Department of Information Technology Correspondence Manual

Department of Information Technology Correspondence Format and Guidelines I. INTRODUCTION Page / Section Purpose Correspondence Objectives 1A 1B II. LETTERS 2-4 A 5 6 7 0330.04 Uniform Letterhead Format for Executive Branch Departments and Sub-units Sample Inserts Letterhead with State Seal Only Letterhead with State Seal and Logo DIT Letterhead Department-wide Correspondence Guidelines 8 – 11 B Sample Inserts General Correspondence, Other Than Director Signature 12 General Correspondence, Director’s Signature 13 Continuation Page/s (multiple page letter) 14 Executive Office Correspondence Procedures Sample Inserts Letter for Director’s Signature Multiple Signatures Multiple Addresses Executive Office Correspondence Routing Slip Governor’s Correspondence Guidelines Sample Inserts Governor’s Signature Letter Routing Slip – Mail Received from Governor’s Office Legislative Correspondence/Bill Analysis Guidelines Sample Inserts Legislative Letter Inside Addresses Bill Analysis (format) Bill Analysis (memo) 15 C 16 17 18 19 20 – 21 D 22 23 24 E 25 26 27 - 28 29 - 30 Pub-0001 6/03 i III. MEMORANDA Page / Section Department-wide Format Guidelines Sample Inserts Memo Sample 31 32 IV. FACSIMILE 33 34 35 36 Department-wide Format Guidelines Sample Inserts Blank Fax, DIT-0000 Fax Pop-up Completed Fax V. HELPFUL HINTS AND TIPS 37 - 38 Pub-0001 6/03 ii I. INTRODUCTION A. PURPOSE Correspondence is our direct link to the public and other state agencies and our opportunity to directly and specifically communicate our policies in a positive way. All correspondence should reflect the integrity and commitment of the Department of Information Technology personnel to providing helpful, courteous, and accurate information to our “customers.” This handbook is provided for use as a guideline in preparing all Information Technology correspondence. It contains basic formatting instructions, examples, details, and necessary procedures for handling correspondence. It is important to remember that ONLY department-wide letterhead and memo format should be used. All necessary documents are available at http://www.michigan.gov/techtalk/0,1607,7-167-22481_22490---,00.html B. CORRESPONDENCE OBJECTIVES TONE should be polite, respectful, cooperative, and personable. CONTENT should be clear, concise, accurate, dependable, in plain and simple language, timely, responsive to all questions, and free of grammatical and spelling errors. PRESENTATION should be of uniform style and appearance. Pub-0001 6/03 1 II. LETTERS A. 0330.04 UNIFORM LETTERHEAD FORMAT Uniform letterhead format provides for a consistent pattern of department identification for the State of Michigan and its Executive Branch agencies and sub-units. Requests that fall outside of this shall be pre-approved in writing by the Director of the Department of Management and Budget or designee. Pub-0001 6/03 2 PROCEDURE 0330.04 Issued January 6, 1997 SUBJECT: APPLICATION: PURPOSE: Uniform letterhead formats. Executive Branch Departments and Sub-units. To establish guidelines for uniform letterhead formats, applicable to Executive Branch Departments and Sub-units. Department of Management and Budget (DMB) – Agency Services, Operations Division, Printing Services 7461 Crowner Dr., State Secondary Complex Lansing, Michigan 48913. 517/322-1889 517/322-5968 Uniform letterhead format provides for a consistent pattern of department identification for the State of Michigan and its Executive Branch agencies and sub-units. Requests that fall outside of the guidelines shall be preapproved in writing by the Director of the Department of Management and Budget or his designee. None. CONTACT AGENCY: TELEPHONE: FAX: SUMMARY: APPLICABLE FORMS: POLICY: To establish a consistent pattern of department identification, letterhead must include the following: Coat-of-Arms of the State of Michigan. State of Michigan. Governor's name. Name of principal department. Name of department director. Physical address of principal office of department, PO Box, PO Boxzip code Main telephone number. State of Michigan web address: www.michigan.gov - Pub-0001 6/03 3 - Ink Color — Black only for state agencies and departments. Office of the Governor and Principal Department Director’s Office black and Pantone 871 gold or black with embossed gold seal. If applicable, names of members of governing commissions or boards of principal departments (Natural Resources, Agriculture, Civil Rights, Civil Service, Corrections, Education) may be used specifically for the purpose of conducting business of the Board or Commission. • Optional - at discretion of the director of the principal department: Name and mailing location of organizational sub-unit if required for mail handling. Logos (Principal department only). • Format: - Type fonts Helvetica and Times New Roman are required. Either the centered version or dual-logo version of letterhead may be used. Letterhead format specifications are on following pages. Letterhead must adhere to technical specifications outlined for type size and style, location on page, allowable information and image placement. See following pages for approved layout and specification sheets or contact DMB Printing Services. • Printing Method: Must be printed on an offset press or electronically generated. If generated electronically, any graphic elements (logos, seals, etc.) must be a minimum of 300 DPI and meet all the above letterhead format requirements. 