Proposals and Progress Reports Module Twenty One McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2014 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights reserved Learning Objectives LO 21-1 Define reports in the workplace LO 21-2 Estimate time for business proposal writing LO 21-3 Identify sections for business proposal organization LO 21-4 Identify “hot buttons” for business proposal strategies and beyond LO 21-5 Identify sections for progress report organization 21-2 Steps in Writing Any Report 21-3 What is a “report”?  Formal reports  contain formal elements such as a title page, a transmittal, a table of contents, and a list of illustrations  Informal reports  may be letters and memos or even computer printouts of production or sales figures 21-4 What is a “report”?  Information reports  collect data for the reader,  Analytical reports  interpret data but not recommend action  Recommendation reports  Recommend action or a solution 21-5 Three Levels of Reports 21-6 Allocating Time in Writing a Proposal (Your time may vary.) 21-7 What should I before I write a proposal?  Narrow your problem  Identify the specific problem  Identify the specific audience that would have the power to implement your recommendations 21-8 What should I before I write a proposal? A good purpose statement makes three things clear:  The organizational problem or conflict  The specific technical questions that must be answered to solve the problem  The rhetorical purpose of the report 21-9 Relationship among Situation, Proposal, and Final Report 21-10 What should go in a proposal?        What problem are you going to solve? How are you going to solve it? What exactly will you provide for us? Can you deliver what you promise? What benefits can you offer? When will you complete the work? How much will you charge? 21-11 Proposals for Class Research Projects 21-12 Sales Proposals  For everything you offer, show the reader benefits  Use language appropriate for your audience  With long proposals, provide a one-page cover letter 21-13 Identifying “Hot Buttons”  Hot buttons  issues to which your audience has a strong emotional response 21-14 Identifying “Hot Buttons”  To identify them  Study your audience’s preferences and motivations  Be aware they may make your audience’s decisions seem illogical 21-15 What should go in a progress report? You can use progress reports to: Enhance your image Float trial balloons Minimize potential problems 21-16 What should go in a progress report?  Negative: I have not deviated markedly from my schedule, and I feel that I will have very little trouble completing this report by the due date  Positive: I am back on schedule and expect to complete my report by the due date 21-17 What should go in a progress report?  Types  Chronological  Task  Recommendation 21-18 Chronological Progress Reports Summarize your progress in terms of your goals and your original schedule Under the heading Work Completed, describe what you have already done Under the heading Work to Be Completed, describe the work that remains 21-19 Chronological Progress Reports Either express your confidence in having the report ready by the due date or request a conference to discuss extending the due date or limiting the project 21-20 Task Progress Reports  Organize information under the various tasks you have worked on during the period  Under each heading, the group could discuss the tasks it has completed and those that remain 21-21 Recommendation Progress Reports  When the recommendation will be easy for the reader to accept, use the Direct Request pattern of organization from Module 12  If the recommendation is likely to meet strong resistance, the Problem-Solving pattern may be more effective 21-22 ... workplace LO 21-2 Estimate time for business proposal writing LO 21-3 Identify sections for business proposal organization LO 21-4 Identify “hot buttons” for business proposal strategies and beyond