Proposal Directions for ENG 318 Students
Proposal Draft- After completing your decision maker interview and other relevant research (organization observations, informal interviews or surveys with co-workers or organization members, and/or academic research or professional articles), you will begin drafting your proposal. Your completed draft Proposal should be posted on the Blackboard Discussion thread entitled "Draft Proposals".
Keep in mind that the purpose of a proposal is to persuade others to accept or enact your reasoned recommendations. Readers want to know what the problem is, why it matters to them, how you plan to address, how much it will cost them, how it will be accomplished, and what the results will be.
Chapter 22 of your Anderson textbook offers a complete discussion of proposal development in greater detail, but the general structure is discussed below. Your proposal should include the following sections (though some specifics may be merged depending on organizational setting and/or issue addressed):
Introduction (aka Executive Summary): Briefly summarize what you are writing about, how and why your proposed idea is relevant to this group and its objectives, and why this proposal has value for readers. Your introduction will do the following:
- Define the subject
- State the purpose
- State the main point
- Stress the importance of the subject for the organization
- Offer a brief background on the subject/situation
- Forecast the organization of the document
Problem: Identify the problem your project will address and persuade readers that your proposal will offer a significant and worthwhile approach. Your problem section will do the following:
- Define and describe the problem
- Discuss the causes of the problem
- Discuss the effects of the problem if nothing is done
Objectives: Briefly outline the objectives of your proposal based on the problems identified in the previous section. Objectives offer a logical component to your argument, helping audiences to see how your proposed actions in the next section will address the problems you have outlined. Your objectives will do the following:
- Describe the objectives of proposed solution without describing the solution itself.
- Briefly summarize the aims of the project for evaluation separate from the writer's particular strategies for achieving those aims.
Solution/Project Plan: Describe how you plan to address the problem and achieve the objectives identified above and why this approach is justified. You are making a case here for why your approach is the most desirable way of achieving the objectives. Describe the process, step-by-step, that your plan would follow. Describe the specific ways your proposal would be enacted and how it is relevant and appropriate to the organizational context. Your solution section will do the following:
- Describe the plan's steps
- Identify and discuss the outcome
- Include findings from research, interviews, and/or observations to help support recommendations and approach
- Discuss how this solution affects stakeholders and how/why this plan is effective for the greatest good
Qualifications: Since you likely won't be enacting this proposal yourself, this section may not be necessary in this case. However, qualification sections generally describe the abilities of you or your team that make you the best choice for the work you propose. This section is an argument about your qualifications to complete the work you propose. Qualification sections include:
- Describe personnel involved (with brief bios)
- Describe previous experience (especially as related to the project)
Costs/Resources: Summarize the advantages of saying yes to the proposal while also telling readers how much the project will cost. Your cost section will do the following:
- State the costs without apology or sales pitch
- Immediately after, describe the significant benefits of approving the proposal
Schedule: Specify a detailed time-line for the project, listing deadlines for what will be completed or developed by specific dates.
Conclusion: This is a concise restatement of your proposal and its benefits. Your conclusion section should:
- Summarize the solution you propose
- Offer a thank you for your readers' time and consideration
- Provide information on how to proceed should readers accept your proposal
- Provide multiple means for readers to contact you (phone, email)
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