24# paper stock containing the State of Michigan watermark is required for use on all letterhead, including electronically-generated letterhead. This stock can be obtained by contacting DMB Printing Services. * * * - Procedure Update: 01/03/03 Procedure 0330.04 SAMPLES State of Michigan Guidelines – Letterhead with State Seal Only State of Michigan Guidelines – Letterhead with State Seal and Logo DIT Letterhead, DIT-0001 available to download from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/DIT-0001_55802_7.dot Pub-0001 6/03 4 Pub-0001 6/03 5 Pub-0001 6/03 6 LANSING Pub-0001 6/03 7 B. DEPARTMENT-WIDE CORRESPONDENCE GUIDELINES This section is designed to assist you when preparing correspondence. Although it contains basic correspondence format guidelines and examples, a further source of information regarding basic letter writing is The Gregg Reference Manual. Our goal is to provide uniform documents from all areas of the Department of Information Technology (DIT). Please contact your Deputy’s Assistant if you have questions or suggestions on these guidelines. As these lists are updated, the DIT Executive Office will send you the new versions. If you know of any additions or changes, please contact the DIT Executive Office at 373-1006. 1. Use DIT Executive Office letterhead (DIT-0001) for all Executive Office correspondence. When an office location other than the DIT Executive Office requests a reply to their corespondence, include your Reply To: address in the Body of the letter. You may place your office name in the Closing (see page 9, #13). Written requests to the Director’s Assistant for a DIT letterhead template showing the address of your office location in the footer will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The letterhead is located at: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/DIT-0001_55802_7.dot. 2. LETTER STYLE - Use block style standard format (all paragraphs beginning even at the left margin and not justified on the right). 3. FONT - Use Arial 12 or 11 point size if needed to fit text to a single page. 4. MARGINS - Use 1” left, right and bottom margins. Top margin between 2.252.50 inches. However, letters should be balanced in appearance, and this format can be adjusted if necessary. 5. PUNCTUATION - Use standard punctuation (no punctuation at end of inside address lines, colon after salutation, and comma after closing). 6. SPACING - Single space text of the letter, leave one blank line between paragraphs. 7. DATE - Center and spell out the date (e.g., July 1, 2003). If letters are dated in advance, do not date more than one or two days ahead. Rush and revised letters for the Director’s signature should be dated the same day they are handed to the Director’s Executive Assistant. 8. INSIDE ADDRESS - Starts 6 to 8 lines from date. Abbreviations are not acceptable (i.e., Michigan, not MI). Pub-0001 6/03 8 9. ADDRESSEE’S TITLE - Enter on same line as name when possible. If title is too long, enter on next line. 10. MULTIPLE INSIDE ADDRESSEES - If exist, do not use “and” to connect, type at the left margin with one line space separating the addressees. 11. – It should be kept formal, do not use first names. Always address persons by Mr. – Ms. or Mrs. (including inside address) unless the person is a legislator or has a specific title such as “Dr.” or “Judge.” If unable to determine whether the addressee is male or female, use full name (i.e. “Dear Jayant Smith”). SALUTATION 12. 13. - If you must use “Re:” (regarding) or Subject:, place it at the left margin on the second line after the salutation (use sparingly). SUBJECT LINE - Always use “Sincerely” as the complimentary closing. Begin closing at the left margin. When preparing correspondence for Director Takai’s signature on DIT letterhead, please do not use title. CLOSING Sincerely, (4 returns) [name],[title] [Division] 14. 15. WRITER’S SIGNATURE – To easily identify a document as an original, sign in BLUE ink color. – When the writer’s name is given in the signature block, provide the typist’s initials alone in small letters. When the letter is written by someone other than the person who signs it, this fact may be indicated by showing the writer’s and the typist’s initials; for example, BSDixon/rp or bsd/rp. This line should be entered two line returns after the signature block, before the enclosure/attachment notation and the copy notation. - Type on the second line below the reference notation. Please capitalize the E in enclosure and A in attachment. It is not necessary to list each item. ENCLOSURE OR ATTACHMENT NOTATION REFERENCE INITIALS 16. 