TEMPLATE FOR A GOOD MEMORANDUM
Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in moments of despair. If you find that writing is hard, it's because it is hard.
It's one of the hardest things that people do.
From On Writing Well (p. 12) by William Zinsser (1922- 2015), writer, editor, literary critic, and teacher.
Different people have different working styles, and this template is meant to offer you one option. It walks you through the process of developing and delivering a managerial memorandum or an analytical paper.
1. Before reading the material or even gathering data, start by reviewing the question or the instructions, listing it at the top of your draft. Note that it may include multiple tasks.
You may want to list them separately, so that you miss none of them. For example, this question asks for five sub-tasks (underlined)
Trace Astor's career: Identify challenges and how he successfully overcame them. Employ the case analysis tools and The Five Whys to hypothesize on the roots of these successes.
2. Develop a brief plan to respond to each element. In the example above, the first two tasks ask simply for a description. Make a note to look for these descriptions when you review the written material.
3. The next two tasks ask you to use specific tools to analyze the written material and reach an answer. Review the tools, so that you remember which data are needed to use them. Then, make a note to look for these data when you review the written material.
4. The final task asks you to conclude the description and the analysis by identifying root causes of success. This would not be obvious from the written material - this is the result of gathering evidence and analyzing it.
5. Now, turn to the written materials. Follow the method detailed in How to Crack a Case, which you may find on Professor Levine's website.
6. Begin sketching an answer: aim to write quickly, just to get your thoughts on paper, and later revise for accuracy and review for completeness.
7. When you think that you have a good answer, go back to the task.
a) Did you address all of the subtasks?
b) Did you make it clear that you performed analysis, not simply wrote your opinion?
c) If you performed analysis, did you indicate which data used? Did you provide a reference to the source of the data?
d) If you made assumptions, did you clarify which assumptions you made? Did you explain why these assumptions are plausible?
e) If you were asked to reach a conclusion or commendation, did you provide it?
8. Finally, turn to your writing:
a) Is there anything that you can remove or simplify? Are there any half ideas that can be deleted? Not many people enjoy boring documents or tedious presentations. And if people do not read your work or listen to your presentation, you will have no impact. Hence, make it precise and concise.
b) Spelling errors are easy to catch, but did you check for grammatical errors?
c) Can you ease the burden on the reader by putting separate arguments in separate paragraphs? If you are conducting tests, such as the six forces, you may number them.
d) When you describe data, be sure to provide clear reference to the source of the data. This is how you build credibility in your data. Use a standard format, such as that that of the American Psychological Association.
9. Before sending your response, take one final look at it. Try to put yourself in your reader's chair: Would you like to receive it as a reader? Would you find it complete? Would you find it convincing? If so, you're done. If not, go back and revise.
Attachment:- Study Guide for memo.rar