Ch16 slides

Chapter 16. Writing Proposals © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 1

• Analyze your audience.

• Analyze your purpose.

• Gather information about your subject.

• Choose the appropriate type of proposal.

• Draft the proposal.

• Format the proposal.

• Revise, edit, proofread, and submit the proposal.

Writing a proposal requires seven steps:


The logistics of proposals


Solicited and unsolicitedproposals respond to different needs:

• Solicited proposals are sent in response to an information for bid (IFB) or a request for proposal (RFP).

• Unsolicited proposals are submitted by a supplier who believes that the prospective customer has a need for goods or services.


• research

• goods and services

Proposals lead to two kinds of deliverables:


• Show that you understand your readers’ needs.

• Show that you have decided what you plan to do and that you are able to do it.

• Show that you are a professional and that you are committed to fulfilling your promises.

A successful proposalis a persuasive argument:


• Understand that what makes an argument persuasive can differ from one culture to another.

• Budget enough time for translating. • Use simple graphics, with captions.• Write short sentences, using common vocabulary. • Use local conventions regarding punctuation,

spelling, and mechanics.• Ask if the prospective customer will do a read-

through.

Follow these six suggestionswhen writing international proposals:


• Describe your credentials and work history.

• Provide your work schedule.

• Describe your quality-control measures.

• Include your budget.

Follow these four guidelinesto demonstrate your professionalism:


Avoid these fourcommon dishonest practices:

• saying that certain qualified people will participate in the project, even though they will not

• saying that the project will be finished by a certain date, even though it will not

• saying that the deliverable will have certain characteristics, even though it will not

• saying that the project will be completed under budget, even though it will not


• to avoid serious legal trouble stemming from breach-of-contract suits

• to avoid acquiring a bad reputation, thus ruining your business

• to do the right thing

There are three reasonsto write honest proposals:


To follow through on a proposal,you need three categories of resources:

• personnel• facilities• equipment


• summary

• introduction

• proposed program

• qualifications and experience

• budget

• appendixes

A typical proposal includes six sections:


•What is the problem or opportunity?

•What is the purpose of the proposal?

•What is the background of the problem or opportunity?

•What are your sources of information?

•What is the scope of the proposal?

•What is the organization of the proposal?

•What key terms will you use in the proposal?

An introduction answers seven questions:


Task schedules arepresented in one of three formats:

• table• bar chart or Gantt chart• network diagram


An example of a task schedule as a table


An example of a taskschedule as a bar chart


An example of a taskschedule as a network diagram

A network diagram provides more useful information than either a table or a bar chart.


There are several techniquesfor evaluating completed work:

• quantitative evaluations• qualitative evaluations• formative evaluations• summative evaluations

Ch16 slides

Entertainment & Humor

Transcript of Ch16 slides