Proposal Guidelines

Using the Writing Activity on page 538 of The Business Writer as a guide, write a proposal. Your proposal must have a specific, identifiable, and namable audience who can (at least in theory) act on your ideas. Your proposal should be at least 2000 words long (approximately 6-8 pages in memo format).

Your proposal should include the following:

Topic
Your subject stated in a few concise sentences indicating exactly what your report will cover and the angle that you are taking. (This section does not need a heading, although it will serve as an introduction and will frontload an overview of the entire report.) This section should include background/context: the need to be met, problem to be solved, benefits to be gained.

Problem Statement or Needs Analysis
A problem statement or needs analysis tells:
• What the problem is / What is needed
• When and where the problem takes place / When and where it is needed
• Why the problem happens / Why it is needed
• Who is affected by the problem / Who needs it
• Why the problem is significant—for example, the short-term and long-term costs or ramifications of not solving it or the benefits of pursuing a solution.

Solution or Recommendation
• List criteria a solution. What should a solution accomplish?
• Compare and contrast alternative solutions (if appropriate).
• Promote the best solution—your essential proposal—by stressing how it best meets the needs or solves the problem. Refer to the solution criteria and explicit benefits.
• Prove the solution’s practical workability by highlighting the following: o Outcomes of the solution, plan, or project o Requirements (what is needed to implement your proposal) o Schedules (if applicable) o Budget or cost breakdowns (if applicable) o Methods of monitoring costs and quality (if applicable).

Conclusion
• Summarize the problem or need.
• Provide conclusion about the best solutions—results and benefits.
• Review recommendations (briefly!) for implementing the solution.
• Request approval, solicit feedback, give contact information, and anticipate a response. Remember that this should be aimed at your specific audience—not me. You will need to consider what your audience already knows, what they need to know, what information you should give them (and why). Keep tying the proposal back to the audience: what’s in it for them to read this? What should they do after they’ve read it?