stick to the timeline on
this new database project.”

To get something up and running: to begin operating something; “If everyone

agrees to put in a bit of extra time this week, we should be able to get the website
up and running by next Monday.”

To push something back: to delay or postpone something; “We still don’t have all
the materials we need, so we’re going to have to push construction back by at least
a week.”

To second something: to agree or lend your support to something another person

says; “A: I really think we need to change our returns policy. B: I second that.
We’ve had a lot of customer complaints about it.”

To stay on track: to continue doing things correctly or to work steadily toward

goals; “Cass does good work, but she’s kind of slow, so you might have to give her
a hand to make sure things stay on track.”

To troubleshoot: to find and solve problems; “If you call our service department, a
technician can help you troubleshoot problems with your copier over the phone.”

To follow through on something: to do what you have promised or planned;

“Employees are pretty upset that management hasn’t followed through on their
promise to improve benefits.”

Execution: the act of doing or completing something you have planned; “Come on
guys, we’ve already decided how we’re going to do this, now let’s focus on timely
execution.”

Ambitious: if a person is “ambitious,” he or she is determined to succeed; if an

activity or idea is “ambitious,” it will be difficult to achieve; “I know we want to
grow the business, but these sales projections look far too ambitious given the
state of the economy.”

© 2016 All rights reserved: www.businessenglishpod.com 3

Dialog

Carlos: Fantastic. So, what’s next here… number 4 is PR activities. That means white
paper, local media stuff, and taking care of press releases for our new services.

Viv: Excuse me Carlos, number 5 is new brochures. So 4 and 5 both involve a lot
of writing… maybe they can be lumped together and one person could see
everything through.

Carlos: Yeah, good idea. And Marion, I’m going to assign responsibility for these
to you. You’re the strongest writer by far.

Marion: Okay Carlos. I’m happy to take on that role.

Carlos: Great stuff. And please report back to me at each step… I just want to
make sure we’re on message with everything.

Marion: Sure thing.

Carlos: Okay, next here, let’s take a look at setting up a new CRM. That’s a
biggie. A major part of pushing this plan forward. But I know it’s really going to
help us track progress overall.

Viv: All right Carlos, I think that’s in my wheelhouse. I’m actually really looking
forward to having that.

Carlos: Me too.

Viv: But I’m just a bit concerned about whether we can stick to the timeline on
that. In our final meeting with the consultant I know we decided to get the CRM up
and running by August. But summer is usually so busy for us. I’m thinking maybe
we should push it back by at least a month.

Byron: I’ll second that. You’ll probably need some support from me with this, and
I think it’ll be difficult for me to stay on track with everything else if I’m
troubleshooting a new CRM over the summer.

Carlos: I hear what you’re saying, but my concern is that if we delay things, we’ll end
up not following through on some of this. Strategy is 90% execution, as they say.

Viv: True enough. But we’ve still got a couple more things on the list, like market
research and customer surveys. I think our original timeline is maybe a bit too
ambitious to get everything completed before the end of summer… [fade out]

© 2016 All rights reserved: www.businessenglishpod.com 4

Debrief

Now let’s go through the dialog again and look at the language and collocations
used during the meeting.

Carlos: Fantastic. So, what’s next here… number 4 is PR activities. That means white
paper, local media stuff, and taking care of press releases for our new services.

Viv: Excuse me Carlos, number 5 is new brochures. So 4 and 5 both involve a lot
of writing… maybe they can be lumped together and one person could see
everything through.

The group is moving down a list of action items in the marketing plan, and Carlos
wants to discuss number 4 on that list: public relations or “PR activities.” Viv is
looking ahead to the next item on the list, which is the new “brochures,” a kind of
printed marketing material. Since PR and brochures both involve writing, Viv
suggests “lumping them together,” or combining them.

If they combine items four and five, then one person could “see everything
through.” If you see something through, you work on it until it’s complete. In other
words, you’re responsible for making sure it gets finished. Seeing things through is,
in many ways, what implementing a plan is all about so let’s practice a few more
ways of using this collocation.

§ If we can see this project through by November, we’ll all be able to take a break
in December.
§ Jonas is full of good ideas, but he never sees any of them through.

What does Carlos think of Viv’s idea?

Carlos: Yeah, good idea. And Marion, I’m going to assign responsibility for these
to you. You’re the strongest writer by far.

