There’s a Chinese saying that goes: “Lose on one side and gain on the other” (失之东隅，收之桑榆 shī zhī dōng yú, shōu zhī sāng yú). I really felt that this past Sunday.
A few weeks ago, I had to change my communication tool because Microsoft discontinued its Teams Personal Edition in Mainland China on July 28. After two weeks of exploring, I found that the new tool, VooV Meeting, is actually way more useful than the old one.
Here is the story.
My friend helps me with the English questions I come across every week on Sunday evenings. In exchange, I help him learn Chinese. My questions are always very specific, and most of our chatting is in English, which helps me improve my listening and speaking a lot. Because of that, I had been a little worried about whether I was teaching him enough Chinese.
The new tool has eliminated my concerns with AI meeting minutes. Every time, I just need to get the transcript after the meeting and check, revise, summarize, and email it to my friend. Of course, it is not perfect, but at least it provides quite a good structure to remind me of what we talked about.
I’ll show you the latest minutes in case you are also interested in learning Chinese!
Here’s a quick summary of our discussion on Sunday:
Key Grammar: Uses of “都” (Dōu) 1) Meaning 1 – “All” / “Completely” Indicates totality or a high degree. e.g. 都要 (dōu yào) — all need / want; 功课学得都不错 (gōngkè xué de dōu bú cuò) — The homework/studies are all quite good. 2) Meaning 2 – Emphasis (even / at all) Strengthens tone, often in negative structures. e.g. 一动都不动 (yī dòng dōu bú dòng) — Doesn’t move at all. (Here, 都 does not mean “all”, but emphasizes the extreme degree of “not moving”.) 3) Polyphone – “都” as “capital” When pronounced dū, it means capital city. e.g. 北京是中国的首都 (Běijīng shì Zhōngguó de shǒudū) — Beijing is the capital of China.
Complement Structure: “出来” (Chūlái) Three meanings: 1) Physical: Movement from inside to outside, e.g., 种子长出来了 (zhǒngzi zhǎng chūlái le) — The seed sprouted/came out. 2) Result: Completion or achievement, e.g., 计划做出来了 (jìhuà zuò chūlái le) — The plan was made/finished. 3) Abstract: Perception or discovery, e.g., 看出来 (kàn chūlái) — notice/see clearly; 真相出来了 (zhēnxiàng chūlái le) — The truth came out.
Vocabulary & Sentence Patterns 1) 个子 (Gèzi): Refers specifically to human height (not used for buildings). ✅ 高个子 (gāo gèzi) — tall person ❌ Not used for buildings — use 高/矮 (gāo/ǎi) for height, 大/小 (dà/xiǎo) for size, 宽广/狭窄 (kuānguǎng/xiázhǎi) for width. 2) 的 (De): Turns nouns into adjectives, e.g., 红色 → 红色的苹果 (hóngsè → hóngsè de píngguǒ) — red → red apple. 3) Address order: Chinese: largest → smallest (Country → City → District); English: reverse.
Cultural & Lifestyle Notes 1) Solar terms: Mentioned 立秋 (Lìqiū) — Start of Autumn. Tammy plans to resume hiking after the heat. 2) Film: Discussed The Odyssey (《奥德赛》, Àodésài) and its cast’s visit to Shanghai. 3) Measurement differences (China vs. US): Distance: kilometers (公里, gōnglǐ) vs. miles (英里, yīnglǐ) Weight: kilograms (公斤, gōngjīn) vs. pounds (磅, bàng) Volume: liters (升, shēng) vs. gallons (加仑, jiālún)
This chapter describes garden wall design, favoring simple elegance and practicality over fancy carvings, and includes construction techniques for four types: whitewashed, brick, lattice, and stone.
Objective | 目标 To establish a standard process for managing external vendors through three sequential stages: protecting confidential information (NDA), soliciting proposals (RFP), and defining execution details (SoW). This SOP ensures clarity, accountability, and legal compliance throughout the procurement cycle. 建立管理外部供应商的标准流程，涵盖三个递进阶段：保护机密信息（NDA）、征求建议书（RFP）以及定义执行细节（SoW）。本SOP旨在确保整个采购周期内的清晰性、责任明确性及法律合规性。
Document Control | 文档控制
Item
项目
Details
详情
SOP Number
SOP编号
SOP-PROC-2026-001
Version
版本
V2.0
Effective Date
生效日期
August 6, 2026
2026年8月6日
Review Cycle
审查周期
Annually (or as needed)
每年（或按需）
Drafted by
起草人
[Name/Title]
[姓名/职位]
Approved by
审批人
[Name/Title]
[姓名/职位]
Applicable Scope
适用范围
All projects involving external vendor engagement, except for projects with existing master service agreements (MSAs) that already cover these phases.
