MEMORANDUM

To: PLS 308 Students

From: Paige Tan

Date: January 2007
 

Re: Case Memos (Tip: The "Re:" should always be in title case--capitals except for prepositions, articles, and conjunctions)

Memos go to busy people.  For this reason, they should be written in a clear and succinct manner.  They should also be professional in presentation and formatted in a standard memo format (such as the one seen here).   Memos are one of the most common types of communication in organizational settings, so it is my hope that mastering the memo will serve you well in the future.  Hopefully, one day you will be writing memos instead of just receiving them!

The key issue under consideration and the recommended course of action should be present in the first paragraph of the memo (a busy person may not have the time to read further).  Subsequent paragraphs should address the major issues inherent in the issue under consideration, such as how this problem relates to broader questions of public administration.  The memo should then spell out criteria for evaluating the various alternatives being considered (cost savings, justice, and effectiveness in meeting goals, for example) and justify them as the important ones worth being taken into consideration in this case.  Then, you should lay out the alternatives and their strengths and weaknesses based on those criteria (a matrix is helpful to convey a great amount of information).  Finally, the recommended policy choice, along with its strengths, weaknesses, and potential consequences, is presented.  Memos should be balanced toward the alternatives considered but also need to convince the reader (the decision-maker) that the policy option chosen is the correct one.  Make your argument rational and persuasive.  Support your assertions with evidence.

Lengthy memos, such as your semester-long group project papers, should be preceded by an executive summary encapsulating the main argument of the memo. As a guideline, the executive summary should be approximately ten percent of the length of the memo as a whole. 

Memos will be evaluated on the basis of organization, application of ideas from the textbook/class, analysis, and writing/presentation.  Memos should not simply recapitulate the information presented in the case.

A sample structure to the memo would be the following:

Paragraph 1 (P1): Introduction to the issue at hand. Recommendation.

P2: (Optional) Issues in Public Administration at stake.  This is optional. Use if it helps to clarify the issue you are covering.  Omit if it takes you off point.

P3: Criteria with justifications.

P4-6: Three paragraphs on three different alternatives (Give each alternative a name/bold it to set it off visually). Use the criteria to evaluate each alternative. Explain, justify, and persuade that your analysis is correct.

P7: Hit recommendation again and make sure the justification is clear, so that the reader will be persuaded.

P8: (Optional) Raise issues in implementation that are likely to arise with the adoption of your recommended alternative.