Introduction:
You are going to write a professional proposal to help the Seamus Company, a paper-based publishing company, solve a problem. The proposal must be professionally formatted (APA style recommended) and include the following:
• A title page showing: Project name, your name, and a signature block
• Table of Contents
• Abstract
• Proposal body
• Conclusion
• Reference page
• Appendix — If you provide additional materials (optional)
• Letter of Transmittal — This is submitted on a separate sheet
Your proposal needs to establish how your research and proposed IT solution (technology-based) will meet the requirements for helping the Seamus Company start using more technologies in its book publishing business. Consider what the Seamus Company is looking for with regard to cost, quality, and efficiency. If possible, choose a solution that aligns well with your background and degree emphasis. The key to this assessment is to create a logical proposed solution with sufficient detail and justification.
You also must demonstrate Professional Communication quality, which refers to clarity, organization, and mechanics. This relates to how well you write your submission. Consider these questions: Is the grammar correct? Is the punctuation accurate? Are paragraphs well-formed? Does the material flow in a logical pattern? If you would like help with your writing contact the WGU Writing Center.
You may use the following pages as a template but be sure to delete this page and all of the blue text that follows.
A. Title Page (Make this a separate page; i.e., don’t start and/or end any other sections on it.): Create a title page that includes the following:
• Project name
• Your name
• Signature block with space for your signature and the date
Tip: This is a “no-brainer.” Just make sure to include it. Be sure to provide a uniquely descriptive Project Title.
Passing Rubric Requirement: The title page is appropriate and includes the given elements.
Project Title
Author’s Full name, Including Middle Initial
Western Governors University
Signature: _________________________
Date: [MM/DD/YYYY]
B. Table of Contents
What to do: Create a Table of Contents on a separate page that only contains the section headings and page numbers. Use the template below.
Passing Rubric Requirement: The table of contents aligns with the sections of the proposal and accurately locates the sections in the proposal.
Table of Contents
Abstract 4
Proposed Project for Seamus Company 5
D1. Proposed Solution 5
D2. Related Works Review 5
D3. Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables 5
D4. Projected Timeline 6
D5. Resources and Costs 7
D6. Outcome 7
E. Justification and Proposal Highlights 7
G. Sources 8
Abstract
What to do: Write an abstract on a separate page that starts with a statement about how the Seamus Company is trying to improve its paper-based book publishing business with new technologies. Then, include information about each of the following points:
• A recommendation of the solution (A summary of the proposed solution.).
• Description of how the proposed solution benefits the Seamus Company.
• Review the project’s primary outcomes.
• An estimate of the overall cost of the project to Seamus.
• The submitting company’s expertise relevant to the proposed solution. This is an explanation of why Seamus can be confident that you can deliver the proposed solution. Come up with a company or consultant that is going to perform the work. This document should be written in the third person.
Remember: The goal here is to provide a clear, brief explanation of how the proposed project helps support the Seamus Company’s desire to start using more technology in its business.
Passing Rubric Requirement: The abstract is logical, addresses all the given points, and aligns with what is present in the proposal. The expertise provided establishes credibility.
Proposed Project for Seamus Company
D1. Proposed Solution
What to do: First paragraph – Write a description of how the Seamus Company will benefit from your proposed solution. First, identify the problem Seamus is facing as it deals with the company’s need to start using more technologies. Then, as you did in the Abstract describe the solution and how it will benefit the company. Second paragraph – Provide an overview of how the proposed solution will be implemented. You should write this for a non-technical audience but with enough technical information that the project’s scope if fully described. This will tie to your objectives in D3 so look ahead.
Remember: Your Abstract and D3 will contain a wealth of material to reuse here. Provide details where necessary to ensure the reader understands your intent.
Passing Rubric Requirement: The explanation of the proposed solution establishes a clear relationship between the solution and the Seamus Company’s desire to use more technologies to enhance business.
D2. Related Works Review
What to do: Locate three publicly accessible source that support your project idea. Then in separate paragraphs for each, summarize the source and describe how it relates/supports the project. You need to provide specific statements about the relationship between the source and the proposed project. You must cite where each source came from. Using APA style citations is recommended.
Remember: Your sources may include best practices, white papers, vendor case studies, blogs, and expert analysis/research.
Passing Rubric Requirement: Summarize three published works or use cases where the key elements of your proposal have been implemented in other organizations or companies
D3. Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables
What to do: Create a hierarchy of the project outcomes using the following structure:
• Goals are typically high-level, providing the “Why” for a project (one or two will suffice).
• Objectives are more mid-level and tend to address the “How” a goal would be met. You should have multiple objectives for each goal.