Carlos likes the idea of putting PR activities and new brochures together. And since
they depend on good writing skills, he decides to “assign responsibility for” those
activities to Marion. One of the most important decisions in implementing a plan is
who will do what. And in many cases, it’s up to a manager to “assign responsibility
for” actions. Let’s run through some more examples of this collocation.

§ Well, since nobody has volunteered, I’ll just have to assign responsibility for this
job to someone.
§ Yvonne is good with people, so let’s assign responsibility for client management
to her.

Besides using the expression “to assign responsibility for” something, there are
other ways we can delegate tasks like this. In our last lesson, we looked at how to

© 2016 All rights reserved: www.businessenglishpod.com 5

ask for volunteers. But sometimes there’s just one person or group that you think is
best for certain actions. Let’s try some more ways of assigning responsibility when
discussing how to implement a plan:

§ Tamara, I’d like you to take care of the marketing on this.

§ Okay, so David you’re going to be leading the recruiting drive for us.
§ Kelly, I’m putting you on scheduling.
§ I think it’s best if you take on this proposal Fiona.

So, does Marion accept responsibility for PR and brochures?

Marion: Okay Carlos. I’m happy to take on that role.

Yes, as Marion says, she’s happy to “take on that role.” A “role” is a person’s
position or purpose within a situation or group. If you “take on” a role, you accept it
as yours. So in discussing who will do what, you need to find people willing to take
on different roles. How else can we use this expression “to take on a role?” Let’s
run through a few more examples.

§ After 15 years in sales, I’ve finally been asked to take on a management role.
§ We’ll need someone from marketing to take on the lead role for the rebranding
project.

Now let’s get back to the dialog.

Carlos: Great stuff. And please report back to me at each step… I just want to
make sure we’re on message with everything.

Carlos is responsible for making sure the plan is implemented. And so besides
figuring out who will do what, he wants to make sure they do it, or do it right. For
this reason, he asks Marion to “report back to” him at each step of her activities.
When you “report back to” someone, you tell them what you’ve done or show them
the progress you’ve made. Let’s practice some more ways of using this collocation
“to report back to someone.”

§ Please report back to me once you’ve completed phase 1.

§ Once you’ve finished the draft budget, can you report back to finance?

Now let’s hear Carlos move on to the next item on the list, which is a “CRM” or
“customer relations management” system.

Marion: Sure thing.

Carlos: Okay, next here, let’s take a look at setting up a new CRM. That’s a
biggie. A major part of pushing this plan forward.

© 2016 All rights reserved: www.businessenglishpod.com 6

Carlos calls the new CRM a “biggie,” which is just a way of saying that it’s a big or
important piece of work. In other words, it’s an important part of “pushing the plan
forward.” We’ve already talked about “implementing a plan” and “putting something
into action.” Another way to talk about this idea is to say “to push a plan forward.”
That means you take real steps to make your ideas happen. Let’s try some more
examples of “to push a plan forward.”

§ To push this project forward, we’re going to need at least three more engineers.
§ I think we’ve got some great ideas for the app, but we’ll need to meet next
week to figure out how to push it forward.

So, why is the new CRM such an important part of the plan? Let’s hear Carlos
explain.

Carlos: But I know it’s really going to help us track progress overall.

The CRM is going to help them do something that is key to all good implementation.
It will help them “to track progress.” “Progress” is the forward steps you take
toward a goal. And how do you figure out if you’re making progress? Well, you
“track” the progress, which means you watch or monitor or record what happens to
make sure you’re moving forward.

What are some other ways of using this expression “to track progress?” Let’s
practice a few more examples.

§ These new reporting procedures will really help us track progress on our sales goals.
§ The project management software allows different teams to track progress in
real time.

So who is willing to take on the new CRM?

Viv: All right Carlos, I think that’s in my wheelhouse. I’m actually really looking
forward to having that.

Carlos: Me too.

Viv: But I’m just a bit concerned about whether we can stick to the timeline on
that.

Viv volunteers to take care of the CRM, saying it’s “in her wheelhouse.” That just
means it’s something that she has the skills for or is interested in. But Viv is
concerned about one thing concerning the CRM, specifically whether they can “stick
to the timeline.”

