Project: Proposal

100 points

(Minimum text length: 750 words)

Creating a Feasible Proposal

For this project you will prepare an unsolicited internal or external proposal for submission with a cover letter or memo to some authorizing agent, whether real or imaginary. Your task is to convince that agent that what you propose has merit and is feasible.

In essence, your proposal is a contract to do a certain job that, in your estimation, the agent’s organization needs to have done. And, among other things, you must explain why you are the person to either undertake or oversee the job.

Your proposal must establish the exact terms of the contract to do the proposed work. As you will not actually be undertaking the work you propose, your document is purely hypothetical. (Be sure you do not confuse the proposal and the work itself.) However, the work you propose must be feasible and potentially doable within a time frame that does not extend beyond the duration of this course.

The proposal, which I audit, must convince me of the following:

  • that there is a credible need for the work you propose
  • that the job as you describe it can reasonably be done in the context of this class assignment
  • that you have the required knowledge and skills for the work or that you will be able to get the information and/or learn the skill you need to do it
  • that you have thought the whole project through carefully
  • that you have a plan of action and a schedule of deadlines that fit within your proposed time frame

Review the Elements of Proposals before Writing

This project is an exercise in proposal writing as well as preparing a document that meets the five criteria described above. Before creating your document, look at Chapter Nine, paying particular attention to recommended sections to be included in your proposal.

By way of review, these are

  • a general statement or summary of the problem that the proposal will redress
  • a full description of the current problem, giving complete specifics
  • the proposed solution, with a justification for undertaking the project and the benefits to be realized
  • the estimated cost of implementing the proposal
  • a statement of your credentials
  • a conclusion that briefly reviews the proposal’s purpose and confirms your enthusiasm for the project

Write to Your Authorizing Agent

Remember that your proposal is being made to someone other than me. I am only an auditor, not the authorizing agent. Although I will be familiar with you and your topic, you must write this proposal so that it makes sense to someone who is seeing it for the first time and may not know you from Barnum or Bailey. You will be saying some things that may seem redundant or unnecessary. Say them anyway; the proposal must be entirely self-contained and leave no questions as to your identity, your credentials, or your purpose.

Cover Letter or Memo

A cover letter or memo is mandatory. The proposal must be a separate document attached to the letter or memo. You should only choose to write a memo if your proposal is internal. If your proposal is external, the cover letter must be in the form of a formal business letter.

The Three Project Parts

There are three parts to this project.. The first, which carries no credit, is a memo addressed to me in which you suggest at least three possible proposal topics. The memo to me is to be submitted only as a c-r copy (no title sheet or ms. copy is necessary) in class before or on the scheduled date. I will return the memo suggesting that either one or more of the topics is acceptable or that none is, in which case you must present me with another memo with an array of different topics, which I will either accept or not. The acceptance of a topic is necessary before you begin seriously working on your proposal and is essential before the second submission, which is the submission of the proposal proper. The third part is the progress report, described elsewhere.

Forewarned is forearmed. If you do not receive approval for one of your proposals at least one full week before the proposal submission date, you will not be able to complete the project and will lose 100 points.