1. Choose an organization to which you have complete access or one about which much has been written. The best reports will be able to draw on business or popular press articles, annual reports or other information produced in-house, published or personal interviews with CEO's and other managers, newspaper articles, etc. If you are in the military and are planning to retire to the private sector, I encourage you to choose a private-sector organization - this will give your project more value when transitioning into a new field.

2. Write to describe the organization from an open systems perspective. The superior paper will also draw on the Nadler/Tushman Congruence Framework. Do not attempt to analyze the organization from the 7-S Framework ? that will come later.