31 Decision Memo

In addition to the assignments for the laboratory portion of the course, the case studies will focus on forms of scientific communication more common in industry or policy spheres.

The Decision Memo assignment completes Case Study 1: Comparing Synthetic Routes. In this assignment, your team will use your discussion and responses to the case study questions within beSocratic to formulate a short memo addressing the problem, stakeholders, and criteria laid out in the Case Study Scenario.

This assignment is distinct from previous versions in that (A) you will not be carrying out any experiments and (B) the structure of a memo is styled differently.

• While you will use Green Chemistry Tools and Metrics to evaluate the information presented in the case study, you will not be performing any experiments to collect more empirical data than provided.
• The memo is styled to forefront the conclusions and recommendations of your analysis. In the limited time with the attention of policy makers in industry and government, a concise, upfront summary of findings is more effective than the structure of an academic paper. Don’t bury the important finding; make it the star of the memo!

Structure of a Decision Memo^[1]

This structure reflects the goal of summarizing the findings/decisions and the necessary background and evidence into a single page that is easy to peruse.

Main Point(s) and Decision(s)

These memos get straight to the point and put the most important points, decisions, and/or recommendations up front.

Background

In this section, a concise summary of the necessary background is presented. You should present this information as if your audience has no previous experience with the topic and use this paragraph (two paragraphs max) to bring them up to speed with not only the problem but the chemistry underpinning the problem.

This section should summarize the problem your team has defined from the case study scenario, the key stakeholders in the problem and their needs, and on what criteria an acceptable solution will be evaluated. Your team should concisely describe the general explanatory model of the underlying chemistry that you generated in session 1 of the case study.

Evidence

Your team should compile the evidence you’ve generated through your reading of any recommended papers and the insights gained through your beSocratic activities. This section should directly address the problem definition from your background section: for each set of stakeholders, what is the relevant data for their needs (from the Scenario at the beginning of the Case Study)? Start with your strongest, most convincing point. Cite the evidence and connect it to the Solution (which synthetic route) you recommend.

This section could be separated into bulleted paragraphs to convey main points for each stakeholder; use figures/tables only when appropriate to support your point. These short paragraphs can be full text, integrate a small table, or be coupled with a figure.

Conclusions and Implementation

Restate your recommendation as a take-away message. Based upon the evidence presented and the problem you’ve been evaluating solutions for, provide a brief description of how you would recommend the stakeholders proceed in light of your recommendation. Which route should they implement, and are there any specific data points they should monitor as they proceed?

Example from MIT Communication Lab^[2]

This policy memo example (PDF) demonstrates the structural organization that puts the main point(s) up front, includes a concise summary of the relevant background information, and supports the main decision and conclusions with a written summary of the evidence. A figure is not always necessary, and if used, limited to one clear, easy-to-read figure.

Decision Memo Template

Names of contributing members: [Insert Group Names Here]

Recommendation: Communicate your decision as to which synthetic route the pharmaceutical should utilize as they prepare for their upcoming EPA audit. Insert main point(s), decisions, or recommendations here.

Background: Provide a relevant, concise background that summarizes the problem, stakeholders, and key criteria, and briefly explains the key underlying chemistry.

1. Defines the problem,
2. Describes the social and/or environmental context for why the problem matters,
3. Defines the chemistry of the physical system and its components (i.e., the molecules involved in the reactions),
4. Identifies to whom the problem matters (i.e., the stakeholders) and who/what is affected by the problem (e.g., human and/or environmental health), and
5. Specifies the criteria that must be addressed for an acceptable solution to the problem.

Evidence: Summarize key evidence needed to address problem and stakeholders, prioritizing the most relevant evidence. Use one figure or table as needed, but it is not required. Figures or tables should be easy to read from a glance, including defining any abbreviations.

1. Generate a list of important criteria for acceptable solutions to the problem.
2. Gather the data/evidence and scientific information related to the criteria.
3. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each solution with respect to the criteria. Explicitly acknowledge and justify any tradeoffs made in choosing an optimal solution (costs and benefits of possible solutions).
4. Provide an evidence-based decision and provide reasoning for your choice using data/evidence and scientific information.

Conclusion & Implementation: End with a summary of the conclusions your team has drawn and briefly describe the next steps for implementing your recommendation. Bold the final sentence containing the take-home message.

Decision Memo Success Guide

This guide will be embedded into D2L for the lab instructor to evaluate your memo. They will provide you feedback in the comment portion on D2L of any strengths of your argument. The decision memo is a collaborative effort worth 20 points total, graded holistically.