Develop and implement a project plan for completing your research

Recommendation Report

Write a recommendation report that uses technical expertise to solve a problem for a real client (i.e., a company, professional group, or government agency that would realistically seek a recommendation report on your topic).

This report will require the following activities:

1. Identify a client with a workplace problem, situation, or opportunity.

Your client must be a real individual or organization that actually faces the problem, need, or opportunity you address in your report; however, your client may not necessarily be aware of the situation. Your client is the individual who has the authority to make a decision about your recommended solution or to implement the plan of action you recommend.

2. Develop a plan for investigating the situation and the means for resolving it.

3. Establish the criteria required for your client to make an effective decision.

4. Develop and implement a project plan for completing your research (investigation). Interpret and present your findings in a recommendation report to your client. This process involves a set of interrelated activities that are grounded in the workplace situation you are investigating. The decisions you make and the activities you undertake in each phase of the process will be guided by this context.

To learn this process, you need to select a project that allows you to work through the process for a real situation. However, this does not mean that you cannot draw upon existing work. It means that the work must be adapted and applied to a real situation.

To complete this project successfully, you will need to meet the general report requirements and the content requirements for the report. These requirements are outlined in the following sections.

General Report Requirements

Length: The body of the report must be at least five pages, double-spaced, not including the front and back matter (title page and table of contents, appendices, exhibits of data, etc.)

Visuals: Use a minimum of three visuals (graphs, charts, etc.)

Format: Format your report in APA format. Times New Roman 12 – double-spaced

Citations: Provide at least five citations.

For detailed information for each report component, review pages 325- 328 in your textbook. NOTE: The textbook example is MPA format BUT your paper needs to be in APA.

DUE: September 23 – Report Topic (5 points)

Guidelines for Selecting Report Topics

Your recommendation report will help the report readers make an informed decision about a problem that needs solving or a situation that needs resolving. The type of report you produce for this assignment will be determined in part by the focus of the investigation you conduct. Consider using one of the following types of investigations for your report project.

· An investigative focus on determining whether a solution is feasible.

The report might investigate whether X is a feasible solution to the client’s problem and, based on the results of the investigation, make a recommendation to implement or not implement X.

The report might investigate whether Y or Z is a more feasible solution to the client’s problem and, based on the results of the investigation, make a recommendation to implement Y, Z, or neither.

· An investigative focus on understanding a problem and identifying a plan of action for solving it.

The report might investigate why X occurred (or is occurring) and, based on the results of the investigation, recommend a plan of action for resolving X.

· An investigative focus on convincing a client to implement a particular solution to solve a problem.

The report might propose that the client authorize (provide the funding or permission for) the writer to implement solution X, which would solve the client’s problem.

The report might propose that the client consider an alternate method, procedure, or product for meeting an existing need.

******************************************************************************

Body of the Report (145 points)

The body of the recommendation report presents your main argument or line of thought; that is, it describes a problem, identifies goals or criteria, evaluates solutions, and recommends a course of action. This includes an introductory section, a discussion of the investigation and the results, and a section that discusses the recommendations and plan of action.

Title Page: Includes the title of the report; the name, title, and organization of the individual receiving the report; the writer’s name, title, and organization; and date submitted.

Table of Contents: Format the table of contents so that it is easy to read the headings, include primary and secondary headings, and match them with the appropriate page numbers.

Executive Summary: The purpose of an executive summary is to present an overview of the longer report for people who may not have time to read the entire document. The writer’s goal in the executive summary is to summarize the report’s major sections, such as the purpose, background, conclusions, and recommendations.

Introduction: The introduction establishes the context of the report (often with a reference to the contract or agreement with the client). In addition to this background information, the introduction always identifies the subject, objective, and scope of the report (thus clarifying the report’s intended audience or set of users). In other words, the introduction always answers two questions: “What is this report about, and why is it important to the reader?”

The introduction should also forecast the report’s forthcoming main line of thought. That is, the introduction sets up expectations in readers by answering a basic question: “What sequence of ideas can I expect to find in this report?” In setting up expectations, the forecast usually does not summarize or “pre-state” your main points; rather, it offers a preview or overview of the topics you intend to cover about the subject. Often, the forecast consists of a list of the major headings of your report.

Body of Report: Most problem-solving reports include additional introductory sections that describe the problem being investigated and provide relevant background and historical information about the problem, its causes, and previous attempts to solve it. This information helps to ensure that report readers have a shared understanding of the problem and its significance.

NOTE: A full statement of the problem is required, even though your client may be well aware of the problem.

Methodology: The methods section describes how you investigated the problem and evaluated the solution(s). It should include enough detail to convince the report readers of the soundness, thoroughness, and appropriateness of your methods. This is not, I located it on the Internet. This is about how did you solve your problem.

Results: The results section of the report should report on the results of your investigation; it should be organized to help the report readers understand and use the information. For feasibility studies, this section might include a description of solutions and an analysis of how the solutions met the established criteria. A proposal, on the other hand, might include a discussion of various components of the solution (its goals, relationship to problem or opportunity, benefits, costs) and proposed plans for implementing the solution (tasks, personnel, facilities, budget, schedule, evaluations, qualifications, etc.). A report investigating a complex problem might include an analysis of what is happening and why it is happening.

This section should also have in the report what the results mean. These findings are typically stated in relationship to the problem being investigated. To be persuasive, this section should state the significance of the findings from the perspective of the client, which should include addressing how the solution will solve the problem, the negative consequences it will eliminate, the positive consequences it adds, and how the solution compares to other solutions.

Recommendations: The closing of your report depends on the type of report you have prepared. If the report is designed primarily to gather information, it would logically end the report with the conclusions you have arrived at based on your evidence. If the report primarily investigates the feasibility of a number of potential solutions, it would end with a recommendation of which solution to implement. For complex situations, the recommendation might include a plan of action for implementing one or more solutions over a period. If the report focuses primarily on proposing a solution, it would end with a call to action.

References: Minimum of five (5) References and citations will appear in this section.

Appendices: If necessary, use appendices to provide supplementary information that supports the body of your report. Each different item is a separate appendix. Designate each appendix with a letter of the alphabet–Appendix A, B, and so on. Each appendix also needs to have a title and be listed in the table of contents.

FINAL REPORT RUBRIC

· Title Page/Report Cover 5 points

· Table of Contents 5 points

· Executive Summary 15 points

· Introduction 15 points

· Body of Report 15 points

· Methodology 15 points

· Conclusions 15 points

· Recommendations 15 points

· References 15 points

· Correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar 15 points

· Uses APA format properly 15 points

1

1