General Guidelines for Project Proposals as a Whole

A proposal, often called a "Statement of Work, is a persuasive document. Its

objectives are to:
1. Identify what work is to be done
2. Explain why {or in our case how} this work is to be done
3. Persuade the reader that the proposers (you) are able to do the work, have a plausible
management plan and specific technical approach, and have the resources needed to complete the
task within the stated time constraints. EXAMPLE: If you want to use a Google Docs presentation template
as a digital Fluxus box, that finejust explain what you are going to attempt to do.

What makes a good professional proposal? One attribute is appearance. A strong proposal has an
attractive, professional, inviting appearance. In addition, the information should easy to access.
A second attribute, and most important, is substance. A strong proposal has a well-organized brief plan of
attack. A strong proposal also organizes details because some depth is needed to sell your project to your
professor.
Remember: Your proposal is a short persuasive document. It helps you plan what you are going to do when
so you stay on track.

Organization
You may choose to organize your proposal into short sections and headings to help you organize your own
thoughts.

Title
a. Title of project in initial capital letters
b. The theme of the project
c. Team members name and/or individual member names
d. Date
e. An appropriate picture of the product you think you would like to model perhaps.

Executive Summary
Content: A brief summary of what you propose to do
Length: one-third of a page, never more than one page
Emphasis: highlighting of the proposed approach

Statement of Project: the Why?
a. VERY brief summary of your understanding of the request by the instructor (the original problem
synopsis)
b. Background information to educate the reader about how you interpret the problem/task
Previous related work by others that will inform your workliterature or image review with credible sources
(think of the Fluxus History reading as an example, or the Kairos issue on Manifestos both are linked on
our course blog)
OVEALL: This section is a brief problem description, as you now understand it.

Objectives: the What? and the How?
In the Objectives section, you can begin to translate the ideas of Fluxus to be updated for your generation
into a clearly defined design/technical approach. Define the scope of work and clearly state your project
objectives. Although you may not know all the details of the problem solution, you should begin to have an
Initial design idea on how you will attack the problem, and you should have some design concepts.
The purpose of this section is to present the process by which you will arrive at the final product.
This section answers the following questions:

a. Design specifications in specific, quantitative terms. EXAMPLE: My box will be a 3D object which will
consist of a shoe box that I will paint black and cover with text. The interior will contain an interactive maze
with instructions listed on the interior lid of the box
b. Critical design issues, constraints, limitations. EXAMPLE: I will have at least five instructions on the lids
interior to play the maze. I will print them on a computer and paste them in the box. I will have to take a
digital photo and load the image into a Google Docs page for my instructor to see my process.

Project Management: How and When?
The Project Management section describes how the project will be managed, including what stuff you plan
to do during each phase. {Bullet points are fine!}
BTW: Project duration is from the date your project was assigned to the completion date: 27
th
of March.

Deliverables
This section would list what you are going to turn in. EXAMPLE: I will be turning in a 2D digital interactive
Fluxus box via Google Presentation for my peers and my instructor to see during our Gallery Walk. My 2D
product is a virtual maze that you unlock by answering questions. My manifesto will be delivered via
Google Docs, and I will be prepared to deliver it orally, if asked.

OPTIONS TO THINK ABOUT: Communication with Instructor or Peers
Specify the interaction with your peers or instructor
a. Establish communication schedule and the responsibilities of each participant. See the
assignment in Google Docs for exact dates of all phases.
b. Establish the form of communication for you and peer (visits, updates, peer review,
office visit to instructor if you want a revisable grade, schedule appointment with VISOR center).
c. Specify who will receive information and how it will be transmitted.
d. Clearly state what actions are requested with each communication: information only, reply
requested, etc.
IF A TEAM: the Who?
Indicate who is doing what if you are working in a team.