PROJECT/BUSINESS

PROPOSAL

I. INTRODUCTION

NATURE OF A PROJECT/BUSINESS PROPOSAL

Proposals differ from other technical writing in one important
respect. While most technical writing deals with things that exist
events that have taken place, projects that have been completed,
operations of machinery proposals are concerned for the most
part with the future with projects that someone merely wants to
have undertaken. This major difference makes writing proposals
particularly difficult (Sherman & Johnson 1975: 262).

Proposals, whether large or small, it must be highly persuasive

to succeed. Enthusiasm is not enough to persuade readers; you
have to supply hard evidence based on research. Your proposal
must convince readers that your plan will help them.

Lastly, for a proposal to be successful in this environment, it

must quickly and clearly answer the questions a potential funder
will bring to any request for support:
1. What does the proposer want to do?
2. How much will it cost?
3. Is the problem important and relevant to the funding
agencys interests?
4. Will the proposed activity solve or reduce the problem?

5. Can the proposed activity be done? Will it duplicate other

work?
6. Is the method or approach appropriate, clearly defined,
and well thought out?
7. Can the results be adequately evaluated?
8. Is the proposer qualified to do research? Better qualified
than other proposers?

9. Will the results of the activity be available to others?

10. Are the proposed schedule of the activity and budget
reasonable?
The way these questions are answered will vary as particular
projects are adapted to the guidelines of particular funding
agencies. However, all of these questions need to be addressed at
some level (Olsen & Huckin 1983: 213).

DESCRIPTION OF A PROJECT/BUSINESS
PROPOSAL
Proposals, one of the most common kinds of writing in the
workplace and in the government, are written every day to
analyze problems and to recommend solutions. Some of these
proposals have immediate pragmatic ends, particularly those
written in the workplace (Axelrod & Cooper 1990: 353).

In addition, Sherman and Johnson (1975: 261) defined

proposal, as the word itself indicates, is a suggestion or request
that some particular action be taken. Usually a specific person,
business, or agency wishes to do a job or solve a problem for
another person, business, or agency, and writes a proposal in an
effort to secure the opportunity to do so.

II. BODY

TYPES OF PROJECT/BUSINESS PROPOSAL

(SHERMAN & JOHNSON 1975: 263- 265)

1. RESEARCH
Proposals for pure research are usually written by workers at
universities, science centers, or in some cases, research
departments of major industrial concerns such as General Electric
or DuPont. Most teachers in the sciences at university level are
involved in projects that receive funding through proposals written
to some funding agency.

2. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Usually referred to as R & D, research and development
accounts for a great many of the proposals written in industry, as
well as some written in universities. Proposals in this area usually
have as a goal the actual development of a project or process of
some kind.

3. SALES
Is the most important factor in the total sales effort. A sales
proposal is an attempt to persuade a customer that a product or a
service will fill a particular need. It frequently describes a product
already in existence, but it must also convince the customer that
the product will outperform any other product in a task yet to be
done.

Although sales proposals often include a great deal of what is

called boilerplate printed material for inclusion in any report
successful proposals are generally tailored to the particular
customers needs and specifications. The care taken in the
tailoring is one indication to the customer that the company really
wants the business.

4. PLANNING
Planning proposals are frequently written for governmental
bodies by organizations that are in the process of change and are
trying to determine the best change to make. Examples might
include plans for new school districts, a new division within an
organization, or a new procedure in a business. Frequently a
person or committee is chosen to study the case and write up the
results as a proposal. The organization then decides on the basis
of the information contained in the proposal whether the changes
will be advantageous.

PARTS OF A PROJECT/BUSINESS PROPOSAL

(OLSEN & HUCKIN 1983: 216, 218- 220)

1. TITLE PAGE
The Title Page provides the basic To, From, Subject, Date
information found in headings and Title Pages for other types of
Page 4 of 10 technical communications; it also includes financial
information relevant to proposals alone. Specific formats for Title
Pages vary from one funding agency to another, but most require
the following:

a. the title of the proposal (as short and informative as

possible)
b. a reference number for the proposal
c. the name of the potential funding agency
d. the name and address of the proposer(s): principal
investigator any co-principal investigators or project director

e. the proposed starting date and duration of the project

f. the total funds requested
g. the proposals date of submission
h. the signatures of the project director and responsible
administrator(s) in the proposers institution.