17. - Copies (c:) should be typed at the bottom of the letter, with one blank line between the previous line and the copy line. Whenever a person is mentioned in the response, use a copy notation. If letter has been referred by the Governor’s Office, also note a copy – c: Governor ( NAME ). COPY NOTATION 18. ORIGINAL LETTER/S – Paper stock which contains the State of Michigan watermark is required for use when generating letterhead electronically. Pub-0001 6/03 9 Letters sent outside state government should be signed with blue ink pen, using a properly sized, typed envelope (not handwritten). Return address on the envelope must match address on letterhead. Make black and white copies for copy distribution throughout state government. 19. ONE PAGE LETTER - If possible, limit letter to one page. Gain space in the following order: a. Delete line(s) between the date and the inside address (minimum 2 blank lines). b. Widen margin (minimum .75” for right, left, and bottom margin). c. Decrease font size (minimum 11 point). 20. - Use the following format for continuation pages and place at the top left margin. Begin text three lines below the page number. Mr. John Doe Page 2 or Page Two July 1, 2003 21. LENGTHEN LETTER - If necessary, lengthen letters by adding lines between the date and inside address or making margins larger. 22. HYPHENATION - Avoid when possible. 23. ABBREVIATIONS – Use sparingly. When in doubt, spell it out. Always spell out “and.” Use ampersand (&) only if part of actual business name. 24. RESOURCE - Follow the Gregg Reference Manual for grammar and style unless stated otherwise in this manual. 25. REVIEW - Please utilize spell check and verify all format and information for accuracy. 26. – A copy of all presentations must be sent to the Public Information Officer. PRESENTATIONS SECOND PAGE/S 27. STATE LEGISLATORS - Address letters as follows: The Honorable John Doe Michigan Representative (Building and Room Number) Lansing, MI (ZIP) The Honorable John Doe Michigan Senator (Building and Room Number) Lansing, MI (ZIP) Pub-0001 6/03 10 Address letters to U.S Senators and Representatives to their Washington D.C. office (unless letter requested response to a district office) as follows: The Honorable John Doe United States Representative (Building and Room Number) Washington, D.C. (ZIP) The Honorable John Doe United States Senator (Building and Room Number) Washington, D.C. (ZIP) A copy must be forwarded to the Legislative Liaison. Note: Up-to-date mailing lists for legislators are available online www.michiganlegislature.org SAMPLES General Correspondence, Other Than Director Signature General Correspondence, Director Signature Continuation Page – Letter or Memo Pub-0001 6/03 11 Pub-0001 6/03 12 Pub-0001 6/03 13 Pub-0001 6/03 14 C. PROCEDURES FOR DIT EXECUTIVE OFFICE CORRESPONDENCE The internal process for correspondence received in the DIT Executive Office:  given directly to appropriate Executive Assistant. The Executive Assistant logs it into the DIT Correspondence Tracking System (CTS) for the DIT Executive Office. to the appropriate Office Director the day the letter comes in to the DIT Executive Office – either by fax (followed by a phone call to the Office Director’s staff) or hand delivered. FORWARDED CORRESPONDENCE IS DATE-STAMPED and   TWO-WEEK TURNAROUND time is the requirement for a response. A report will be generated for overdue correspondence and distributed every Friday to appropriate staff. When you send an original letter to the DIT Executive Office for signature, email a copy to your Deputy’s Assistant, and forward the hard copy and supporting documents with a “routing slip” (copy attached). The original will be returned to you for mailing and copy distribution. Remember to use paper stock, which contains the State of Michigan watermark. All correspondence must be sent through your Deputy’s Assistant. Most letters will be handled in the usual manner, arriving in the DIT Executive Office in final format and error free. However, with letters e-mailed to the Assistant, it will be possible to edit letters, if necessary. If letters are dated in advance, do not date more than one or two days ahead. Rush and revised letters for the Director’s signature should be dated the same day they are handed to the Director’s Executive Assistant. Please use BLUE paper stock for this “Routing Slip” -*Remember when sending correspondence to the Department Director for signature – that “routing slip” identifying author, date, and sign-off from the Office Director and appropriate Deputy(s) must be attached to all letters/memos. All signature documents should have the date it was typed. If a document needs to be sent by a certain day, please identify on the routing slip. If you have any questions or need assistance, please direct them to your Deputy’s Assistant. SAMPLES Letter for Director’s Signature Multiple Signatures Multiple Addresses and Greetings Executive Office Correspondence Routing Slip Pub-0001 6/03 15 letter for director’s signature Pub-0001 6/03 16 