I am tasked with writing a briefing paper.  The audience is a group of
non-technical managers who need information about a technical
telecommunications management problem that my organization is
experiencing.  The non-technical managers have the responsibility for
changing the contract, spending the money, or otherwise improving the
situation.  I initially wrote a memo.  My boss rejected it (even
though that is the word he used.)  I've never written a briefing paper
and it is due imminently.  Please help! L.

Hi there elra,

It sounds like you are under the gun there at work so I've done this
the quickest way I can think of to get you an answer you can use.

My take on it, is that you have been charged with explaining to the
non-technical managers who control the budget and other resources:
what the problem is, why it is a problem, and how it should be fixed,
so that they can decide whether or not to spend the bucks to fix it.

That being the case, here are the things you need to. First, check out
the samples at the links at the bottom of the page. You'll see that
most briefing papers take the same format. Then take the following
steps:

1 -- WRITE AN INTRODUCTION 

This is a summary (3-4 sentences) introducing your topic and
explaining what you are about to tell your audience.

It may sound something like this:

For the past three months XYZ Company has been experiencing
difficulties with our inter-office telephone system. These technical
problems have been cause for numerous complaints by staff and have
resulted in over 37 hours of down-time over the past 3 months.  This
Briefing Paper will serve to explain the nature of the problem, the
technical aspects of it, their implications, and suggested remedies ….


2 --- BREAK UP YOUR DATA 

Break the topic into bite size explanatory pieces so you can decide on
section headings. The heading can either be titles or actual questions
you are seeking to answer.  Big long paragraphs of technical data are
hard for non-techies to read through.  I don't know your field (I'm a
writer, not a telecommunications person) so it's hard for me to give
you examples of how to do that.  Work from the general guideline above
but tailor it to your situation …

Define the problem
Describe the implications of it.
Explain the technical aspects of it
Describe the steps needed to fix it.  (If that's part of your job)

3 -- add any citations other resources if you have references for
anything. (usually this is not necessary unless it is a scientific
paper)

4 -- contact information - "For more information on this Briefing
Paper please contact Jo Blo by email … " or whatever.

That should be pretty much it.  Write it as though you are teaching
these people about this issue. Speak in plain English, use as little
jargon as possible, and use short sentences. They are probably busy
people, so don't go off on endless in-depth explanations that will
take hours to read. Keep it as simple as you can while still telling
them the whole story.

Here are some nice representative briefing papers. I'll post this so
you can get started, then add a couple more as I find them.

http://www.business.ltsn.ac.uk/publications/PDF/Conversion2d.pdf

http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/otherpub/lg1txt.htm

http://www.devon.gov.uk/dcs/primary/breadth/index.html

http://forestpeoples.gn.apc.org/Briefings/Human%20rights/briefing_unhrc_dec01_eng.htm


Hope this works for you!  I'll be back in touch …

--K~

---

Clarification of Answer by knowledge_seeker-ga on 03 Jul 2002 10:10 PDT

Ok elra, here are a few last things that should help you: 

Samples of Technical Briefing Papers
http://disc.cba.uh.edu/~rhirsch/spring97/linnen1.htm
http://www.infrahelp.com/ActiveTechnical.pdf
http://disc.cba.uh.edu/~rhirsch/spring97/olorun1.htm


Useful explanation for students:
"Your task is to write a technical briefing paper on your problem.
Imagine you have been hired as a consultant or delegated by your
employer to solve the problem, or at least recommend the next step in
its solution. Describe the problem. Review the scientific principles
involved. Illustrate the problem with a simple model implemented like
a problem set. The idea here is not to make a fancy model but to think
the problem down to something susceptible to a simple analysis. Be
sure that your model is integrated into the text of your project.
Motivate the model, describe how it works and use the results to
underpin your conclusions. You may find Excel an especially useful
tool when problems get a bit more complex than those in the problem
sets. If others have done a more complex quantitative analysis,
critique it. Suggest what further data collection or modeling is
required."
http://www.des.ucdavis.edu/faculty/Richerson/esp%20110%20Syllabus%2002.htm


Sample Briefing paper for students
http://www.hope.edu/academic/polisci/mun/full_briefing.htm

There. That should be all you need to get your paper done.  Good luck!

-K~

Search terms used:
"How to write" "briefing paper"
"technical briefing paper"
"sample briefing paper"

You were on target.  Thanks for the help!  I appreciate it!

To the extent that I have had success in communicating complex ideas,
it may be attributable to using tables and outline formats to present
the issues. Tables can be a wonderfully powerful tool to organize
material so that it can be easily comprehended and digested by those
new to an issue; tables give them "bite-size bits" so to speak.

I.  Problem Statement - One short paragraph
II. Alternatives
     1.  First Alternative
          A.  What it does
          B.  What it costs
          C.  What's wrong with it
          D.  What's right with it
     2.  Second Alternative
     3.  Third Alternative
III.  Recommendation
IV.   Conclusion - Very short.

"Explain it to my like I'm 6 years old"

Good Luck!

Why not try the system that my wife Agnes uses when she is in same
position reporting to English speaking bosses when she is an
Indonesian in Indonesia.

 She has senior position and her English is extremely good but in
report writing my 20 years experience writing to higher level
management  cant be beaten. Agnes knows that at any time she wants the
best possible spin put on a document to make it suitable for the top
brass that she can simply flick it to me via email whereupon I can
quickly glean her rough copy getting the gist of what she is trying to
say and then rework the doc and send it back to her in no time flat. 
You perhaps could also align yourself with a friend or someone else
gifted in report writing and briefing papers to get the same results.
In fact I have done this for other people as well  including my
sisters and have been so successful I sometimes think I could run a
little business on the side around this issue

Dear elra,

The answer you received is excellent. However, I thought you might be
able to benefit from a couple of additional hints I have found to be
helpful.

1. Include outlines of alternative options to your proposed
recommendation. Even if you wouldn't seriously consider them as
alternatives - it shows that you have considered them and demonstrates
the rationale behind the decision-making process.

2. If possible pre-distribute your briefing paper sub-titled as "draft
for discussion". Obviously run the distribution list by your boss, at
worst, you have given him a chance to comment before your paper is
"finalised".

3. Highlight your recommendation (call to action) in an executive
summary (1/2 page) at the front of the document. The decision-makers
can read the whole document for the details or for clarification.

Regards