Information Addressing Preliminary Issues

Information Addressing Preliminary Issues

At work. you may be called upon to present information addressing preliminary issues related to the team
project you are working on. This information can be based upon a needs assessment conducted by your
team to more fully understand the background, problem, and possible solutions to the problem of your
project. Needs assessments uncover gaps — gaps in the initial definition of the problem, gaps in information
that can be filled through research, gaps in the set of possible solutions to the problem, and others.

The purpose of this assignment is twofold:
‘ to prepare a needs assessment memo answering a set of preliminary questions about the project:
‘ and to continue team planning, elaborating on portions of the oral briefing.

Assignment Prompt

For this assignment your team will write a 5-6 page single-spaced needs assessment memo detailing your
project and your plans. The memo should be written for a workplace audience: your instructor will be your
supervisor for the project. Use the memo format in Markel, Chapter 9 (p. 253-255). Based on the
information in the memo, your instructor/supervisor must approve your project plans.

Use the following outline to conduct your needs assessment and write your memo.

introduction 11 page)

You will want to write your introduction last, after drafting the rest of the document. Include a statement of
problem, a statement of planned research methods to investigate the problem, a statement of potential
solutions known at this time, and a statement of team planning. (Much of this will likely be adapted from
P2.)

Discussion: Needs Assessment (3-4 pages):
Primary concerns for a needs assessment:

‘ Identify and describe objectives

‘ What is to be accomplished in the project?

‘ What is the central problem of the project?

‘ What are some possible solutions to the problem?

‘ Identity audiences and stakeholders

‘ Who are the relevant stakeholders in this project? (Who is affected by the situation your team is studying?
Who will be affected by implementing/failing to implement your proposed solutions?)

‘ Who are your likely audiences, both primary and secondary?

‘ Who are you in relationship to your primary and secondary audiences? (What is your role with regard to
the organization you’re studying?)

‘ What do my audiences need to know?

‘ Identity and describe research methods

‘ How you will investigate the problem and possible solutions?

‘ Describe at least one primary research activity and at least one credible secondary source to be
undertaken or discovered by each team member.

‘ For each. be sure to identify the objectives of your research (i.e. How you will conduct that research?
What you will be doing research on? Why are those the relevant methods?)

‘ Properly cite and document your sources in APA style

‘ Adapt the table from Example 14-3 from The Reports for Decision Making (page 511) to show how your
possible criteria and research methods fit together.

‘ What evaluation criteria will be relevant to your solutions?

‘ How will solutions to the problem be evaluated le.g., costs. ease of implementation. etc.)?

‘ How will your criteria drive the research methods you select?

‘ Describe team schedule

‘ What is the timetable for the project?

‘ Provide a timeline graphic.

‘ What is the expected completion date?

‘ Describe team responsibilities

‘ What are the specific duties for each team member?

‘ Who will be project manager?

‘ How is each team member qualified for his/her role?

‘ How will each team member take a leadership role over a section of the work?
‘ How are individual members accountable to the team?

‘ What if a team member is habitually absent or late to meetings?

‘ What happens if a team member does not finish his/her work?

‘ What happens if a team member submits poor quality work?