Pub-0001 6/03 17 Pub-0001 6/03 18 Actual size is approximately 8.5” x 5.5” printed 2 per sheet and is located at: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/DIT-0028_55819_7.dot Pub-0001 6/03 19 D. GOVERNOR’S CORRESPONDENCE GUIDELINES Procedures Guide – Constituent Service Office Format These are the letter formats subscribed to by the Governor’s Office: Page Setup -Top Margin 2.25” to 2.5” Left Margin 1.0” Right Margin 1.0” Bottom Margin 1.0” Paragraph Indent – 0.25” or 0.5” (each paragraph is indented) Signature Block - Begin at center. Separate Closing and Name/Title with 4 returns. Sincerely, Jennifer M. Granholm Governor Second Page – top margin 1.0” Font – New Century School Book, 12 point (or Century Schoolbook). Middle Initial The Governor does use middle initial. Notice We know it’s not always possible, but to help us plan our work effectively and deliver in a timely fashion, please try to give at least 30 days notice of requests for letters, declarations, tributes, etc. For best service, the text of requested documents and supporting materials should be delivered to us via e-mail. DIT also sends a hard copy. Documents sent for the Governor’s signature must be approved by the DIT Director. Declarations and Tributes The ceremonial declaration of special days, weeks and months is a function of the Constituent Services Division. In general, a successful request will involve Pub-0001 6/03 20 an issue of pressing state concern and will be submitted by a Michigan resident or organization. Tributes are proclamations printed on special stock similar to declarations, recognize extremely meritorious individuals and organizations which would not benefit from the declaration of days, weeks or months. Congratulation Letters We routinely do letters on a wide variety of subjects: birthdays, wedding anniversaries, retirements, Eagle Scouts, weddings and other noteworthy achievements. Greeting Letters The Governor often extends greetings to conventions, dinners and other noteworthy gatherings in instances when unable to attend. Frequently, surrogates deliver these remarks. Just as frequently, these documents are printed in program books. Express Mail Due to budget constraints, we are unable to incur express delivery costs for our products. Our preferred method of delivery is first-class mail (hence, the need for so much advance notice) with the product sometimes sent via fax, to ensure timely delivery of the text of a message. In rare cases when express delivery is absolutely necessary, we will bill to a willing recipient. Framing and Presentation Folders Again, due to budget constraints, we do not normally provide frames for declarations/tributes of presentation folders for letters of greeting and congratulations. Signatures Documents delivered for signatures by 11:00 a.m. will be done by 2:00 p.m. the same day. All other delivery and turnaround times are on a staff-available basis. SAMPLES Governor’s Signature Letter Routing Slip – Mail Received from Governor’s Office Pub-0001 6/03 21 Mr. John Doe Page # Date Margin justify left 1‖ Paragraph indent to 1.25‖ for subsequent pages Font: Century Schoolbook Size: 12 Point 2.5‖ top margin with date centered under Governor State Seal June 17, 2003 3 blank lines (4 returns) between date and address Mr. John Doe 1234 Home Road Anytown, Michigan 48999 Dear Mr. Doe: Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns about the Department of Social Service (DSS) budget for fiscal year 1991-92 and its effects on intensive adoption subsidy rates for special needs children. I am sorry for the delay in my response, but I appreciate this opportunity to address your comments. As you already know, the State of Michigan’s budget for this year prohibits DSS from granting subsidy intensive rates for special needs children. I fully support legislation that restores intensive adoption subsidy rates, and I have asked legislative leaders in both the House and Senate to join me in this support. During the last several months, I have made numerous attempts to see that this program was reinstated. Despite opposition from some Democrat legislators, my administration is continuing our efforts to provide legislation which supports special needs children and their foster and adoptive parents. Be assured that staffs are actively pursuing ways to see that Section 504(f) of the 1991-92 DSS budget is repealed. However, I encourage you to contact your own representative and senator so that they know your desire to see this legislation reviewed and repealed. Once again, thank you for writing me. I certainly look forward to a speedy resolution to this issue. Tab to 4.25‖ 3 blank lines (4 returns) between closing and name Sincerely, Jennifer M. Granholm Governor XXX/ss Enclosure cc: Pub-0001 6/03 22 GREEN paper stock will be used for this “Routing Slip” -Below is an example of the ―routing slip‖ the Executive Office will use when correspondence is received from the Governor’s Office and forwarded to your Director for a response. If you have any questions, please