所有涉及外部供应商合作的项目，但已有主服务协议（MSA）覆盖上述阶段的除外。
Roles & Responsibilities | 角色与职责 The following RACI matrix defines key responsibilities for each phase. (R=Responsible executor, A=Approver, C=Consulted, I=Informed). 以下RACI矩阵定义了各阶段的关键职责。（R=负责执行，A=审批人，C=咨询方，I=知悉方）
Role
角色
NDA Phase
RFP Phase
SoW Phase
Project Manager
项目经理
R
R
R
Legal Department
法务部
A
C
A
Procurement / Sourcing
采购部
I
A (pre-issuance)
C
Subject Matter Expert (SME)
主题专家
–
C
C
Project Sponsor
项目发起人
I
A (budget approval)
A (final sign-off)
Phase 1: Nondisclosure Agreement (NDA) | 第一阶段：保密协议 Trigger | 触发时机： Before sharing any sensitive or proprietary project details with an external party. 在与外部方分享任何敏感或专有项目细节之前。
Purpose | 目的： To legally bind the recipient to keep confidential information within the authorized circle and prevent disclosure to competitors or the public. 以法律约束力要求接收方将机密信息保留在授权范围内，防止泄露给竞争对手或公众。
Key Action | 关键行动： Require all external contractors, vendors, or consultants to sign an NDA before any project-specific information is disclosed. This is mandatory when using proprietary technology or planning a sensitive product launch. 要求在披露任何项目特定信息之前，所有外部承包商、供应商或顾问签署NDA。当涉及专有技术或敏感产品发布时，此为强制性要求。
Characteristics | 特征： The NDA must use the company’s standard template approved by the Legal Department. Customization is permitted only with prior written approval from Legal. NDA 必须使用法务部批准的公司标准模板。任何定制修改须经法务部事先书面批准。
Phase 2: Request for Proposal (RFP) | 第二阶段：建议书请求 Note | 说明： Our company uses the RFP process to evaluate comprehensive solutions and capabilities, not price alone. For standardized commodity purchases, refer to the separate RFQ (Request for Quotation) quick guide in the appendix. 本公司采用RFP流程，重点评估供应商的综合解决方案和能力，而非仅以价格为唯一标准。标准化商品采购请参考附录中的《RFQ快速指南》。
Trigger | 触发时机： When you need to solicit competitive proposals to select the most suitable vendor for a project. 当你需要通过征求竞争性建议书来为项目选择最合适的供应商时。
Definition | 定义： A formal document that outlines the organization’s project requirements, expectations, and evaluation criteria, to be distributed to potential vendors. 一份正式文件，概述组织的项目需求、期望和评估标准，并分发给潜在供应商。
Content Requirements (Headers) | 内容要求（标题）：
Overview | 概述： General summary — what is the purpose and what business problem does it solve? 一般性总结——目的是什么？解决什么业务问题？
Goals | 目标： Measurable outcomes the project aims to achieve (e.g., increase conversion rate by 15%). 可衡量的项目成果（例如：转化率提升15%）。
Scope of Work | 工作范围： Specific activities and approach to achieve the goals. 具体活动及实现目标的方法。
Milestones | 里程碑： Key project checkpoints and delivery dates. 关键项目节点和交付日期。
Submission Requirements | 提交要求： Specific format, content, and questions vendors must address (e.g., “submit as a presentation,” “include three case studies”). 具体格式、内容及供应商必须回答的问题（例如：“以演示文稿形式提交”，“包含三个案例研究”）。
Outcome | 结果： Vendors review the RFP and submit detailed proposals outlining their approach, team, timeline, and pricing. 供应商审查RFP后，提交详细建议书，概述其方法、团队、时间表和定价。
Phase 3: Statement of Work (SoW) | 第三阶段：工作说明书 Trigger | 触发时机： After the vendor is formally selected. 在正式选定供应商之后。
Objective | 目标： To clearly define the products, services, deliverables, and performance expectations that the vendor will provide, ensuring mutual understanding and alignment for successful execution. 明确定义供应商将提供的产品、服务、交付物和绩效期望，确保双方理解一致，为成功执行奠定基础。
Pre-requisites | 前置条件：
Vendor Selection | 供应商选择： Completed via the RFP process. 通过RFP流程完成。
Team Assembly | 团队组建： The Project Manager leads the SoW development, consulting Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for technical input. The Legal Department must review the final draft. 由项目经理主导SoW编写，征求主题专家（SMEs）的技术意见。最终草案须经法务部审查。
Procedure Steps | 操作步骤：
