Negative Letter Practice, M-Global Context: Explanation of Project Delay

You work for M-Global’s Boston office. As project manager for the construction of a small strip shopping center, you have had delays about halfway through the project because of bad weather. Even worse, the forecast is for another week of heavy rain. Yesterday, just when you thought nothing else could go wrong, you discovered that your concrete supplier, Atlas Concrete, has a truck drivers’ strike in progress. Because you still need half the concrete for the project, you have started searching for another supplier.

Your client, an investor/developer named Tanya Lee, located in a city about 200 miles away, probably will be upset by any delays in construction, whether or not they are within your control. Write her a letter in which you explain weather and concrete problems. Try to ease her concern, especially because you want additional jobs from her in the future.