A timeline is the plan for when things have to happen. And “to stick” to a timeline
means to follow it exactly. In other words, everything gets done when it’s supposed

© 2016 All rights reserved: www.businessenglishpod.com 7

to get done. And if you can’t stick to a timeline, it means there are delays. Let’s run
through some more ways of using this expression “to stick to a timeline.”

§ I’d like us to stick to this timeline as closely as possible so we can finish the
project by Christmas.
§ If you think you’re going to have difficulty sticking to your timeline, let me know
and I’ll get you some help.

Timelines are an important part of implementing a plan and Viv has another point
to make on this aspect of the plan.

Viv: In our final meeting with the consultant I know we decided to get the CRM up
and running by August.

Viv is talking about the timeline they discussed with the consultant. According to
that timeline, they were supposed to “get the CRM up and running” by August. To
understand this collocation, you should know that “running” means “operating or
functioning.” So if you “get something up and running,” like a system or project,
you start operating it. How else can we use this expression? Let’s try a few more
examples.

§ We really need to get the new booking system up and running before the holiday season.
§ James, how long will it take your team to get the mobile app up and running?

So, what are Viv’s specific concerns about the timeline?

Viv: But summer is usually so busy for us. I’m thinking maybe we should push it
back by at least a month.

Viv believes it will be difficult to get the CRM up and running in August because
summer is busy. She suggests “pushing it back” at least a month. When you’re
talking about timelines, you sometimes have to delay certain activities or
milestones. And when we talk about these delays, we often use this collocation “to
push something back.” Let’s practice a few more examples.

§ We’re short-staffed so I think we’re going to have to push the deadline back by
a couple weeks.
§ The materials have been delayed, so we’ll need to push back the office
renovation project.

It’s pretty common when you’re talking about complex plans to suggest changes to
a timeline. With so many different activities, it’s hard to schedule everything
perfectly. In this discussion, Viv has suggested “pushing something back.” But
there are other ways to talk about timeline changes, such as “to move something
up,” which means to make it earlier, and to “shift” activities or timelines. Let’s run
through some of these ways of suggesting timeline changes.

© 2016 All rights reserved: www.businessenglishpod.com 8

§ I’d like to suggest that we move the website deadline up by two weeks.
§ With so much going on, I wonder if it’s best to push that deadline to October?
§ We’ve had some delays, so we might have to shift the whole timeline forward a bit.
§ What if we moved some of these milestones back a bit to make it more
manageable?

Now back to the dialog, as the group continues discussing the timeline.

Byron: I’ll second that. You’ll probably need some support from me with this, and
I think it’ll be difficult for me to stay on track with everything else if I’m
troubleshooting a new CRM over the summer.

Byron is agreeing with Viv about postponing the deadline on the CRM. Viv will need
his help, and he’s concerned about “staying on track” with everything if he has to
help fix little problems – or “troubleshoot” – the new CRM. “To stay on track” is
similar to “stick to a timeline.” If the track is the path toward a goal, then staying
on that track is making the progress you’ve planned. How else can we use “to stay
on track?” Let’s practice a few more examples.

§ Gwen, I’d like you to make sure the sales team stays on track this month.
§ I’m sure that if we stay on track through the summer, the new design will be
ready by September.

Does Carlos agree that they need to push back the CRM?

Carlos: I hear what you’re saying, but my concern is that if we delay things, we’ll end
up not following through on some of this. Strategy is 90% execution, as they say.

Carlos expresses a common concern when it comes to implementing plans. If you

delay things too much, there’s a risk that they might not happen. Or, as he says,
he’s worried they might not “follow through on” some actions.

“To follow through on” something means to get it done, or to actually implement what
you’ve planned on doing. And, as Carlos says, “strategy is 90% execution.” “Execution”
has the same meaning as “implementation.” So what Carlos is saying is the same idea
that we started with, which is that a plan is useful only if it leads to action.

“To follow through on” a plan is the entire purpose of talking about implementation
so let’s try some more ways of using this collocation.

§ I’m disappointed that Paul hasn’t followed through on his promise to finish the
new schedule by Monday.
§ Please be realistic about your workload, and only commit to a timeline you can
follow through on.

© 2016 All rights reserved: www.businessenglishpod.com 9

Now let’s finish off the dialog with Viv’s response to Carlos.

