“Getting
Started: The Concept Paper
Write a 7-10 page proposal proposing the concept of implementing a command
center for Information Technology Project-related issues for the company Cognosante and follow the outline
provided below in the Putting it Together: Writing the Proposal section to
write the proposal. Provide as much
information as possible in the proposal.
Also the following are sites which will give you an example of what a
command center is:
.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB4QFjAAahUKEwjP7fLIsZLGAhXN74AKHeVRDNE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.davislogic.com%2FCommand%2520Center%2520Article.doc&ei=QCF_Vc_NB83fgwTlo7GIDQ&usg=AFQjCNFT7mJwFqXFNVr-zszo2vJkLoShuA&bvm=bv.95515949,d.eXY””>http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB4QFjAAahUKEwjP7fLIsZLGAhXN74AKHeVRDNE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.davislogic.com%2FCommand%2520Center%2520Article.doc&ei=QCF_Vc_NB83fgwTlo7GIDQ&usg=AFQjCNFT7mJwFqXFNVr-zszo2vJkLoShuA&bvm=bv.95515949,d.eXY
.protiviti.com/en-US/Documents/White-Papers/Risk-Solutions/Jump-Starting-Command-Center-IT-Events-Protiviti.pdf””>http://www.protiviti.com/en-US/Documents/White-Papers/Risk-Solutions/Jump-Starting-Command-Center-IT-Events-Protiviti.pdf
Organize your concept paper with
three sections, which are discussed in more detail below:

A.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#mission””>Mission Statement that explains what it is you are
trying to do in fifty words or less.
A.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#need””>Statement of Need that explains what the need is
that you are trying to address.
A.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#narrative””>Project Narrative that explains what the
proposed activities are going to be.

Putting
it Together: Writing the Proposal
Following is a suggested format for
writing proposals. Generally, there are seven major sections of a proposal:

.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#tob””>Table of Contents
.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#mission””>Mission Statement
.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#abstract””>Abstract
.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#need””>Statement of Need
.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#rationale””>Project Rationale Incorporating Literature Review
.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#narrative””>Project Narrative

.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#goals””>Goals and Objectives
.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#activities””>Proposed Activities
.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#facilities””>Facilities and Resources
.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#evaluation””>Evaluation
.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#dissemination””>Dissemination
.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#sustainability””>Sustainability

.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#attachments””>Attachments

.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#bibliography””>Bibliography
.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#resume””>Resume
.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#letters””>Letters of Support/Endorsement
.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal#publications””>Relevant Publications (if allowed)

I.
Table of Contents
After you write your proposal, create
a table of contents.
II.
Mission Statement
In 50 words or less, what is the
mission of your project? This helps you clarify the project’s primary goal.
Most importantly, this allows the reader to have an immediate understanding of
what you are proposing right from the start without having to search for what
you are trying to do embedded in the narrative of the proposal. Following is an
example of a mission statement from a successful grant proposal:
“”Our
mission is to establish a self-sustaining, continuing education program to
retrain middle managers in the hospitality industry in Croatia with the
ultimate goal of making the Croatian hospitality industry more competitive in a
global free-market system.””
III.
Abstract
The well-written abstract is the single
most important part of the proposal. Often, initial proposal review, or
“”first cuts””, are based on the abstract alone. The abstract should
not be the last part of the proposal that is written. Deadline pressures prior
to submission of the proposal are often intense. The writing of this crucial
aspect of the proposal should be given the time and consideration it deserves.
The abstract should be written early in the proposal preparation process, and
modified as needed as the proposal develops. The abstract be understandable to
a scientifically or technically literate lay reader, and it should be suitable
for publication. The abstract should be written in the third person. It should
include objectives, methods to be employed, and the potential impact of the
project.
IV.
Statement of Need
This is where you present the
problem you are trying to solve. Our advice is as follows:

Stick to one problem.
Avoid circular logic in your
thinking and in the development of your statement of need. Circular
logic decrees that the lack of a solution is the problem. Requesting
scholarship funds as a solution to the lack of scholarship funds is an
example of circular logic. A more convincing argument is based on a
problem with a much larger scope. For example, women are greatly
underrepresented in engineering-related fields and scholarship funds will
enable more women to pursue engineering as a career choice.
Use a logical progression in
your statement of need starting as globally as possible. You will need to
prove that you have an understanding of the problem and the latest
research on the problem. For example, if you are proposing a computer lab
to serve a minority population your statement of need should focus on the
“”digital divide.”” Hence, your statement of need will start with
a discussion of the digital divide in the United States, then it will
focus on the digital divide in Rochester (in this case), then it will
focus further on the digital divide in the specific community you are
proposing to work with.
Close with a discussion of what
else is being done, and lead into the project narrative with a brief
discussion of how your idea is better or different. To do this, you will
need to cite that latest body of research and specific projects that are
currently happening and how yours is different and better. Preparation is
essential, and you are encouraged to pick up the phone and call people who
are working on similar projects, call program officers at agencies, and
gather as much information as possible. This is an area where the.rit.edu/research/srs/about/contact.html””>Sponsored Research Services office can offer guidance, advice,
and assistance.

