Innovation Informal Report     

COM 210: Writing at Work Project #1: Innovation Informal Report                       1
The Innovation Project
For your first major project in this course, you will write an informal report addressing how an
innovation from within the last 2-3 years could be applied to your unit or department at work.
Your report must:
 Be in the form of an informal report, including heading and formatting elements
 Be 600-1200 words long, not including the addendum
 Reference at least 3 reliable sources
 Cite sources using either APA style or “neat” links where a web address is embedded in text
using descriptive hyperlinks (here is an example of a “neat link”)
 Address the audience (in this case, your direct supervisor) as an educated and involved reader
who is not necessarily an expert on the topic
 Use standard English and avoid jargon and technical language
The final submitted draft of this assignment is worth 20% of your final grade.
Detailed Instructions
The title of the report must be in the form: “A Recent Innovation in [the particular field]: [the specific
innovation].”
Example: a report on software that is a radical improvement to Blackboard entitled: “A Recent
Innovation in Online Education: New Software, ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Not Blackboard’”
Content Requirements:
In addition to fulfilling the above requirements, your informal report must include the following:
 Context in the form of a brief description of your department in the organization where you
work and the field in which the innovation has occurred
The organization can be your invention or a real workplace, but it must have some connection to
the field mentioned in your title.
 Clear explanations of what the breakthrough is and how it works.
Keep in mind that a “breakthrough” is not necessarily good or beneficial. Cloning or atomic
weapons were undoubtedly innovations in their fields, but they are not universally regarded as
positive developments.
 Summaries of 2-4 differing opinions of this innovation
These can be pro and con or can emphasize different kinds of benefits or risks.
 At least one suggestion for how the innovation might be implemented in your department or
unit
For example, a report on “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Blackboard” might suggest that it be tested first
in 2 or 3 courses taught by technically proficient instructors and to junior or senior level students,
and that a questionnaire/survey be developed for each participant to assess the software
 An addendum with resources for further investigation, including the research sources you have
referred to in the body of the document.

Innovation Informal Report