Writing Project Proposals
Writing Project Proposals
Writing Project Proposals
Proposals
•“Imagine that you are
trying to convince your
parents to get you a
new gadget for your
birthday. How would
you get them to do
it?”
•Defining the
Project Proposal
• Project proposals are documents
that are written for problem solving,
service provision, event planning, or
equipment selling. Generally,
proposals are used to convince the
reader to do what the proposal
suggests, such as buying goods or
services, funding a project, or
implementing a program.
• Proposals in the professional
world are used for internal
(within an organization) and
external (from one organization
to another) purposes. They are a
way of generating income
for companies or seeking funding
for projects.
• Proposals are usually written in
response to Requests for Proposal
(RFP), which funding agencies send
out. Interested organizations send
proposals following the
requirements stipulated in the RFP.
Requesting parties are thus able to
compare different responses to a
problem. Thus, it is clear that a
proposal provides a plan to satisfy a
need.
• Proposal stands out depending on its
ability to clearly answer questions about
what is being proposed, how the plan will
be carried out, when it will be
implemented, and how much money will
be needed or spent. In other words,
proposals are persuasive documents that
need to do the following: highlight reader
benefits, prove your credibility in carrying
out the project, and allow the reader to
respond easily.
•Formatting the
Project Proposal
• Proposals are primarily categorized
according to their length. An
informal proposal is about 2–4 pages
long. A formal proposal, meanwhile,
has 5 or more pages. Regardless of
their purpose and audience, they
have standard parts such as the
following:
• 1. Introduction
• This part provides the
background necessary for
understanding the project, which
is done by discussing the
following:
• • Rationale—This identifies the
problem to be addressed and
shows the need to solve it.
• Objectives—These reveal what the
project intends to achieve in terms of
results. It also gives the reader an
idea of the intended solution. Good
objectives are
SMART (specific, measurable,
attainable, results oriented, and
bound within a realistic time frame).
SPECIFIC WHO?WHAT?WHEN?WHERE
?WHY? WHICH?
1. Why is proposal
writing important to
many organizations?
2. What do you think is the part
of the project proposal that can
be most persuasive to the
reader? Why?