Unit #1 Situation Report

(due Thursday, June 21)

Once your topic has been approved, you will begin to collect research from your site by making studied observations about the way things are done, the problems being experienced as a result of the problem you identified, the ways in which the problem affects organization members and stakeholders (if applicable) as well as conduct informal conversations and more formal interviews with members affected by the problem.

From this research, you will write up a 2-page (or longer), single-spaced description of the current situation and problem/opportunity at your project site, with at least 4 contributing sources. Using the information in chapters 3 and 4 of Writing Proposals, as well as information reviewed in class about short reports, you will take a causal, effects, or narrative approach and detail the situation at the organization using observations, specific comments, and examples to prove the point that a problem/opportunity exists. You should NOT yet provide any solution to the problem. You will treat this as a research report to your main audience and will thus cite any quotes or information that came directly from someone you spoke to. If done well, you should be able to add a large portion of this document into your final full proposal with a little modification.

Please upload the file to the class website before class on Thursday. In addition, please bring a printed copy of your situation report to class on Thursday.