Writing Proposals and Solving Problems Ch. 8 Flashcards
What is RFP?
Request for Proposal
What are the usual sections found in a written proposal?
Formatted less formally as emails or memos, or more formally as reports. Description and discussion of the problem, general and specific discusion of your proposal, benefits, time schedule, statement of costs, your qualifications, conclusion and action statement, and appendixes.
Describe the difference between causes and symptoms.
Causes are the origin. Symptoms are the result.
What is a cause-and-effect diagram? How is it used?
Consists of identifying all relevant cause-and-effect relationships. Think of this process as a tree, with most obvious symptoms on the leaf level and the larger causes on the root level. A cause-and-effect diagram can be very useful for analyzing problems. This will show all the different cause-and-effect chains contributing to the main problem.
List three factors a manager should consider in deciding whether to involve the group in making a decision?
when your knowledge of the problem is greater than that of the group, time is pressure prohibits getting group input, group members are unaffected by or don’t care about the problem or outcome, you prefer to have total control over the outcome, or the group doesn’t work well together.
The idea behind brainstorming is that _______ will yield _____.
The idea behind brainstorming is that quantity will yield quality.
List three ways to enhance your creativity.
Thoroughly study the problem, enrich your knowledge base, eliminate distractions, set aside large chunks of time to ponder, arise early, utilize the Alpha sleep state. Keep the problem constantly on your mind.
What is gallery writing? What are the advantages of gallery writing over traditional brainstorming?
Gallery writing is effective in generating useful ideas as well as solving social shortcomings of oral brainstorming methods. This allows everyone in the group to participate and all at the same time. Tape several large sheets of paper spaced along the wall. Invite all members to write ideas on the large sheets. Have all members wander around to read and write additional info and ideas.
What is the difference between divergent thinking and convergent thinking?
Divergent thinking - diverse thinking (leads to a problem). Convergent thinking - moving toward one point and unifying the group thinking (leads to solution).
What is a decision table? Why is it useful in decision making?
A decision table or decision matrix is useful in the evaluation of the alternatives to organize a list, establish evaluation criteria, weight the criteria, and objectively select the best ideas from the brainstorm list. This table compares alternatives according to important criteria.
What are the five categories of personnel performance problems?
Person cannot physically or mentally perform as desired. Person could perform properly but doesn’t know how. person knows how and can perform properly, but circumstances are preventing from performing properly. Person knows how and can perform properly, and nothing is preventing proper performance, but the person is not rewarded for proper performance. Person knows how and can perform properly, nothing is preventing proper performance, and the person is appropriately rewarded for proper performance, but does not want to perform properly.
Describe the role of proposals in organizations.
Proposals are a vital part of organizations. all employees in an organization are accountable to their supervisors or managers, making major policy, procedure, or program changes; before acquiring new equipment; before hiring new people; and so forth. A proposal is a way to obtain permission. Proposals are also important in obtaining funding.
What is a force-field analysis?
Identifies the forces working for and against your implementation plans. Helps you to work to strengthen the driving forces and to reduce the negative forces.