V.
Project Rationale Incorporating Literature Review
Any successful grant application
must incorporate a strong theoretical basis that is grounded with an extensive
discussion of the literature. The rationale for the project comes from what the
literature says works, does not work, is missing, needs to be looked at
differently, or however you choose to broach this extensive discussion. This is
how the proposal demonstrates that the individual making application is
incorporating the latest research into the project.
VI.
Project Narrative
A project narrative has six main
sections. Check the funding agency announcement for a specific outline; some
agencies require a different organization of the proposal narrative.

Goals
and Objectives.
What are the major goal(s) and objectives of the project? Describe the
expected outcomes of this project and how success will be measured in the
project (and reference the evaluations section below).
Proposed
Activities.
What are the activities that are going to happen during the period of this
grant? What are you are proposing to do? What timeframe are you
accomplishing this during the project?
Facilities,
Resources, and Project Management. What facilities and resources are available? How is
the project going to be managed? Who will provide leadership and
management for the project, and who are the people involved in implementing
the project? What credentials make this project team unbeatable?
Evaluation. To the potential funding
source, the deliverables of your project are the justification for your
funding, so it is imperative that you have in place a comprehensive and
accepted method to evaluate your outcomes. Reviewers will want to know
what works and what doesn’t work. Be sure to give this section its due
priority, and pull in an evaluator very early in the process of developing
a proposal. Oftentimes, external evaluators are included in the budget for
projects.

Evaluation
plans should include both formative evaluation to inform development of the
project and summative evaluation to assess the impact of the project on the
target audience. Each proposal should describe a performance evaluation plan
that includes goals, objectives, indicators, and specific measurements for
assessing the progress toward the achievement of the goals. Information on data
collection and analysis should be included.
Examples
of indicators that may be useful are:

shortening time-to-degree
broadening career
opportunities
assessment of the graduate
trainees’ performance
impact of the research
experience on the career plans of undergraduates
placement of graduate students
and postdoctoral fellows upon completion of the program
the participation of women and
members of underrepresented groups

The
absence of a good evaluation plan may result in the rejection of a proposal
with an otherwise innovative idea and well-described goals and objectives.

Outreach
and Dissemination.
An outreach or dissemination plan is often required by program guidelines
and will enhance any proposal. A proposal should include a detailed
description of activities that disseminate information on the success and
content of the project to other scientists and educators. Dissemination
efforts should be tailored to specific customers and target audiences.

Some
suggested mechanisms for dissemination:

Websites

Serve as a content expert for
science/education web sites
Establish mutual links to
suitable science/education sites

Publications

Peer-reviewed journals
Newsletters
Fliers/Pamphlets
Interim Working Papers
Books or Manuals
Nontraditional journals, such
as trade journals
Poster Displays
Audio-Visual Materials (CD
ROM, Videotape, etc.)
Press Releases

Presentations at conferences

Conferences with industry
specifically for dissemination
Teleconferences or
videoconferences

Training & Education

Course Materials
Distance Learning Courses
Workshops that provide
hands-on experience
Mentorships to undergraduate
students, high school students, teachers
Summer institutes for
students and educators
Visit local classrooms as
guest speaker
Assist teachers in developing
curricula related to your field
Provide professional
development or research orientation for staff
NETAC (Northeast Technical
Assistance Center, located at NTID)
PEPNet (Postsecondary
Education Programs Network) – see their website at.pepnet.org/””>www.pepnet.org
(link is external)

Public Outreach

Public lecture series
Public open-house of research
facilities
Host a public science day

Museum/Library Outreach

Exhibits at the Student
Alumni Union or Wallace Memorial Library
Serve as a content expert for
a museum exhibit
Contribute articles to museum
publications

Sustainability. It is important for the
potential sponsor to know that the project will not simply end once the
grant funds are gone. The best way to do this is it ensure that this is a
project that the institution is committed to as a part of the bigger
picture and that it will be supported beyond the funding period. It is
also important to build in and discuss a plan for growth of the project.
Grant funding should be used as seed funding for follow-on funding. The
proposed management plan can indicate to the sponsor that not only
sustainability, but growth of the project is going to occur.
Multi-year
grants are usually awarded contingent upon the successful progress of the
project. Sponsors often require interim technical reports upon which the decision
to continue the grant is based. Others, such as the National Institutes of
Health, require the submission of non-competing continuation proposals.
Specific guidelines, similar to those of the initial proposal submission, must
be followed. Some agencies require site visits in order to assess the progress
of the project. Principal investigators should review the continuation criteria
as soon as the initial award is made, so as to properly prepare for this
important part of the grant cycle.
VII. Attachments