2. ABSTRACT
The Abstract of a proposal is short, often 200 words or less. In
a short proposal addressed to someone within the writers
institution, the Abstract may be located on the Title Page; in a
long proposal or one addressed to a funding agency outside the
writers institution, the Abstract will usually occupy a page by itself
following the Title Page.

The Abstract is a critical part of the proposal because it

provides a short overview and summary of the entire proposal; it
is the only text in the proposal seen by some readers. The
Abstract should briefly define the problem and its importance, the
objectives of the project, the method of evaluation, and the
potential impact of the project. It normally does not define the
cost.

3. INTRODUCTION
The Introduction of the proposal, like Foreword of the technical
report, orients a non-specialist to the subject and purpose of the
document. It should define the problem being addressed (perhaps
defining what it is not as well as what it is) and explain the
purpose and significance of the proposed project in terms
appropriate for a managerial audience. If the project is simple, the
Introduction may also include the few relevant details which would
belong in the Background section of a more complicated proposal.

4. BACKGROUND
As a separate section, the Background allows you to ill in
important technical details inappropriate for the non-specialist
readers of the Abstract and Introduction. The Background provides
a place to discuss the history of the problem, to survey previous
work on your topic (a survey leading up to some problem or gap in
the previous work), and to place this project in a particular context
of previous work you may have done on the problem.

If this proposal extends earlier work you have done, be sure to

show why your previous work needs to be continued and how the
proposed work differs from it. Do not spend a great deal of time
justifying your earlier efforts and budgets; concentrate on the new
work proposed.

5. DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED RESEARCH

The Description of Proposed Research is the most important
section of the whole proposal. It describes what you want to do
and how you intend to do it:
a. the objectives to be achieved
b. the plan for reaching those objectives
c. the plan for evaluating the results
d. the schedule for completing the work

This section will be evaluated carefully by the proposals

reviewers, who will be knowledgeable in the field. Their job is to
eliminate all proposals whose objectives or plans are inappropriate
or unclear or not well thought out. Thus, your job as a writer is to
convince them that you are doing what needs to be done and are
doing it in the most careful although thorough way.

6. DESCRIPTION OF RELEVANT
INSTITUTIONAL RESOURCES
If you are proposing a project that requires special equipment,
one important factor in your ability to do the proposed work is
having access to that equipment. Having this equipment already
available at your institution is a big plus for your proposal since a
funding agency could pay you much less to do the work than it
would have to pay someone who had to buy the equipment. Thus,
it is to your advantage to list relevant institutional resources.
Further, funding agencies often feel that proposers work harder
(and institutions monitor them more carefully) if the proposers
institution has resources invested in the project.

7. LIST OF REFERENCES
If you have enough references to interrupt the text if you
insert them as you go along, you may want to set them up in a
separate section. You may also want to do this if the previous
work is especially important and you want your reviewers to see
that you have cited the right items. As a rule of thumb, if you
have more than six references, you might consider a List of
References, placed before the sections on Personnel and Budget.
The references are listed consecutively as they appear in the text
and are listed with authors name in normal order (first name or
initials first).

8. PERSONNEL
The purpose of this section is to explain who will be doing what
and to demonstrate that the people listed for a proposed activity are
competent to do it. This is normally accomplished in two
subsections, one outlining the responsibilities of the individual
participants and the structure to coordinate them and one providing
short biographical sheets for the main participants. Both sections
should focus on only the relevant qualifications of the participants.

9. BUDGET
Like the Personnel section, the Budget section has two
purposes: to explain what things will cost and to justify and
explain individual expenditures, especially where these are not
obvious.

