FrontPage WritingAGoodProposal / backlinks

A project proposal is used to flesh out an idea, get a broad idea of the scope of effort and provide enough context to decide whether to move forward. A proposal should be a single Wiki page that addresses:

• What is the problem being solved?

• What (broadly) is the proposed solution?

• What are the major project risks?

• What is the scope of the project?

• What are the deliverables of the project?

The goal is that Proposals follow a common format - this makes it much easier for authors to keep the appropriate scope, ensures that the important common points are covered, and provides a repository of good examples for future proposal authors.

A proposal should be a single Wiki page that contains the current draft of the proposal, along with an associated "discussion page" for comments and feedback on the proposal. The proposal page should include the headings:

Contact(s)

Identify the person(s) responsible for the proposal.

Problem

A broad overview of the problem being solved.

Proposed Solution

A broad description of what will be done to solve the problem. Avoid getting into too many details at this point.

Risk Factors

Identify the risk factors associated with the project.

Scope

Outline the scope of the project. In addition to saying what is in the scope of the project, it is often important to point out what the project will not address.

Deliverables

Explain the deliverables that will be produced as a result of the project. This includes documentation, upgrade tools or other deliverables in addition to software.