Making a Proposal for Management Approval
As a project manager, you’ll have to present proposals or rec-
ommendations to management quite frequently. One of your
first opportunities to make a formal proposal is likely to be at
this point, after you’ve reviewed the requirements, identified
alternative solutions, and selected a solution using financial and
non-financial criteria.
I’d recommend using the format below when making any
proposal to management. It may not be necessary to include all
of this information in your presentation; however, fully develop-
ing each area in advance may make the process go smoother
and put you in a position to answer questions that may arise
during your presentation.
- Needs Statement—a brief description of the need
- Background—a more detailed description of the need,
how it developed, and why it’s important - Recommended action—a description of the proposed
project initiative or activities that would appropriately
address the need, including a description of other alterna-
tives considered and why they were rejected - Benefit—a narrative description of all benefits associated
with taking the proposed action - Action risk—any negative impacts associated with taking
the proposed action - Inaction risk—any negative impacts associated with not
taking the proposed action - Costs—an estimate of the range (minimum, maximum,
and most likely figure) of anticipated expenditures if the
proposed action is taken - Cost savings—an estimate of the range (minimum, maxi-
mum, and most likely figure) of the dollar savings to be
achieved if the proposed action is taken - Schedule—an estimate of the range (minimum, maxi-
mum, and most likely figure) of calendar time for fully
implementing the recommended solution - Metrics—a description of how the quality of the results
72 Project Management