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. Introduction: State the purpose of the memo, which is to obtain approval for your Formal Proposal.
2. Topic or Subject or Problem:

Define your topic or subject or problem as specifically as possible.

The better you understand it now, the better you can help me understand it, the more likely I am to approve of it.

3. Brief Background of the Topic or Subject or Problem: Prove that you already understand and know about this issue.

You dont need to show that you have conducted extensive research on it, but it should be obvious that you have done some preliminary reading and have assessed this issue to be worthy of your time.

4. Purpose of Your Report and Intended Audience:

Why exactly will you be preparing the Formal Proposal?

What kind of recommendations do you see yourself making?

Who will be the audience for the Formal Proposal and why did you choose them? Note: Your audience must be a specific individual, such as the Director of Nursing at a Community General Hospital, or a specific group, such as the Village Board. will expect you to know the names of the individuals you will be addressing, and will expect that you know why you are addressing them in particular.

5. Benefits of the Report: Who will benefit from your recommendations and how? You must remember that self-interest is key here. What does your audience stand to gain from following through with your Formal Proposal? The more you can prove you solution is beneficial, the more likely your audience will be to act on your behalf.
6. Scope of Inquiry: What exactly will you be considering in your report? What aspects of topic will you not consider and why? While you dont necessarily need to discuss each chapter of the Formal Proposal in detail, you should raise the sub-topics you hope to discuss in the Formal Proposal here.
7. Method of Inquiry: what research will you undertake? Be very specific. List names of people you plan to interview, books and articles you have already found, websites you can consult, etc. Tell why these sources are relevant to the issue you will be looking at. How confident are you that you can find the information you seek? What if you cant get the information you need, what then?

Consider what your plan B options will be, should the research fall through, should you not get the opportunity to interview the individuals you would like to, should you not find the answers you hope to. Again, the more work you can do in planning for the Formal Proposal, the easier it will be in the long run.

8. Project Timetable: This is one of the most crucial but often-overlooked aspects of the Memo Proposal: When will you conduct your research? When will you plan and draft your report?