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[[File:6-00 PM Energy Meeting (11-2-77) - NARA - 142151.tif|right|thumb|Memo written by a staff member during [[President Carter|President Carter's]] tenure in the White House.]]
A '''memorandum''' (abbrev.: '''memo'''; from [[Latin]] ''memorandum est'', "It must be remembered (that)...") is a note, [[document]] or other [[communication]] that helps the memory by recording events or observations on a topic such as may be used in a business [[office]]. The plural form of the Latin noun ''memorandum'' so derived is properly ''memoranda'', but if the word is deemed to have become a word of the English language, the plural ''memorandums'', abbreviated to ''memos'', may be used. (See also [[Agenda (meeting)|Agenda]], [[Corrigenda]], [[Addenda]]).

A memorandum can have only a certain number of formats; it may have a format specific to an office or institution. In law specifically, a memorandum is a record of the terms of a transaction or contract, such as a policy memo, [[memorandum of understanding]], [[memorandum of agreement]], or [[memorandum of association]]. Alternative formats include memos, briefing notes, reports, letters, binders, etc. They could be one page long or many. They may be considered as [[grey literature]]. If the user is a [[Minister (government)|cabinet minister]] or a senior executive, the format might be rigidly defined and limited to one or two pages. If the user is a colleague, the format is usually much more flexible. At its most basic level, a memorandum can be a handwritten note to one's supervisor. In business, a memo is typically used by firms for internal communication, as opposed to [[Letter (message)|letters]] which are typically for external communication.<ref>[[Gary Blake]] and [[Robert W. Bly]], ''The Elements of Technical Writing'', pg. 113. [[New York City|New York]]: [[Macmillan Publishers (United States)|Macmillan Publishers]], 1993. {{ISBN|0020130856}}</ref> Hence, we can consider memoranda as an upward communication process through which any complaint, issues, opinion, views and suggestion are put forward to the authorized level.

==Policy briefing note==
A specific type of memorandum is the '''policy briefing note''' (alternatively referred to in various jurisdictions and governing traditions as policy issues paper, policy memoranda, or cabinet submission amongst other terms), a document for transmitting [[policy analysis]] into the political [[decision making]] sphere. Typically, a briefing note may be denoted as either “for information” or “for decision”.

===Origins of term===
The origins of the term “briefing” lie in legal “briefs” and the derivative “military briefings”.<ref>Simpson, J.A. and E.S.C. Weiner (ed.) 1989. Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. OED Online. Oxford: [[Oxford University Press]]</ref>

===Purpose===
The primary purpose of a briefing note “for decision” is to support decision making – and also to “help (or sometimes influence) a decision-maker to make a better decision in a particular problem situation than he might otherwise have made without the analysis”.<ref>Quade, E.S. 1975. Analysis for public decisions. New York: [[Elsevier]]. p. 13</ref> Other purposes that the briefing note can serve include: conveying information; informing decisions, making a request, providing a response to a question, making a suggestion, presenting an informal report, proposing a solution to a problem, or documenting a reference for future use.

===Structure===
As the communication mechanism of the policy analysis process, the briefing note should provide a coherent synopsis of a policy problem, identify different policy options for addressing the problem, articulate opposing perspectives and advocate a recommended option. The typical structure for a briefing note includes a description of the proposed policy; relevant background information; a discussion of key considerations (including implementation concerns, financial considerations, stakeholder impacts, and possible unanticipated consequences), a summary of arguments for and against the policy and a recommended decision. Policy documents that start with a proposal and assemble an argument that position are more accurately referred to as a government [[white paper]]. A government [[green paper]] which raises a policy option and is meant to open a dialogue on the proposal is more similar in tone to a briefing note than is a [[white paper]].
remember the abbreviation when writing your memo [[Kiss]] keep it Short and Simple

===Quality criteria===
There is no universal standard for a briefing note, but it is generally understood to be a concise, coherent summary of a public policy problem with a clearly articulated logic for following a recommended course of action. ”Next to a political nose, and a logical brain, the most important skill of the good treasury [person] resides in [their] fine drafting hand. The concise, coherent and penetrating note is the final expression of all other talents.”<ref>Heclo, H. and Rahul Vaidya 1974. The Private Government of Public Money. Berkeley: [[University of California Press]], p. 58</ref> In many Westminster / Whitehall governance settings, policy analysts are expected to analyze the issue and write the briefing note from a neutral public service perspective. However, the briefing note “for decision” must contain a recommendation, acknowledging that “to say anything of importance in public policy requires value judgments, which must be explained and justified”.<ref>Majone, G. 1989. Evidence, Argument, and Persuasion in the Policy Process. New Haven, CT: [[Yale University Press]]. p. 21</ref>

==See also==
* [[Bench memorandum]]
* [[Grey literature]]
* [[Memorandum of agreement]]
* [[Memorandum of association]]
* [[Memorandum of conversation]]
* [[Memorandum of understanding]]
* [[Mémoire]]
* [[Presidential memorandum]]
* [[Private Placement Memorandum]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070427015204/http://www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/memos.html RPI.edu], The Writing Center: [[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute]].{{Dead link|date=March 2017}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080307041941/http://courses.washington.edu/affhsg/pdf/memoonmemos.pdf Washington.edu], Memorandum Writing, Patrick, [[Richard F. Elmore]], Laurie Werner.
* [http://www.writingforresults.net/member/text/text_cnt/text_cnt.htm How to Write Briefing Notes], Parkinson, Robert B.
* [http://www.writingforresults.net/classic.pdf Classic Format of a Briefing Note], Parkinson, Robert B.

[[Category:Legal documents]]
[[Category:Memoranda| ]]
[[Category:Email]]
[[Category:Business terms]]
[[Category:Documents]]
[[Category:Business documents]]
[[Category:Grey literature]]

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