CSCI 373: Position
Papers That Work
Michael A. Heroux
In any organization larger than a few dozen
people, a position paper, often called whitepaper
(although whitepaper is a broader term) is an important vehicle for socializing
and promoting new ideas within an organization. A position paper can take many
forms, but in most cases its content is tiered so that the primary points can
be easily acquired by reading a single page Executive
Summary. Subsequent text describes the details in full.
One
format for a position paper is as follows:
1. Abstract: Half-page description of the document
including background, motivation and foreshadowing of document contents.
2. Executive summary: Brief presentation of the
recommendations in the position paper. These can be a restatement of items in
6b below.
3. Table of contents: If the document is longer than
five pages, a table of contents is useful. For documents longer that 10 pages
it is very important.
4. Introduction: Lay out the background, motivation,
description of status quo, vision of the goal and foreshadowing of approach.
5. Case study: If a similar situation exists that can
illustrate what you want to accomplish and how it might be done, a case study
is an excellent element for a position paper, but it is not essential.
6. Full presentation of your case for why change must
occur and how it can be accomplished. Discussion should be presented point by
point using compact language. You should anticipate concerns and acknowledge
risks. One format, for each item of your argument is:
a. Present status.
b. Recommendation.
c. Discussion.
d. Risks and requirement.
7. Summary and conclusions.
One
example of a position paper can be found here.
Exercise: Write
a short (3-5) page position paper on topic of interest to you. Think of a
situation you know well, and how the status quo needs to be changed. Topics do
not have to be technology-related, but should be otherwise appropriate for a
general audience.