Professional and Technical Writing Test 4: Proposals and Reports

what are the guidelines for composing a formal report?

1. address audience needs 2. conduct necessary research 3. include helpful visuals 4. collaborate, draft, and revise 5. distribute professionally

what should writers ask themselves when composing an executive summary?

1. does the summary provide a brief overview of the problem being addressed? 2. does the proposed solution in the summary emphasize key points without going into detail? 3. does the summary identify the benefits the reader gains by adopting the proposal?

what should the conclusion of a proposal do?

1. indicate what should be done first 2. highlight important details in bulleted or numbered lists 3. use good design elements 4. provide quantitative assessments of the proposal

what rhetorical purposes does the plan of action serve in a proposal?

1. it shows that the proposed method of solving the given problem is valid 2. it establishes credibility

what must proposal writers do?

1. offer feasible, realistic, well-defined solutions 2. reach their audience 3. persuade their audience 4. display the credentials that allow readers to take the proposal seriously

what should a writer remember when writing a statement of purpose?

1. reiterating a key component of the proposal helps emphasize it 2. many readers won't read an entire proposal

how can a writer identify which terms are in the glossary of a proposal?

1. terms listed in the glossary can be italicized or highlighted in the text of the proposal. With this approach, the glossary should be explained in the introduction, along with the method of identifying glossary terms in the text 2. terms listed in the glossary can be marked with an asterisk (*) in the text. Writers can also identify this strategy in the introduction or can explain it in a footnote the first time the mark is used

what are the rules of ethics and professionalism in RFPs?

1. the posting of an RFP indicates that a proposal will be accepted 2. RFPs should never ask for the impossible 3. RFPs should disclose as much as possible about the problem 4. RFPs should provide sufficient time for organizations to compose proposals 5. RFPs should not solicit proposals that have little chance of being received

what are the goals of a recommendation report?

1. they understand the different facets of the problem at hand 2. they recognize the audience of stakeholders who are influenced by the recommendation report 3. they recommend a choice(s) that best fit the criteria and suit the needs of the company, organization, or stakeholders themselves, depending on the nature of the problem.

What are the goals of internal proposals?

1. to persuade an audience that a problem exists 2. to persuade an audience that the problem is understandable 3. to persuade an audience that the problem should be fixed 4. to persuade an audience that the problem will escalate if not addressed 5. to persuade an audience that the suggested solution makes sense

what should a writer focus on in the results and discussions portion of a lab report?

1. what do the results clearly indicate? 2. what is the significance of these results? 3. how do expected results compare with obtained results? 4. what experimental errors occurred? 5. how do results relate to experimental objectives 6. how do results compare/contrast with those of similar experiments? 7. were there any limitations to the experiment design?

when reading an RFP, what questions should proposal writers ask?

1. what problem does the RFP present that needs to be solved? 2. what clues does the RFP offer about who the proposal audience will be? Does the RFP provide any information, either directly or indirectly, about that audience? What is the audience apt to want from the proposal? 3. based on the RFP, what should the purpose of the proposal be? 4. what solutions can the proposal offer in response to the problems identified in the RFP? 5. what information is readily available, and what information will need to be gathered in order to write the proposal?

what questions should writers consider when composing their informal report?

1. who is my audience? what are the needs of this audience? 2. what is my purpose in writing to this audience? 3. what kind of informal report will best suit audience needs and my purpose? 4. do I have the proper information or research to write the report? 5. what tone and style should the informal report use for this audience? 6. what genre will the audience expect for this informal report? 7. how should I use layout/design principles and visuals in the report? 8. what revisions should I make in the draft of the report? 9. how should I transmit this document to my audience?

how long should an executive summary be?

10% of the length of the entire document (ex. 40 pages for a 400 page report)

how many words should an abstract be?

50-500; general summaries are even shorter

what is accuracy in report writing?

a kind of disclosure in which lab results are recorded and reported truthfully, problems and hinderances to projects are explained correctly, and situations details are provided precisely

what is a byline?

a line that identifies the writer(s) of the proposal

what is a list of visuals?

a list of the figures, tables, and visuals contained in the proposal, with appropriate titles

what is a research and grant proposal?

a proposal that attempts to persuade a sponsoring organization to fund an individual's or a group's research or project

what is a sales proposal?

a proposal that attempts to persuade another organization that the writer's company can best supply a needed service or product.

what is an external proposal?

a proposal that attempts to persuade readers outside of the writer's organization to accept the solutions the proposal offers; sent outside an organization.

what is an internal proposal?

a proposal that offers solutions to problems that an organization is aware of or problems that the organization does not yet recognize; is created and sent within an organization.

what is a lab report?

a report documenting the procedures, methods, and results of a lab experiment and explaining their significance

what is an incident report?

a report that documents events in the workplace including accidents, emergencies, and problems

what is an evaluation report?

a report that provides a judgement or researched opinion about the worth, value, or effectiveness of something

what is a feasibility report?

a report that studies a situation or a problem and determines whether a plan to address that situation or problem is feasible.

what is the scope of a proposal?

a section of the introduction that specifies the parts of the problem the proposal addresses

what is the technical background section of a formal report?

a section that provides appropriate sections of information that address the technical concerns that writers believe audiences will have; this information may be highly technical and sophisticated or simple and uncomplicated.

what should the introduction of a proposal include?

a statement of purpose, a description of the background and/or a statement of the problem, an account of the scope of the proposal, and an explanation of how the proposal is organized

what do proposals do?

address facets of problem and seek to solve the problem

what is a directive?

an informal report that apprises audience of policies or procedures that they should be aware of and follow

what workplace and rhetorical situations are informal reports good for?

announcing the status of a project to a manager, describing a problem to a client, introducing a proposal or a plan to investors, detailing an investigation to authorities, explaining a new policy to employees, or providing results from field or lab work to colleagues.

what are the parts of the end matter of a proposal?

bibliography, glossary, and appendixes

is an informal report written for internal or external audiences?

both

what kind of external audiences is an informal report written for?

clients, customers, or outside agents

what qualifications/experience should you include in a proposal?

company background, personnel, experience, portfolio, equipment, licenses, awards, and references.

