How to Write a Change Proposal

The objective of a change proposal is to make official suggestions about how something, usually organizations, projects or documents, should be changed. The proposal needs to specify the exact problem in need of change, the way it should be changed and the expected benefits the change will bring. The goal of a change proposal is to convince the decision makers a specific change needs to take place, so the proposal must be detailed, based on facts and concise, otherwise you risk it getting rejected and the proposed benefits not being realized.

List your basic points. Let it be clear what you will be writing about, what your goal is and the exact order in which you will present your ideas. Title this section "Summary" or "Executive Summary," if you're proposing an organizational change.

Briefly describe the overview of the problem. Write about what exactly led you to proposing the change, the background of the problem and why you see the proposed change as a necessity. If there is existing research regarding the issue, mention it here as it will serve as a good factual backup of your concerns. Title this section "Overview" or "Background."

Create a timetable. Specify how long the proposed change will require to successfully be implemented. The best planned schedule will break down all the needed changes into smaller actions and set deadlines for all of them. You should also identify who should be responsible for meeting each deadline. Title this section "Schedule."

Outline the budget. The cost of making your proposed change will be very interesting to those who will fund it, so it is important you work out the budget correctly and in detail before you propose your changes. You may not be able to predict exactly how much everything is going to cost, but you should try to make as precise an estimation as possible. Title this section "Budget."

Format the proposal correctly. Every change proposal needs to have a title page on which you write the name of the proposal, your name, the organization you work for, the date and the name of the people or organization the change proposal is intended for. Also create a table of contents, and place it behind the title page.