Preparing the Work Plan
Team Analytical Report
MG 382
- Look at p. 391 in the textbook for a sample work plan and description of the parts. This is the first component of the team report and will be due soon after your research has started. It is worth 30 points.
- Please type the work plan in a memo style The heading section should be as follows: TO: Instructor Name, Manager, FROM: each of your team members’ names, SUBJECT/RE: Work Plan for (list your general product/service) It is fine for this memo to go to two pages.
- The Work Plan should have the following components.
Statement of the Problem and Purpose – You can combine these two parts into one section. Remember that you work for a company (real or hypothetical) and you’re researching a product or service that needs updating/replacing so that you can do your job more effectively. This is not a product or service that you or the company wants to sell or offer. If you do a great job of developing this narrative, it can become part of your introduction paragraph in the report and part of your executive summary.
Sources and Methods of Data Collection – List how you will gather research, from what types of sources and sites, etc.
Note: Use the outline format below in your Work Plan, NOT the outline sample from the book.
Preliminary Outline – Remember this is an indirect style analytical report using the yardstick approach and that we’re organizing by Criteria, so look at Ch. 14 and 15 to help you. I prefer this to be organized by criterion because the report usually reads more smoothly this way, that way most of the information about that criterion for your four products is together on one or two pages. You will not be providing ANY details because you shouldn’t have researched anything yet or drawn any conclusions/recommendations. Just list the 4 product names and list the 3 (or more) criteria you have chosen as shown below. Look at the outline on p. 401 of your book for something similar – look at section IV and notice how the numbered items are the SAME for each of the lettered parts).
On outlines, if you have an A, you must have a B. If you have a 1 or I, you must have a 2 or II. I don’t care what type of outline you follow, but be consistent. The probable order for your outline will be:
Introduction/Problem
Facts on Criterion 1
Product A
Product B
Product C
Product D
Facts on Criterion 2
Product A
Product B
Product C
Product D
Facts on Criterion 3
Product A
Product B
Product C
Product D
(you might have more than 3 criterion or factors so keep going with this)
Conclusions
Recommendations
Work Schedule – Look at our class schedule so you know how many class meetings/weeks we’ll work on this and see when it’s due. Plan out what you’ll work on and the dates you plan to work on or complete these tasks. Tell whether you plan to work in person or in an online conference, post to team discussion board, etc. Each of you should be helping with all parts, so don’t worry with putting names beside tasks.
