proposal report
Posted: December 10th, 2013
Your Proposal Format
PRINT THIS OUT FOR REFERENCE !!!
When you submit your Proposal / Recommendation Paper, it must include ALL of the following items. .
| Item | Explanation | Page Reference |
| Cover Memo | Your have written several memos to date. The cover memo for your PROPOSAL will follow the same format. It does not have to be long; it simply needs to tell the reader what is attached and the purpose of your paper. Remember, the MEMO format is:
To: From: Subject: Date:
|
Page 532 |
| Abstract / Executive Summary / Introduction
(I prefer Abstract) |
Every proposal, even very brief ones, should have an abstract. Some readers read only the abstract, and most readers rely on it initially to give them a quick overview of the proposal and later to refresh their memory of its main points.
The abstract of a proposal should begin with a capsule statement of what is being proposed and then should proceed to introduce the subject to a stranger. You should not assume that your reader is familiar with your subject or project. The introduction should be comprehensible to an uniformed layperson. It should give enough background to enable him or her to place your particular issue in a context of common knowledge and should show how its solution will advance, help or hurt the company. The abstract will be the first major section the reader encounters, so you want to make it as effective as you can to encourage further interest. The abstract states the broad problem objectives, helps introduce the project subject, and explains why the problem is worth solving and who will be interested in the solutions. Some statements to cover in the abstract are:
Though the abstract appears first in the proposal, the abstract should be written last, as a concise summary (approximately 200 words) of the proposal. It should appear on a page by itself. |
Pages 534, 536, 537
For this proposal, the abstract, executive summary, and introduction should be combined into one, one-page document. See student example. |
| Methods | This section tells the reader how you gathered the information and data included in your paper. This section should include enough information to inform your reader of the steps taken to reach your conclusions including surveys, interviews, internet searches, books, articles, journals, etc… | Page 539 |
| Results (The MEAT of your project) | This is the bulk of your proposal, usually 5-7 pages. Example: If you were trying to determine if the company needed to change the benefits provider for your employees, you would tell what you found in this section. If you looked at other company’s programs, you would talk about it here. If you looked at cost comparison, you would talk about what you discovered in this section AND give details. If your proposal was written to justify hiring a new position, this section should tell why that position is needed (with documentation), what the person will do, how much it will cost, how this position (person) will help the company or how the company may suffer because this position is not funded. Simply stated, the Results section states WHAT DID YOU FIND OUT about your idea, issue or problem? The results section will also include the results of YOUR SURVEY and what the results mean to your study.
This section MUST be very comprehensive. This is the section that is going to “make or break” your proposal. It is the section that will determine to your reader, your colleagues, your boss – whether the proposal is worth anything or not. It is the section that will determine if your proposal ever gets off the ground. Therefore, it must be persuasive, detailed and very accurate. The RESULTS SECTION should be able to “stand alone” if it had to.
If you follow the format below and REALLY answer the questions in a thorough and thoughtful manner, you can’t go wrong. Your Results section should:
|
Pages 546-552 |
| Conclusions / Recommendations | Some papers require that these two sections be separate. YOUR proposal will combine these two sections.
The Conclusions / Recommendations section of your paper will tell what your results and research mean and suggest what should be done. Basically, this is the section that pulls together everything that you have done and says, “Based on the research of this proposal, it is recommended that we…”
|
Page 553-555 |
| Glossary of Terms | This section will define unusual or uncommon terms used in your proposal. These terms may be words that are not commonly used outside your area of expertise. | See Student Examples in Sample Proposals |
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