Project Completion Memo (Document Makeover)

The Project Completion Memo is the final assignment for The Document Makeover, the first module of Professional Writing, an undergraduate course on workplace writing. The Project Completion Memo is a memo written by you to your instructor. The aim of the memo is to share with your instructor what you’ve learned about redesign, revision, and professional writing as a style of writing.

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Assignment Guidelines

Write a brief memo (about two pages) to your instructor that

1. explains your understanding of the rhetorical situation for your document makeover,
2. describes your rationale for the (1) Design; (2) Revision; and (3) editorial changes.
3. assesses your progress toward course goals, and
4. identifies any challenges you had with Project 1.

At a minimum, your memo should demonstrate you’ve gained some familiarity with

1. rhetorical analysis and rhetorical reasoning as a tool for interpreting and communicating texts
2. the memo genre and professional writing prose style as a style of writing.

Rhetorical Context

1. Audience: Instructor
2. Purpose: Demonstrate your skills with direct business style, memo conventions, basic document design; connect your successes and struggles with Project 1 to our course goals
3. Genre/medium: Memo
4. Length: Approximately 2 pages (500-750 words)
5. Formatting requirements: Follow conventions for memos

Requirements: Project Completion Memo

Remember the Project Completion Memo should

Your memo must:

1. use memo format and professional writing style
   • Be reader-centered and use an effective professional style
     • Introduce your memo with
       • a deductive summary of the (1) Design; (2) Revision; and (3) editorial changes.
       • a deductive summary of your work processes and progress toward achieving course goals
2. The body of the memo should be divided into four (4) sections and organized with headings and subheadings.
   1. Rhetorical Analysis: Describe the rhetorical situation for your document. You might explain why you selected the document you did, address your original understanding of the rhetorical situation for the original document and how your understanding/document changed – if it did – as you worked on this assignment.
   2. Writing processes and choices: Explain your writing processes and the choices you made in revising and designing your document. Be specific and point to examples from your document. Remember, excessive editing is expected, not just putting in a subheader and calling it good – EDIT, EDIT, EDIT!
   3. Progress toward course goals. Assesses your progress toward achieving specific course goals. You’ll find general course goals on the syllabus
   4. Optional: Challenges: Identify any questions or difficulties you had with particular skills or aspects of the assignment.

NOTE: Each section should be well-organized and include multiple paragraphs.

• Include a Direct Business Writing closing paragraph that wraps up the communication, maintains a positive relationship with the reader, and tells the reader how to reach you if they have additional questions.