Module 16: Writing Proposals and Analytical Reports

Question 1

What Other Kinds of Reports Will I Be Asked to Write?

Answer 1

What Other Kinds of Reports Will I Be Asked to Write?

Question 2

All reports include:

Answer 2

an introduction with the report’s purpose and scope, and summarizing the problems or successes of the project. And all reports conclude with a summary of the writer’s key findings: this summary suggests next steps or recommends action, depending on the writer’s purpose and audience expectations.

Question 3

Feasibility or yardstick reports

Answer 3

assess a plan or idea based on a set of criteria established by the organization or the writer.

Potential or immediate profit is a key criterion of all feasibility reports.

Question 4

Feasibility and yardstick reports normally open by:

Answer 4

explaining the decision to be made, listing available alternatives, and explaining the criteria.

Examples of feasibility reports include business plans, new product design assessments, and market research.

Question 5

Business plans are developed in feasibility reports:

Answer 5

the goal is to prove that the business idea is so sound that the audience—banks, angel investors, or venture capitalists—should invest in it

Question 6

Justification reports

Answer 6

recommend (justify) a purchase, investment, hire, or change in policy

Question 7

When you can choose your headings and organization, and your recommendation is easy for your reader to accept, use the direct, deductive, or good news pattern (Part of justification reports)

Answer 7

Indicate what you’re asking for and why it’s needed. When the reader has not asked for the report, you must link your request to organizational goals.

Briefly give the background of the problem or need.

Explain each of the possible solutions. For each, give the cost, and the advantages and disadvantages.

Summarize the action needed to implement your recommendation. If several people will be involved, indicate who will do what and how long each step will take.

Ask for the action you want.

Conclude with a short paragraph linking the recommended solution to a benefit outcome.

Question 8

However, when the reader is reluctant to grant your request because action will cost time or money, use the indirect, inductive, or bad news variation of the problem-solving pattern (part of justification reports)

Answer 8

Describe the organizational problem that your request will solve. Provide specific examples (the results) to demonstrate the seriousness of the problem.

Prove that easier or less expensive solutions will not solve the problem.

Present your solution impersonally.

Show that the advantages of your solution outweigh the disadvantages.

Summarize the action needed to implement your recommendation. If several people will be involved, indicate who will do what and how long each step will take.

Ask for the action you want.

Conclude with a short paragraph linking the recommended solution to beneficial outcomes.

Question 9

Proposals

Answer 9

are reports that describe a method for solving a problem.

Question 10

Proposals have two goals:

Answer 10

to get the project accepted and to obtain support for the writer to do the job

Question 11

To write a good proposal:

Answer 11

you need to have a clear view of the problem you hope to solve and the kind of research or other action needed to solve it

Question 12

A proposal must answer the following questions convincingly.

Answer 12

What problem are you going to solve?

How are you going to solve it?

What exactly will you provide?

How can you deliver what you promise?

What benefits can you offer?

When will you complete the work?

How much will you charge?

Question 13

Requests for Proposals, known as RFPs

Answer 13

Government agencies and companies issue when contracting out work

Question 14

How Do I Organize Reports?

Answer 14

Use PAIBOC analysis to determine the organization that best meets your audience’s needs and achieves your purposes.

Question 15

Any of these patterns can be used for all or part of a report.

Answer 15

General-to-particular or particular-to-general

Chronological

Compare or contrast

Problem–solution (the bad news pattern)

Elimination of alternatives

Geographic or spatial

Functional

Question 16

1. General-to-Particular or Particular-to-General

Answer 16

General-to-particular starts with the situation as it affects the organization, or as it exists in general, and then moves to a discussion of the parts of the situation and solutions to each of these parts.

Particular-to-general starts with the problem as the audience defines it and moves to larger issues of which the problem is a part

Question 17

2. Chronological

Answer 17

A chronological report records events in the order in which they happened or are planned to happen.

Ex: Drain fixed in January, pipes aligned in March, plumbing fixed in may

Question 18

3. Compare or Contrast

Answer 18

Comparing or contrasting examines each alternative in turn, discussing strengths and weaknesses. Feasibility studies and yardstick reports usually use this pattern.

Question 19

Pro-con pattern

Answer 19

In this pattern, under each specific heading are the arguments for and against that alternative.

Ex: Advantages of X;
-A
-B
-C
Disadvantages of X:
-D
-E
-F

Question 20

4. Problem–Solution

Answer 20

This pattern is often used to convey bad news and has four elements:

(1) identify the problem,
(2) explain its background or history,
(3) discuss the extent and seriousness of the problem,
(4) identify its causes.

Question 21

5. Elimination of Alternatives

Answer 21

This pattern works well when the solutions the reader is likely to favour will not work, while the solution you recommend is likely to be perceived as expensive, intrusive, or radical.

After discussing the problem and its causes, discuss the impractical solutions first, showing why they will not work. End with the most practical solution.

Question 22

6. Geographic or Spatial

Answer 22

In a geographic or spatial pattern, problems and solutions are discussed in units by their physical arrangement. Move from office to office, building to building, factory to factory, province to province, region to region, and so on.

Sales and market research reports, for example, may use a geographic pattern of organization.

Question 23

7. Functional

Answer 23

Functional patterns discuss the problems and solutions of each functional unit. For example, a report on a new plant might divide data into sections on the costs of land and building, on the availability of personnel, on the convenience of raw materials

Example: Government report

Question 24

Blueprints

Answer 24

forecast what you will discuss in a section or in the entire report

Question 25

Transitions

Answer 25

are words, phrases, and sentences that tell the reader the discussion is continuing on the same point or is shifting points.

Question 26

The topic sentence

Answer 26

introduces or summarizes the main idea of a paragraph

Question 27

White space

Answer 27

increases reading ease because it separates and emphasizes ideas

To create white space:
Headings and subheadings

Short paragraphs

Tabs or indents

Lists—with numbers or bullets

Question 28

Plain language

Answer 28

uses concrete nouns, action verbs, the active voice, short sentences (approximately 14 words), short paragraphs, and open punctuation to create clear, concise, and complete documents