Remember that you are writing from the point-of-view of a mid-level manager in an agency and for the approval of the senior management of that agency. You are to present a problem area that involves a department/agency issue that is significant to the department and presents a recommended solution to solve the problem.
- Identify an issue that needs to be addressed.
- Document and discuss the general problem in a few paragraphs or not more than 1 page.
- Document and discuss the significance of the problem to your department (the significance discussion will contain the majority of your references). The significance section of the paper must contain an explanation of why the issue is significant, a discussion of what is being done by other departments or agencies, identification of what specific law/rule (federal law(s), state law(s), or city ordinance(s)) by statute number is applicable, and any other issues that can be identified as making this issue of sufficient significance for it to come to the attention of the agency head. Your discussion in this significance section of the paper must be thorough and leave no additional questions unanswered.
- Propose a solution in the form of policy recommendation or specific guidance toward a new/revised policy. The solution must address a minimum of 3 choices: do nothing, take an incremental approach, and/or full implementation of the recommended solution. The solution section of the paper must have enough of an explanation of the solution so that a senior executive would be able to make an informed decision solely based on your written explanation. Your solution must be provided in the form of a 1-2 page summary or a draft recommended policy change. The solution must also have sub-themes. Some subthemes are: impact to department, impact to external stakeholders, and impact to budget. There may be other sub-themes in addition to or in replacement of those listed above.