In-house Memo Reports: Reporting to Colleagues 1.1 2008/03/07 15:35:47.408 US/Central 2008/04/23 12:17:01.121 GMT-5 Cain Project cainproject@mailman.rice.edu Cain Project cainproject@mailman.rice.edu Engineering communication This PowerPoint file of 11 slides explains how familiar demands of a routine situation and audience enable an engineer to write a condensed two-stage report. It also suggests appropriate types of illustrations. The explanation uses as an example the type of memo report written for presenting an analysis of an investment opportunity. The introductory summary of the memo report reminds readers of the routine situation the comprehensive purpose for the memo, and the engineer’s clear recommendation (either to invest, reject, or delay). The discussion expands the summary by giving greater detail about the prospective investment, the results of the engineer’s analysis, and the model and assumptions used for the analysis. In businesses that develop natural resources, an in-house memo report about an investment prospect would be sent to an investment committee before a regularly scheduled meeting. The engineer who prepared the report would probably attend the meeting and present his or her recommendations in a short talk. A PowerPoint file would be shown to support the presentation. He or she might also distribute to the committee a handout that presented the key elements of the report. The memo, PowerPoint, and handout reinforce the message of the oral presentation. Other types of businesses are likely to have somewhat different genre characteristics (see the PPT “Introduction to Corporate Cultures”). Background: CEVE 322 (Engineering Economics and Project Management) students develop models to analyze prospective investment projects and present the prospects to a simulated investment committee. The PPT file below advises students on the structure and content of the memo report for their term projects.

Click the Play button to start the movie.

Download Version: In-House Memo Reports -- Reporting to Colleagues Please right click on the above link to download the PPT file