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
Define the problem.
Gather necessary information.
Analyze the information.
Organize the information.
Write the 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 do 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 do 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 do 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
Problem
Topics to
Investigate
Feasibility
Audience
Methods/
Procedure
Qualifications
Facilities
Resources
Work
Schedule
Call to
Action
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
1. Summarize your progress in terms of your
goals and your original schedule.
2. Under the heading Work Completed,
describe what you have already done.
3. Under the heading Work to Be Completed,
describe the work that remains.
21-19
Chronological Progress Reports
4. 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