• Deliverables are the outcome-based tasks that must be accomplished to satisfy a given objective. Deliverables comprise a set of “What” things must be done. Each objective should have at least two deliverables. Be sure that your descriptions are complete sentences and are detailed enough to fully inform the reader. Brief or incomplete sentences are not a passable submission. You may use an outline format like the one below:
I. Goal 1: Provide a description here.
a. Objective 1: This should provide a description of how it relates to the helping the goal be met. Think of this as a sub-project.
i. Deliverable 1: The first outcome-based task for the objective.
ii. Deliverable 2: The second task.
iii. Deliverable 3: And so forth.
b. Objective 2: The next sub-project for meeting the goal.
i. Deliverables the same format as the first objective.
Remember: Differentiate between goal, objective, and deliverable because for this assessment they are three different things. You must establish a clear hierarchy.
Passing Rubric Requirement: The description of project goals, objectives, and deliverables is clear and demonstrates how the goals, objectives, and deliverables will be accomplished.
D4. Projected Timeline
What to do: Use the Projected Timeline section to address your project’s sequence and timing. Place the deliverables from the D3 section in the timeline table in the logical sequence they will be performed. Key elements of the timeline are the expected duration, start date and end date for each task.
Remember: Be sure your dates are set in the near future and include the year. Durations typically are in hour units. There should be sufficient granularity so a complete understanding of the tasks required for the project is recognizable.
Passing Rubric Requirement: The timeline includes completion dates of the deliverables and is complete and clear. The completion dates are aligned with the deliverables.
Description of deliverable Duration
(hours or days) Projected start date Anticipated end date
D5. Resources and Costs
What to do: Provide an introductory paragraph that describes what resources would be required to complete the proposed project. Then create a table of the resources required for the project with an itemized cost for each. This should include things like unit costs, quantity, duration, and descriptions.
Remember: Be sure to include those items that clearly will be required to complete the project. Refer to Section D3 and the objectives and deliverables to locate helpful information about what to include.
E3. Passing Rubric Requirement: Provide a list of resources and their associated costs needed to implement the proposal.
D6. Outcome
What to do: Write a description of the anticipated project outcomes and explain how the success of the project will be measured once completed. Include at least three metrics (benchmarks) that will assess the project’s success and effectiveness once completed. Make these measurable (e.g. An increase of 10% in the online market revenue within the first year). You need to include: 1. A description of the metric. 2. How it will be measured. 3. What measurement indicates success.
Remember: Use a table to organize the information. A quantifiable metric is basically a predetermined target that can be measured.
Passing Rubric Requirement: The explanation uses an evaluation framework that assesses the success or effectiveness of the project.
E. Justification and Proposal Highlights
What to do: Write a conclusion for your proposal that includes each of these elements (This will be very similar to the Abstract):
• The problem that Seamus is current facing based on the desire to start using more technology to enhance its business.
• The nature of your proposed project, (or: summarize the project)
• What the project will change, (or: what changes it will affect)
• Its benefits, (or: how it will benefit Seamus, or its current or potential customers/users)
• The submitting company’s or consultant’s ability to carry it out, why you are skilled and qualified to conduct the project, and why Seamus should select you as the entity to execute the project
• Why Seamus Company should commit funding for it and consequences if they do not. Why this project should be a priority
Remember: This is more of a summary sales pitch and needs to be convincing as to how the key elements of the project will be of great benefit to the Seamus Company.
Passing Rubric Requirement: Justify how the technology solution meets the business needs of the Seamus Company.
F. Cover Letter…also called a Letter of Transmittal (to be submitted as a separate document.)
What to do: Create a cover letter that includes the following:
• An introduction
• A body that expands on the reasons for the proposal
• A conclusion
Remember: This is a formality to document that you sent the proposal. It should clearly state what the included material refers to, what is included, a brief review of the proposed project, and a brief statement about why the Seamus Company should consider it.
Unlike the rest of this document, the letter should use a standard business letter format. The addressee’s details can be made up and should reflect a standard business letter format.
Passing Rubric Requirement: The letter of transmittal or cover letter includes all of the given points and is professional in tone and style.
G. Sources
What to do: When you quote or paraphrase material, you must reference it with an in-text citation in the document and a full citation in this section. We recommend you use citations that conform to APA-formatting.
Remember: Great APA site: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Passing Rubric Requirement: Acknowledge sources, using in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.
H. Professional Communication (Do not keep this heading)
What to do: Your submission must be created with proper professional clarity, organization, and mechanics. This isn’t just grammar but the overall quality of what you’re presenting. Are paragraphs well-formed and contain industry-based information? Does the material flow in a logical pattern?
Passing Rubric Requirement: Content reflects attention to detail, is organized, and focuses on the main ideas as prescribed in the task or chosen by the candidate. Terminology is pertinent, is used correctly, and effectively conveys the intended meaning. Mechanics, usage, and grammar promote accurate interpretation and understanding.
Note: Your submission must be your original work. No more than a combined total of 30% of the submission and no more than a 10% match to any one individual source can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources, even if cited correctly.