Written to be circulated
The defining fact about a Japanese proposal is that it travels without you. It gets forwarded, printed, discussed in a meeting you are not in, and decided by people who have no context beyond the page.
Everything else follows from that. The document has to answer the obvious questions itself, because there is nobody present to answer them, and it has to be short enough that a busy reader finishes it.
| Section | Japanese | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| Background | 背景 | Why now |
| Problem | 課題 | What is wrong |
| Proposal | 提案内容 | What you want to do |
| Effect | 期待効果 | What improves |
| Cost | 費用 | What it costs |
| Schedule | スケジュール | By when |
| Risks | リスク | What could go wrong |
The last three are what make a proposal actionable. Without cost, schedule and risk, a reader cannot decide anything and will simply defer it.
The summary line
Open with one sentence stating what you are proposing. A reader who reads nothing else should know what is being asked for.
Writing this line first is also a useful test of your own thinking: a proposal that cannot be summarised in a sentence usually is not ready.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 新システムの導入を提案する。 | Shin shisutemu no dōnyū o teian suru. | I propose introducing the new system. |
| 業務フローの見直しを提案いたします。 | Gyōmu furō no minaoshi o teian itashimasu. | I propose revising the workflow. |
| 以下のとおり提案する。 | Ika no tōri teian suru. | The proposal is as follows. |
| 本提案の目的は、作業時間の短縮である。 | Hon teian no mokuteki wa, sagyō jikan no tanshuku de aru. | The purpose is to shorten working time. |
| 三つの案を比較検討した。 | Mittsu no an o hikaku kentō shita. | Three options were compared. |
| 結論として、A案を推奨する。 | Ketsuron to shite, ē-an o suishō suru. | In conclusion, option A is recommended. |
Problem before solution
The problem section does the persuasive work. A reader who does not accept that a problem exists will not accept the proposal however good it is, and this is the section learners tend to write too briefly.
Quantify wherever possible. A problem stated with a number is far harder to dismiss than one stated as an impression.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 現状、月に約二十時間を要している。 | Genjō, tsuki ni yaku nijū jikan o yōshite iru. | Currently about twenty hours a month are required. |
| 手作業のため、誤りが生じやすい。 | Tesagyō no tame, ayamari ga shōjiyasui. | Being manual, errors occur easily. |
| 昨年は三件の問題が発生した。 | Sakunen wa sanken no mondai ga hassei shita. | Three incidents occurred last year. |
| 担当者の負担が大きい。 | Tantōsha no futan ga ōkii. | The burden on the person responsible is heavy. |
| このままでは改善が見込めない。 | Kono mama de wa kaizen ga mikomenai. | As things stand, no improvement is expected. |
| 対応が急がれる。 | Taiō ga isogareru. | A response is urgent. |
The first three are quantified and the rest are not. A proposal with numbers in the problem section is markedly more persuasive.
Cost and schedule
A proposal without cost and schedule is an idea rather than a proposal, and it will be returned or deferred. These sections are also where honesty pays: an underestimate discovered later damages more than a larger honest figure would have.
Where a figure is uncertain, label it as an estimate rather than presenting it as firm.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 初期費用は約五十万円である。 | Shoki hiyō wa yaku gojūman-en de aru. | Initial cost is about five hundred thousand yen. |
| 月額の運用費が別途発生する。 | Getsugaku no un'yōhi ga beppo hassei suru. | A monthly running cost arises separately. |
| 概算であり、変動の可能性がある。 | Gaisan de ari, hendō no kanōsei ga aru. | This is an estimate and may vary. |
| 導入は三か月を見込む。 | Dōnyū wa sankagetsu o mikomu. | Introduction is expected to take three months. |
| 第一段階は来月開始とする。 | Daiichi dankai wa raigetsu kaishi to suru. | The first phase begins next month. |
| 既存業務への影響は限定的である。 | Kizon gyōmu e no eikyō wa genteiteki de aru. | The effect on existing work is limited. |
Naming the objection
Every proposal has an obvious objection, and the reader will think of it whether or not you mention it. Naming it and answering it is a strength; omitting it looks either naive or evasive.
This is also where a proposal earns trust, since a writer who has anticipated the difficulty is more likely to have thought the rest through.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 懸念点として、以下が挙げられる。 | Kenen-ten to shite, ika ga agerareru. | The following concerns can be raised. |
| 導入時の負担が一時的に増える。 | Dōnyū-ji no futan ga ichijiteki ni fueru. | The burden temporarily increases during introduction. |
| これに対しては、段階導入で対応する。 | Kore ni taishite wa, dankai dōnyū de taiō suru. | This is addressed by phased introduction. |
| リスクは限定的であると考える。 | Risuku wa genteiteki de aru to kangaeru. | The risk is considered limited. |
| 代替案も検討したが、費用が上回る。 | Daitai-an mo kentō shita ga, hiyō ga uwamawaru. | An alternative was considered but costs more. |
| ご指摘があれば、修正する。 | Goshiteki ga areba, shūsei suru. | If concerns are raised, it will be revised. |
Mentioning that you considered an alternative and why you rejected it is one of the strongest things a short proposal can include.
Before circulating
Check the document against the reader who will see it without you. Can they tell what is being proposed, what it costs, when it happens and what could go wrong, from the page alone?
Style consistency matters here as it does in reports: proposals use plain written style, and polite endings mixed in mark the document as a message rather than a document.
- The first line states the proposal.
- The problem section contains at least one number.
- Cost is split into initial and ongoing.
- A schedule with a start date is included.
- The obvious objection is named and answered.
- The style is consistent and plain throughout.