Sample Proposal Guidelines

Submitted By TJL7170
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Pages: 2

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