Bibliography. As mentioned, this needs to
be a well-researched project, and a bibliography is an essential component
of good, scientific inquiry. If the format is not dictated, any reasonable
format will suffice as long as it is consistent.
Resume. Credentials of the project
management will be taken into consideration in every proposal. Check the
guidelines to see if there are limits as to pages for a resume or
biographical sketch.
Letters
of Support/Endorsement.
If the proposed project is a partnership, letters of support from the
listed partners are required. In any situation, letters of support from
carefully selected individuals and/or organizations may be in order. For
example, on a recent proposal to host a conference targeting secondary school
teachers, we enclosed letters of support from school districts and the
teachers’ unions.
Relevant
Publications
(if allowed). The funding announcement or guidelines will explain if you
can attach relevant publications (such as a paper you wrote last year that
further provides the rationale for your project). If you are uncertain
about attaching anything further to your proposal.
Getting
Started: The Concept PaperWrite a 7-10 page proposal proposing the concept of implementing a command
center for Information Technology Project-related issues for the company Cognosante and follow the outline
provided below in the Putting it Together: Writing the Proposal section to
write the proposal. Provide as much
information as possible in the proposal.
Also the following are sites which will give you an example of what a
command center is:.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB4QFjAAahUKEwjP7fLIsZLGAhXN74AKHeVRDNE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.davislogic.com%2FCommand%2520Center%2520Article.doc&ei=QCF_Vc_NB83fgwTlo7GIDQ&usg=AFQjCNFT7mJwFqXFNVr-zszo2vJkLoShuA&bvm=bv.95515949,d.eXY””>http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB4QFjAAahUKEwjP7fLIsZLGAhXN74AKHeVRDNE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.davislogic.com%2FCommand%2520Center%2520Article.doc&ei=QCF_Vc_NB83fgwTlo7GIDQ&usg=AFQjCNFT7mJwFqXFNVr-zszo2vJkLoShuA&bvm=bv.95515949,d.eXY.protiviti.com/en-US/Documents/White-Papers/Risk-Solutions/Jump-Starting-Command-Center-IT-Events-Protiviti.pdf””>http://www.protiviti.com/en-US/Documents/White-Papers/Risk-Solutions/Jump-Starting-Command-Center-IT-Events-Protiviti.pdfOrganize your concept paper with
three sections, which are discussed in more detail below:Putting
it Together: Writing the ProposalFollowing is a suggested format for
writing proposals. Generally, there are seven major sections of a proposal:I.
Table of ContentsAfter you write your proposal, create
a table of contents.II.
Mission StatementIn 50 words or less, what is the
mission of your project? This helps you clarify the project’s primary goal.
Most importantly, this allows the reader to have an immediate understanding of
what you are proposing right from the start without having to search for what
you are trying to do embedded in the narrative of the proposal. Following is an
example of a mission statement from a successful grant proposal:””Our
mission is to establish a self-sustaining, continuing education program to
retrain middle managers in the hospitality industry in Croatia with the
ultimate goal of making the Croatian hospitality industry more competitive in a
global free-market system.””III.
AbstractThe well-written abstract is the single
most important part of the proposal. Often, initial proposal review, or
“”first cuts””, are based on the abstract alone. The abstract should
not be the last part of the proposal that is written. Deadline pressures prior
to submission of the proposal are often intense. The writing of this crucial
aspect of the proposal should be given the time and consideration it deserves.
The abstract should be written early in the proposal preparation process, and
modified as needed as the proposal develops. The abstract be understandable to
a scientifically or technically literate lay reader, and it should be suitable
for publication. The abstract should be written in the third person. It should
include objectives, methods to be employed, and the potential impact of the
project.IV.
Statement of NeedThis is where you present the
problem you are trying to solve. Our advice is as follows:V.
Project Rationale Incorporating Literature ReviewAny successful grant application
must incorporate a strong theoretical basis that is grounded with an extensive
discussion of the literature. The rationale for the project comes from what the
literature says works, does not work, is missing, needs to be looked at
differently, or however you choose to broach this extensive discussion. This is
how the proposal demonstrates that the individual making application is
incorporating the latest research into the project.VI.
Project NarrativeA project narrative has six main
sections. Check the funding agency announcement for a specific outline; some
agencies require a different organization of the proposal narrative.Evaluation
plans should include both formative evaluation to inform development of the
project and summative evaluation to assess the impact of the project on the
target audience. Each proposal should describe a performance evaluation plan
that includes goals, objectives, indicators, and specific measurements for
assessing the progress toward the achievement of the goals. Information on data
collection and analysis should be included.Examples
of indicators that may be useful are: The
absence of a good evaluation plan may result in the rejection of a proposal
with an otherwise innovative idea and well-described goals and objectives.Some
suggested mechanisms for dissemination: Multi-year
grants are usually awarded contingent upon the successful progress of the
project. Sponsors often require interim technical reports upon which the decision
to continue the grant is based. Others, such as the National Institutes of
Health, require the submission of non-competing continuation proposals.
Specific guidelines, similar to those of the initial proposal submission, must
be followed. Some agencies require site visits in order to assess the progress
of the project. Principal investigators should review the continuation criteria
as soon as the initial award is made, so as to properly prepare for this
important part of the grant cycle.VII. Attachments”