WAC Structure

Handout, Session 2

Word Limit: 1000 [Sections 5-12]

1. Cover Page
There is a standard format to that. It should contain the name/title of the case, who it is submitted
to, which course this is a part of, and student details [samples to be reviewed]

2. Letter of Transmittal
This part is addressed to the instructor. A memo that wraps up the whole report. The language
here is of a formal letter that foregrounds the case, broadly mentions the dilemma, and provides
the recommendation briefly. Brevity is a virtue here.

3. Executive Summary [100 Words]

An informed snippet of the report. Must have the following--the context, the dilemma, options
you come up with, criteria to evaluate the options, and the recommendation you provide. Please
keep in mind that this summary is a nutshell view. Do not spend too many words here. Your
instructor will read the whole report anyway.

4. Table of Contents
This should have the names of the sections and corresponding page numbers.

5. Situation Analysis
This is a critical summary of the case. This provides context to the readers. You should strictly
follow good argumentation here to build the context up to the “dilemma.” Look for cause-effect
scenarios, proper transitions, and hard facts to help you realize and articulate the problem in the
forthcoming section.

6. Problem Statement
Articulate the problem at hand carefully. Ensure this is a problem that needs to be solved now.
Imagine yourself in the shoes of the protagonist to whom you will be providing your consultation
services. Do not aim for a problem in the “long run.” A macro issue is not our focus. Also, you
must not come up with a problem statement that encapsulates an “either-or” scenario. The
problem statement is an open-ended question that triggers the whole analysis. Know your case,
know your problem, and know your worth. The protagonist has hired you because you can
pinpoint the exact problem and come up with a viable recommendation later on.

7. Options
What steps can the protagonist ( and/or other important characters) take to tackle the problem at
hand? First, you need to introduce the options with one sentence, and then the opinions can be
presented in bullet points or separate statements. Please make sure the following three things:
 1. Options arise from the problem statement, 2. Options are viable, & 3. Options are
mutually exclusive.
If any of the options are implemented, there is no way to come back to other options. However,
each option is capable of addressing the issue on its own.

8. Criteria for Evaluation

These help us check the effectiveness of all the options. These are measures to ensure we have
the most appropriate options. Since you have read the case carefully, critical brainstorming
should help you with these criteria. You are supposed to write them as bullet points and in the
order of importance.

9. Evaluation of Options:
Each option is briefly evaluated against all the criteria. You can employ a degree scale to analyze
how effectively the option is measured based on all the criteria. These should be in really brief
paragraphs. For instance, if you come up with three options and three criteria, we are looking at
three main sections where the options are evaluated against three criteria in short and articulate
statements.

10. Recommendation
Drawing from the previous discussion, this becomes a statement of which option is the best to
address the dilemma right now in a practical manner. [Describe the option here and not just
mention the option number.]

11. Action Plan

The action plan elaborates how the recommendation needs to be executed. Often a plausible
recommendation has practical, actionable subparts. You, as a manager, should show those in a
few sentences. Action plan makes you the strategist to finally fix the issue for good.

12. Contingency Plan (optional)

Provide a plan B if your first recommendation does not work. Keep in mind that you cannot pick
other options as your contingency plan. It has to be something else that has not been mentioned
or discussed so far. Methodologically, once your best option is executed and fails, your
contingency plan is applied. That means there is no way of going back to previous options. This
plan should not be more than one to two sentences.

13. Exhibits (optional)

An optional section that can have the data you have used so far, the heuristics you have
employed, things directly related to your discussion in the body of the report, etc. It is NOT an
appendix.