Slide MGT310 Slide09
Planning Reports
and Proposals
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Effective Reports and
Proposals
• Informational
• Analytical
• Proposals
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Three-Step Writing
Process
• Planning
• Writing
• Completing
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Analyzing the Situation
• Define the purpose
• Prepare the work plan
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Defining the Purpose
•
•
•
•
•
•
©
Inform
Persuade
Recommend
Confirm
Analyze
Summarize
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Preparing the Work Plan
• Statement of the problem
• Statement of the purpose and scope
• Discussion of tasks to be accomplished
• Description of final products or outcomes
• Review of schedules and requirements
• Plans for following up
• Working outline
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Gathering Information
• Focus on the audience
• Plan carefully
• Establish priorities
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Selecting the Medium
• Hardcopy
• Digital format
• Multimedia
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Organizing the
Information
• Direct approach
• State conclusions and recommendations
• Introduce findings
• Include support
• Indirect approach
• Introduce findings
• Discuss support
• State conclusions and recommendations
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Organization
Considerations
• Understand and meet audience
expectations
• Use a task-appropriate format
• Keep it as short as possible
• “Talk” your way through the outline
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Planning
Informational Reports
• Monitor and control operations
• Implement policies and procedures
• Demonstrate compliance
• Document progress
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Organizing
Informational Reports
• Topical organization
– Comparison
– Importance
– Sequence
– Chronology
– Spatial orientation
– Geography
– Category
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Creating Business Plans
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
©
Summary
Mission and objectives
Company and industry
Products or services
Market and competition
Management
Marketing strategies
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Creating Business Plans
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
©
Design and development plans
Operations plan
Overall schedule
Critical risks and problems
Financial projections
Financial requirements
Exit strategy
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Website Content
• Online communication is unique
– Web readers are demanding
– Reading online can be difficult
– The Internet is a nonlinear medium
– The Internet is multidimensional
– Websites have multiple purposes
– Internet audiences are diverse
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Information Architecture
• Vertical hierarchy of pages
• Horizontal division of pages
• Internal and external links
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Organizing the Site
• Plan navigation first
• Let readers be in control
• Break information into “chunks”
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Planning Analytical
Reports
• Assess opportunities
– Market analysis and due diligence
• Solve problems
– Troubleshooting and failure analysis
• Support decisions
– Feasibility and justification
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Defining the Problem
•
•
•
•
•
•
©
What needs to be determined?
Why is this issue important?
Who is involved in the situation?
Where is the trouble located?
How did the situation originate?
When did it start?
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Organizational
Strategies
• Receptive audiences
– Direct approach
• Focus on conclusions
• Focus on recommendations
• Skeptical audiences
– Indirect approach
• Focus on logical arguments
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Organizing
Analytical Reports
• Logical arguments
• Feasible recommendations
• Bottom-line conclusions
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Focus on Conclusions
• Advantages
– Ease of use
– Bottom-line driven
• Disadvantages
– Possible resistance
– Oversimplification
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Focus on
Recommendations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
©
Establish the need for action
Introduce benefits
List steps needed to get benefits
Explain each step more fully
Summarize your recommendations
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Focus on Logical
Arguments
• 2 + 2 = 4 approach
–
–
–
–
Problem or opportunity
Main reasons behind conclusions
Main reasons behind recommendations
Support reasons with evidence
• Yardstick approach
–
–
–
–
©
Problem or opportunity
List alternatives
List decision-making criteria
Evaluate alternatives against criteria
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Planning Proposals
• Internal
– Funding
– Management support
– General projects
• External
– Investments
– Grants
– Sales
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Organizing Proposals
• Solicited
– Direct approach
– Interested audience
• Unsolicited
– Indirect approach
– Uninterested audience
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
and Proposals
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Effective Reports and
Proposals
• Informational
• Analytical
• Proposals
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Three-Step Writing
Process
• Planning
• Writing
• Completing
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Analyzing the Situation
• Define the purpose
• Prepare the work plan
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Defining the Purpose
•
•
•
•
•
•
©
Inform
Persuade
Recommend
Confirm
Analyze
Summarize
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Preparing the Work Plan
• Statement of the problem
• Statement of the purpose and scope
• Discussion of tasks to be accomplished
• Description of final products or outcomes
• Review of schedules and requirements
• Plans for following up
• Working outline
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Gathering Information
• Focus on the audience
• Plan carefully
• Establish priorities
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Selecting the Medium
• Hardcopy
• Digital format
• Multimedia
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Organizing the
Information
• Direct approach
• State conclusions and recommendations
• Introduce findings
• Include support
• Indirect approach
• Introduce findings
• Discuss support
• State conclusions and recommendations
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Organization
Considerations
• Understand and meet audience
expectations
• Use a task-appropriate format
• Keep it as short as possible
• “Talk” your way through the outline
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Planning
Informational Reports
• Monitor and control operations
• Implement policies and procedures
• Demonstrate compliance
• Document progress
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Organizing
Informational Reports
• Topical organization
– Comparison
– Importance
– Sequence
– Chronology
– Spatial orientation
– Geography
– Category
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Creating Business Plans
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
©
Summary
Mission and objectives
Company and industry
Products or services
Market and competition
Management
Marketing strategies
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Creating Business Plans
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
©
Design and development plans
Operations plan
Overall schedule
Critical risks and problems
Financial projections
Financial requirements
Exit strategy
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Website Content
• Online communication is unique
– Web readers are demanding
– Reading online can be difficult
– The Internet is a nonlinear medium
– The Internet is multidimensional
– Websites have multiple purposes
– Internet audiences are diverse
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Information Architecture
• Vertical hierarchy of pages
• Horizontal division of pages
• Internal and external links
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Organizing the Site
• Plan navigation first
• Let readers be in control
• Break information into “chunks”
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Planning Analytical
Reports
• Assess opportunities
– Market analysis and due diligence
• Solve problems
– Troubleshooting and failure analysis
• Support decisions
– Feasibility and justification
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Defining the Problem
•
•
•
•
•
•
©
What needs to be determined?
Why is this issue important?
Who is involved in the situation?
Where is the trouble located?
How did the situation originate?
When did it start?
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Organizational
Strategies
• Receptive audiences
– Direct approach
• Focus on conclusions
• Focus on recommendations
• Skeptical audiences
– Indirect approach
• Focus on logical arguments
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Organizing
Analytical Reports
• Logical arguments
• Feasible recommendations
• Bottom-line conclusions
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Focus on Conclusions
• Advantages
– Ease of use
– Bottom-line driven
• Disadvantages
– Possible resistance
– Oversimplification
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Focus on
Recommendations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
©
Establish the need for action
Introduce benefits
List steps needed to get benefits
Explain each step more fully
Summarize your recommendations
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Focus on Logical
Arguments
• 2 + 2 = 4 approach
–
–
–
–
Problem or opportunity
Main reasons behind conclusions
Main reasons behind recommendations
Support reasons with evidence
• Yardstick approach
–
–
–
–
©
Problem or opportunity
List alternatives
List decision-making criteria
Evaluate alternatives against criteria
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Planning Proposals
• Internal
– Funding
– Management support
– General projects
• External
– Investments
– Grants
– Sales
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -
Organizing Proposals
• Solicited
– Direct approach
– Interested audience
• Unsolicited
– Indirect approach
– Uninterested audience
©
Business Communicat
Chapter 13 -