10. APPENDICES
Appendices are reserved for necessary supporting documents
which, because of their length or type, would disrupt the flow of
the proposal. The most common Appendix items are biography
sheets for more than six to eight people, letters of endorsement
for the proposal, and promises of participation from important
participants. Other materials may be pertinent to a given
proposal, but the proposal writer should consider carefully any
item included in the Appendix and eliminate anything not really
needed to support the importance of the topic, the credentials of
the proposer, or the ability of the proposers to carry out their
work.

GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A SUCCESSFUL

PROJECT/BUSINESS PROPOSAL (MEHLICH &
SMITH-WORTHINGTON 1997: 610-611, 613).

1. Approach writing a proposal as a problem-solving activity. Your

purposes should reflect your ability to identify and solve problems.
Convince your audience that you know what their needs are and
that you will meet them.

TIPS ON WRITING PROJECT/BUSINESS

PROPOSALS (KEENE 1987: 363)

1. TIPS ON WRITING THE INTRODUCTION

a. need
Explain why the project you are proposing needs to be undertaken
what is the problem?
b. goals
What is it you want to do, specifically?
c. benefits
What will be gained by the successful completion of your

project?

2. TIPS ON WRITING THE BODY

a. detailed description
do it.

Explain fully what you intend to do and how you intend to

b. personnel
Explain who your people are their qualifications,
experience, and references. If you need to include resums,
these should be in an appendix (appropriately crossreferenced
in this section).

c. facilities and equipment

Explain what facilities and equipment you will use, with
specific attention to what is already on hand and what needs to be
bought.
d. budget
In most cases there will be a prescribed form for the
budget.Whatever form you use, check your figures and your math
very carefully.

3. TIPS ON WRITING THE CONCLUSION

Typically, the conclusion will be a restatement of the proposals
need and benefits. Reemphasize:
a. why this project should be done
b. why you and your firm are the ones to do it
c. what its benefits will be
d. the projects long-term or larger implications

SAMPLES OF PROJECT/BUSINESS
PROPOSALS

III. CONCLUSION

REVIEW OF ESSENTIAL POINTS

Proposals are characterized by its different range of scope,
ability to persuade its readers, and collaborative efforts put into it.
From these characteristics, it enables the proposal to achieve its
purpose of requesting actions, suggestions, information, and
solutions to be approved by its intended readers. With different
kinds of requests, each can only be categorized to a certain type
of proposal.

Requesting action to be done would need the approval of a

sales proposal since you are persuading a customer to buy a
product or service. Planning proposals would be persuading a
manager or an organization to take into consideration an action to
be done or a suggestion to improve a system.

Research proposals would be persuading your reader to

approve your intended information to be tested and analyzed.
Research and development proposals are same as a research
proposal but it would be improving and developing another
research finished.

A successful proposal would need to be in format and to be

completed. Most of these parts are self-explanatory to what needs
to be the content. The parts of a proposal would be the title page
(for whom it is, who wrote it, what is it, and date from start to
end), abstract (overview of what is the content), introduction,
background, description of proposed research (its objectives, plan
to do and until when), description of relevant institutional
resources, list of reference, personnel, budget, and appendices.

Even if the format has been completed, the content would be

the basis of the reader to approve of it or not. You can attract
your readers into reading your proposal by stating a problem
relatable to them then propose them your proposal as a solution
by providing them detailed information from researches relevant
to the topic. The proposal should be clearly presented that it is
worth doing and is possible to do.

REMARKABLE STATEMENT
Business/project proposals can be a gateway to discovering
new information which can add to further understanding of
matters around us. It is up to the writer how to persuade the
readers into approving a request.

Fredrick Phillips Brooks Jr. said Present to inform, not to

impress; if you inform, you will impress. If the writer was able to
inform the readers through the information he had researched and
presented, it will surely imprint in the minds of the readers if it is
well written.

Trying to persuade the readers into only approving the

proposal can make the proposal unrealistic and exaggerated.
Being able to persuade the readers through the information
that the writer was able to research upon would be more
impressive but the ethics of writing should be observed at all
times.