Engl-309 Files 2013 01 ConsultingProposalRequirements
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Rajib ChowdhuryEngl-309 Files 2013 01 ConsultingProposalRequirements
Uploaded by
Rajib ChowdhurySome Requirements for the Consulting Proposal
(Assignment 1)
Introduction: ½ page (all page lengths are maximums, not minimums)
• In the 1st sentence, thank the reader, and include the study's objective(s)
• in the penultimate sentence, include a bulleted forecasting list of the major elements of the proposal
• in the last sentence, mention that the study's fees will be provided under separate cover
Background Section: 2 pages, not including visuals
• Story Component:
• discuss the history of the situation
• as part of that history, indicate the three possible options and their combination
• clearly state the overriding problem and its effects
• be certain that your story includes specificity--for example: instead of "the organization has
grown," prefer something like "over the last X years, the organization has grown Y%
• Questions Component:
• phrase the deliverables as questions
• Closing Component:
• "To answer these questions, we have designed an approach to achieve [specify the objective]. As
a result of achieving these objectives, you will [specify 2-4 benefits]."
Methods Section: 1 page, not including a Gantt chart
• construct the opening p-slot (introduction) from the situation and methods columns of the Themes
Development Worksheet (TDW)
• include a transition to the Gantt Chart
• for the section's i-slot, include in the Gantt Chart the deliverables, phrased as tasks, in the same order
as the deliverables phrased as questions in the Questions Component
• construct the section's closing p-slot by indicating, in one ¶, the benefits of your methodology
Qualifications Section: 1.5 pp.
• for the body of the section, discuss the claims from the qualifications column of the TDW
• end the introduction with a bulleted forecasting list of the major claims, expressed as complete
sentences
• repeat each claim as a subhead in the body
• in a ¶ beneath each claim, argue why that claim is true
Benefits Section: 1 page
• end the introduction with a bulleted forecasting list of the major benefits, expressed as claims (i.e., as
complete sentences)
• try to include in the subject slot the beneficiary (i.e., the reader or his/her organization)
• repeat each benefit-claim as a subhead in the body of the section
• in a ¶ beneath each claim, argue why that claim is true
Concluding ¶(s)
• separate the conclusion from the benes section with several spaced asterisks or some other visual
device
• summarize the major persuasive elements of the proposal
Themes
• initiate some themes in the introduction, and include some themes in the background section
Visuals
• include at least one visual (a Gantt Chart), recognizing that the final document will require several
visuals, two or more of which will display data in the background section
• include in each visual a caption-claim that the entire visual has been designed to "prove"
• be certain that all text in a visual, including its caption, is smaller than the normal text, recognizing
that (for example) 11 pt Verdana may actually be larger than 12 pt Times New Roman and that
therefore just reducing the pt size in the visual might not make the text smaller
• use 2 dimensions, rather than 3, in the visuals/charts
• in the objects of your visuals, consider using shading so that the objects "pop"
Document/Page Design
• be certain to paginate
• include key information (including p.#s) in the header and/or footer
• use "block" format--i.e., don't indent ¶s
• be certain to include more space before a heading than after it
• for your "normal" text, use a serif font like Times New Roman
• for the text in your visuals, prefer a non-serif font (e.g., Verdana, Helvetica, Gil sans); avoid Arial.
Why avoid the latter? Note how features of Helvetica help guide a reader’s eye across the page. Those
features are horizontal rather than slanted, as they are in Arial.
• differentiate your headings--see, for example, the background section requirements above
• strive for a professionally designed document
Sentence-Level Requirements
• use sentences that are grammatically and mechanically error-free
• recognize that all content in the appendix on "Writing Effective Sentences" describes additional
sentence-level requirements