The Proposal will be at least 2.5 pages, typed and double-spaced. You will include headings to show the main sections of the proposal. The lecture notes explain the headings. It is very important to include headings, so please pay special attention to that in the lecture notes.

Here’s an explanation and the types of proposals and how to write them.

THIS IS MY PROPOSAL

This type of proposal is the Problem/Solution Proposal. This type of proposal is common on the job. It occurs whenever there is a problem and someone has a solution to solve it. In most cases, an employee can’t just go ahead and make changes to implement a solution. Instead, that worker would need to get permission. This permission is obtained by writing a proposal.

Here is an example: There’s a problem with a lack of parking at work. It is causing workers to be late each morning. I notice across the street of the building there is an empty area that hasn’t really been used for many years. Since nobody is using it, I realize with a little cleaning up and lines painted on the concrete, it could be a new parking lot. To have management consider this change, I need to write a proposal.

This type of proposal has these parts:

First, there is an Introduction where you give a very brief overview of the problem. Sometimes an example of the problem can help. I might give an example of a worker coming into work 15 minutes late because he/she couldn’t find a parking place on company property.

Second, the writer gives a detailed description of The Problem. Here the writer explains in detail what the problem is. One of the challenges in this section is many times the reader won’t see the issue as a problem, so it is the writer’s job to convince the reader there is a problem. It is really like an argument.
One of the strategies to convince your reader there is a problem is to get at the money issue. Explain to the reader how the problem is costing the company money, and how your solution could save money. Using the above example, the writer could discuss how workers arriving late costs the company so many dollars in lost production time.

Third, is the Solution where the writer discusses his or her solution. In this section, it is very important to closely link how the solution will solve the problem.

Fourth, is the Cost/Time section. This section honestly addresses how much it will cost to implement the solution and how much time it will take. A strategy here is to link the cost back to the problem and solution. With the above example, it would cost some money to convert the recreation area to a parking lot. We have to be honest about these costs. At the same time, we can make our readers aware that the money spent now will be saved later when production time is saved by workers arriving on time.