EN 3180 Business Writing - Martin

Below is an executive proposal template. This takes a "problem - solution" or "need - solution" organization, where the writer proposes some course of action to solve or reduce a problem or to meet a customer need.

Such a proposal is written for decision-makers. By definition, an executive proposal uses data, research, and analysis to justify why the proposed steps are the best option.

This proposal layout includes an "executive summary" summarizing the entire proposal into one to two pages. The executive summary points to the richer details in other sections of the proposal for the reader to delve into as needed.

A business plan aims at persuading investors to provide funding to start a new business. Like an executive summary, a business plan is often a "problem-solution" layout with the solution being the new business.

Below is a link provided by the Small Business Administration that provides two business plan templates - one that covers the traditional business plan that is detail oriented and another for "lean startups" that provide less detail.

The Public Relations/Marketing approach also orients around a "problem-solution" layout but emphasizes the solution aspect as the audience is a potential client. PR/Marketing approaches also tend to be more visually oriented such as print or media advertisements.

Below is a brochure template to provide an example of how the problem-solution is articulated along with strong visuals.