Step 1: Header & Stakeholders | 页眉与干系人 It is recommended to include page headers with the company name, project name, and creation date. List key stakeholders (e.g., Project Manager, Sponsor, and Vendor’s primary contact). 建议在页眉中包含公司名称、项目名称和创建日期。列出关键干系人（例如：项目经理、发起人及供应商主要联系人）。
Step 2: Revision Table | 修订记录表 Create a table to track all changes made during the review process, including version number, date, author, and description of changes. 建立一个表格，记录审查过程中的所有更改，包含版本号、日期、作者及更改说明。
Step 3: Purpose Section | 目的部分 Describe the desired outcomes in specific terms. Include the target audience and ensure it is inclusive of all relevant user groups. List measurable goals where applicable. 具体描述期望达成的结果。包含目标受众，并确保涵盖所有相关用户群体。如适用，列出可衡量的目标。
Step 4: Scope Section | 范围部分
In-Scope | 范围内： List all major activities, services, and responsibilities the vendor will perform (e.g., data migration, system integration, user training). 列出供应商将执行的所有主要活动、服务和职责（例如：数据迁移、系统集成、用户培训）。
Out-of-Scope | 范围外： Explicitly state what the project does NOT include to prevent scope creep and manage expectations (e.g., “post-launch maintenance is not included”). 明确说明项目不包含的内容，以防止范围蔓延并管理预期（例如：“不包含上线后的维护”）。
Step 5: Deliverables | 交付物 Provide a concise list of tangible outputs the vendor must produce (e.g., design files, test reports, user manuals, deployed system). 提供供应商必须产出的有形输出清单（例如：设计文件、测试报告、用户手册、部署的系统）。
Step 6: Milestones & Timeline | 里程碑与时间表 Define measurable milestones for tracking progress, budget consumption, and scope adherence. Specify the total effort hours and the final completion date. Use a Gantt chart or table format for clarity. 定义可衡量的里程碑，以跟踪进度、预算消耗和范围符合性。明确总工时和最终完成日期。建议使用甘特图或表格形式呈现。
Include a disclaimer that revisions may occur only through a formal change control process (see Step 8 below). 加入免责声明，说明任何修订仅可通过正式的变更控制流程进行（见下方步骤8）。
Outline payment terms (e.g., milestone-based payments, net 30 days upon invoice and deliverable acceptance). 概述付款条款（例如：基于里程碑付款，收到发票且交付物验收合格后30天内支付）。
Step 8: Change Control Process | 变更控制流程 (Newly Added | 新增) Any change to scope, timeline, or budget must be submitted via a written Change Request Form. No verbal or email instructions will be considered valid authorization. Changes are effective only upon written approval by the Project Manager and Sponsor. 任何对范围、时间表或预算的变更，须通过书面《变更请求表》提交。口头或邮件沟通不视为有效授权。变更在项目经理和发起人书面批准后方可生效。
NDA Standard Template (Legal Dept.) | NDA标准模板（法务部提供）
RFP Response Evaluation Scorecard | RFP回复评估评分卡
Change Request Form | 变更请求表
Record Retention | 记录保存： All final signed documents (NDA, RFP responses, SoW, and approved Change Requests) must be archived by the Project Manager in the official project repository (e.g., SharePoint / Project Drive) within 5 business days of execution. Retention period: 3 years after project completion or as required by local regulations. 所有最终签署的文件（NDA、RFP回复、SoW及已批准的变更请求）须在执行后的5个工作日内，由项目经理归档至正式项目存储库（如SharePoint/项目网盘）。保存期限：项目结束后3年，或依当地法规要求。
Revision History | 修订历史 Version 版本 Date 日期 Author 作者 Description of Change 变更说明 V1.0 [Date] [Original Author] Initial draft 初稿 V2.0 2026-08-06 AI Assistant (Revised) Added Document Control, Roles & Responsibilities matrix, Change Control Process, Record Retention section; refined definitions and terminology. 新增文档控制、角色职责矩阵、变更控制流程、记录保存章节；优化定义及术语。
Garden doors and windows should be flexibly designed according to specific local conditions to serve as elegant, uncarved frames that capture natural scenery and evoke poetic moods.
This passage emphasizes that garden railings should be designed with a simplified, elegant aesthetic, rejecting overly complex traditional patterns like Wanzi or meanders.