Operations & Logistics Professionals · situation guide
Explain what happened, describe a temporary arrangement, and qualify recovery estimates.
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State the known interruption and response separately from an explanation that is still being investigated.
Vocabulary for this situation
Explain the backup arrangement
A contingency is a possible event or circumstance that may need to be dealt with. A contingency plan sets out what to do if it occurs.
“As a contingency, we've reserved another collection slot if the carrier misses the original one.”
Usage note: Name the event that would trigger the backup.
Explain a known difference or event
Account for something means explain it by identifying a relevant cause or circumstance; it can also mean form a stated share of a total.
“The late arrival accounts for the change to the packing schedule.”
Usage note: Do not claim a cause unless the supplied facts support it.
Practice “account for” →Qualify a recovery estimate
A caveat is a specific limitation that either qualifies an otherwise confident statement or independently flags how far a claim, plan, dataset, or analysis can be trusted.
“There is one caveat: the estimate depends on the second line staying available.”
Usage note: A useful qualification identifies the condition that matters.
Practice “caveat” →Communication sequence
As a contingency, we've reserved another collection slot if the carrier misses the original one.
The late arrival accounts for the change to the packing schedule.
There is one caveat: the estimate depends on the second line staying available.
Common mistakes
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