Viv: True enough. But we’ve still got a couple more things on the list, like market
research and customer surveys. I think our original timeline is maybe a bit too
ambitious to get everything completed before the end of summer…

Viv agrees, but she reminds everyone that there are more planned activities that
they haven’t yet talked about. So she believes that the timeline is too “ambitious.”
In other words, they’ve planned too much too quickly. Of course, it’s good for a
plan to be ambitious. But you need to balance that with realism. Figuring out that
balance, and what is possible when, is a big part of implementation.

Now it’s your turn to practice some of the collocations we’ve looked at in this
lesson. In a moment, you’ll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a
beep. Repeat the whole sentence, including the missing word. Remember, a
collocation is two or more words that we commonly use together, so pay close
attention to the words before the beep.

For example, if you hear:

Example cue: Ned is leaving, so we need someone else to take on the <beep> of
project manager.

You can say:

Example answer: Ned is leaving, so we need someone else to take on the role of
project manager.

After each response, we’ll provide the correct answer. Ready? Let’s give it a go.

Cue 1: It’s going to take both money and time to push this plan <beep>.
Answer:

Cue 2: If we work hard, we should be able to get the new plant up and <beep> in
a month.
Answer:

Cue 3: The client called and sounded very angry that we haven’t stuck to the <beep>.
Answer:

Cue 4: A good leader knows how to assign <beep> to the right people.
Answer:

Cue 5: My coach has really helped me stay on <beep> with my personal goals.
Answer:

© 2016 All rights reserved: www.businessenglishpod.com 10

Answer 1: It’s going to take both money and time to push this plan forward.
Answer 2: If we work hard, we should be able to get the new plant up and
running in a month.
Answer 3: The client called and sounded very angry that we haven’t stuck to the
timeline.
Answer 4: A good leader knows how to assign responsibility to the right people.
Answer 5: My coach has really helped me stay on track with my personal goals.

That’s all for this lesson on collocations for talking about implementing a plan.
We’ve covered lots of useful collocations and vocabulary for talking about how to
put a plan into action. We’ve also covered how to assign responsibility for certain
activities and how to suggest changes to a timeline.

Thanks for listening and see you again soon!

© 2016 All rights reserved: www.businessenglishpod.com 11

Language Review

A. Collocations

Match the collocations in the box and then use them to complete the sentences
below. (If necessary change the tense of verbs to fit the context, i.e., to past or
future tense.)

To report through on

To track a plan forward

To follow on a role

To stick back

To push to a timeline

To assign up and running

To get progress

To take responsibility

1. It looks like this bad weather is going to force us to ______________ the

whole project ______________ by a few days.

2. I’ll be away for a week, but I’d like you to ______________ to me on the
financial review once I return.

3. A good analytics program will help you ______________ on your plan to

increase web traffic.

4. An effective manager knows how to ______________ to the right people for

different tasks.

5. I’m rather disappointed that you haven’t been able to ______________ on

your plan to increase your billable hours.

6. As long as everyone does what they’re supposed to do without delay, we

shouldn’t have a problem ______________ on this.

7. Janet, I’m wondering if you want to ______________ a larger

______________ within the company next year.

8. Once we’ve chosen a location, I’d like use to aim to ______________ the new
store ______________ within two months.

© 2016 All rights reserved: www.businessenglishpod.com 12

Answers

Listening

1) Carlos mentions that Marion is a strong writer because he wants her to take
responsibility for PR activities and new brochures.
2) Carlos says the CRM is going to help them track progress.
3) Viv is concerned that summer will be too busy to stick to the timeline on the
CRM.

Language Review

A. Collocations

1. It looks like this bad weather is going to force us to push the whole project
back by a few days.

2. I’ll be away for a week, but I’d like you to report back to me on the financial
review once I return.

3. A good analytics program will help you track progress on your plan to increase
web traffic.

4. An effective manager knows how to assign responsibility to the right people

for different tasks.

5. I’m rather disappointed that you haven’t been able to follow through on your
plan to increase your billable hours.

6. As long as everyone does what they’re supposed to do without delay, we

shouldn’t have a problem sticking to the timeline on this.

7. Janet, I’m wondering if you want to take on a larger role within the company
next year.

8. Once we’ve chosen a location, I’d like use to aim to get the new store up and
running within two months.

© 2016 All rights reserved: www.businessenglishpod.com 13