What information do RFPs request?

company/organization information, proposed solution, details of the proposed solution, budget, provisions, personnel, references, portfolio, awards, and certification and licensing.

what kind of internal audiences is an informal report written for?

coworkers, supervisors, or executives

what are the ethical issues in report writing?

disclosure and accuracy

What does a bibliography do in a proposal?

document outside sources used in the proposal

What are the two types of internal proposals?

everyday and formal proposals

what is in the body of a formal report?

executive summary, introduction, description or definition of the problem, technical background, criteria, discussion of options, comparison, conclusions, and final recommendations or opinions

Why do organizations request external proposals?

few of them find it cost-effective, or even possible, to provide solutions for all of the problems they face

how many figures and tables should you have before you split up the list of each in the table of contents?

five each

What are formal internal proposals?

formal proposals that usually contain more information and address more complex problems than informal proposals and often include the standard components of a proposal

what is in the front matter of a formal report?

front cover, table of contents, and list of tables, figures, and symbols

what are the main components of a proposal?

front matter, body, and end matter

what are the standard parts of a formal report?

front matter, body, and end matter

In a request for proposals, what do project details include?

goals, budget, general scope, project personnel, timeline, and requirements

when should a glossary be included in a proposal?

if a proposal contains numerous terms that need to be defined

what are some differences between informal and format reports?

in a formal report, the language is more professional; oftentimes, an informal report will be internal and a formal report will be external; formal reports are generally more complex

what do appendixes do in a proposal?

include any additional information that proposal readers might want to see, such as the details of data or information presented in the proposal

What are everyday internal proposals?

informal proposals that often take the form of memos or e-mails and offer solutions to routine problems that do not require great effort to identify, define, or solve

What is an IFB?

information for bids

What are the two general categories of proposals?

internal/external, solicited/unsolicited

what are the parts of the body of a proposal?

introduction, approach, requirements, plan of action, qualifications/experience, budget, proposed schedule, and conclusions/recommendations

what are the parts of an informal report?

introduction, body, and conclusion

what is an LOI?

letter of interest

what is an executive summary?

like an abstract, it offers readers an easy-to-understand synopsis of the entire proposal, allowing readers to determine whether or not they should continue reading

what are some ways an informal report can be composed as?

memo, letter, e-mail, or presentation

should the list of symbols be combined with the list of figures and tables?

no

what are some criteria used in formal reports?

numerical values, yes/no values, and ratings values

is repetition in reports a positive or negative thing?

positive- reinforces ideas, especially since not all readers read the whole report.

what are the different types of informal reports?

progress reports, lab reports, directives, and incident reports

what is an example of a progress report layout?

project overview progress overview objective 1 (repeated for each objective), work completed, work remaining conclusion

what are the three kinds of formal reports?

recommendation reports, feasibility reports, and evaluation reports

what is included in the end matter of a formal report?

references, appendix, and back cover

what is a recommendation report?

reports that answer the question "what option should be chosen?" or "out of many options, which is best?"

what is an RFP?

request for proposals

What is an RFQ?

request for quotations

What are the two types of external proposals?

sales and research and grant proposals

what does a request for proposals do?

seeks to have a problem solved

What is the difference between solicited and unsolicited proposals?

solicited ones were requested by an organization through a request for proposals or other means. Unsolicited ones were not.

In a proposal, what should be included in the details of the proposed solution section?

special features, functionality, options, add-ons, originality, scale, and technical requirements

what are the parts of a proposal introduction?

statement of purpose, background/statement of problem, scope, and organization

In a proposal, what should be included in the proposed solution section?

summary of solution, proposed process, task list, and time line

What kinds of documents might appendixes of a proposal include?

surveys, maps, or charts; previous correspondence; reports that have influenced the proposal; documents that establish the background or context of the problem; spreadsheets or other databases; images of locations, equipment, damage, and so on; or statistics

how many pages should a document be before you need a table of contents?

ten

in a proposal, what should be included in the budget?

third-party costs and cost of provided services

What information does an RFP provide?

title and/or brief description, contact information, proposal schedule, background information, proposal selection process, project summary, and project details

what should be included on the the title page/cover of a proposal?

title of the proposal, byline, date, and other elements, letter of transmittal, contact for submission of the proposal, summary, date of action, and gratitude

what should a lab report include?

title page, abstract, introduction, materials, procedures, results and discussion, conclusions, references, appendix

what are the parts of the front matter of a proposal?

title page/cover, letter of transmittal, executive summary, table of contents, and list of visuals

what is on the front cover of a formal report?

titles, byline, and date

What purposes do informal reports serve?

to inform, explain, analyze, persuade, or recommend

what does a progress report do?

update audiences on the status of an ongoing project, typically detailing where the project is in relation to its overall goals and objectives.

What technology affects RFPs?

world wide web, databases and lists, communication technologies, PDFs, and forms

what is disclosure?

writers tell audiences everything they need to know about a project, experiment, situation, or problem; nothing of importance is left out.