contact the Director’s Executive Assistant. replace Actual size is approximately 5.5‖ x 4.25‖ printed 4 per sheet and is located at: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/DIT-0027_55817_7.dot Pub-0001 6/03 23 E. LEGISLATIVE CORRESPONDENCE/BILL ANALYSIS GUIDELINES Please remember to copy DIT Legislative Liaison on all letters. The Governor’s Legislative Affairs Director should be copied on letters, bill analysis, and reports that are submitted to legislators. Instructions on Legislative Bill Analysis Form: The attached form is a sample format for legislative bill analysis for the Department of Information Technology. Please remember to attach a copy of the bill with the analysis. You need to submit a copy of the bill analysis within five days of your request. Do not date the bill analysis and remember to indent responses. (Note: can be indented by paragraph or just by the first sentence of a paragraph) Also, remember to include a BLUE “routing slip” (refer to II-Section C) that includes the name of the author and Office Director sign-off, and forward to DIT Executive Office. Include relevant information in the comments section of the routing slip that would indicate if you had a legislative request for the bill analysis or if the bill is being considered before a committee. SAMPLES Legislative Letter Inside Addresses Bill Analysis Format Bill Analysis Memo Routing Slip – Mail Received from Governor’s Office (Click link below to open.) http://www.michigan.gov/documents/DIT-0028_55819_7.dot Pub-0001 6/03 24 Legislative letter LANSING Pub-0001 6/03 25 Address the Governor – The Honorable (NAME) Governor of Michigan State Capitol Lansing, Michigan 48933 Note: Do not use Capitol Building *Redundant – capitol means building Senate Committee – The Honorable (Senator’s full name), Chair Senate Committee on (list actual committee name) Michigan State Senate State Capitol (or ID office address) Lansing, Michigan 48933 House Committee – The Honorable (Representative’s full name), Chair House Committee on (list actual committee name) Michigan House of Representatives State Capitol (or ID office address) Lansing, Michigan 48933 Leadership (include titles) – The Honorable (NAME) Senate Majority Leader Michigan State Senate State Capitol (or ID office address) Lansing, Michigan 48933 The Honorable (NAME) Speaker of the House Michigan House of Representatives State Capitol (or ID office address) Lansing, Michigan 48933 If writing to several legislators, you can list the Senate members or House members together. Also, try to use gender-neutral terms. When writing to several legislators, you can address them as ―Dear Legislators‖. Remember to copy Office of the Governor, Director of Legislative Affairs, and DIT Legislative Liaison on all legislative letters. Pub-0001 6/03 26 LANSING Pub-0001 6/03 27 Pub-0001 6/03 28 LANSING Pub-0001 6/03 29 Pub-0001 6/03 30 III. MEMORANDA A. DEPARTMENT-WIDE FORMAT GUIDELINES Memoranda should be used for correspondence between/among Department of Information Technology employees. Memos may also be used for informal correspondence with other state agencies. Never use a memorandum for correspondence going outside state service, except as an informational copy. The address in the footer of the memorandum may also be customized in the same manner as the letterhead. Use DIT memohead for DIT memoranda, which is located at http://www.michigan.gov/documents/DIT-0002_55803_7.dot. 1. Spell out the date (i.e., April 8, 2003). 2. Non-bold text following each title in heading. 3. Use a brief “SUBJECT” which clearly identifies the subject matter. Capitalize the first letter of all words that contain four or more letters. 4. Begin typing body of the memo three lines below the subject. 5. Do not indent paragraphs. Single space text with one blank line between paragraphs. 6. Use Arial font and 12 or 11 point size. 7. Provide the typist’s initials alone in small letters. If the memo is written by someone other than the person who signs it, this may be indicated by showing the writer’s and the typist’s initials i.e., aaa/bbb. 8. If including attachments, note “Attachment(s)” at the left margin, second line below the last line in the last paragraph. 9. If both “Attachment(s)” and “c:” are used, place c on the second line below attachment(s). 10. Use the following format for continuation pages and place at the top left margin. Mr. John Doe Page 2 or Page Two April 8, 2003 Pub-0001 6/03 31 SAMPLES Memoradum Pub-0001 6/03 32 Pub-0001 6/03 33 IV. FACSIMILE A. DEPARTMENT-WIDE FORMAT GUIDELINES The approved layout for a fax document must include DIT letterhead top format, along with the confidential notation at bottom (footer) of the page, located at http://www.michigan.gov/documents/DIT-0000_55800_7.dot The template should be downloaded to your template directory prior to using. Instructions for downloading are found at: http://www.michigan.gov/techtalk/0,1607,7-167-22481_22490-60082--,00.html. SAMPLE Blank Fax, DIT-0000 Fax Pop-up Completed Fax Pub-0001 6/03 34 Blank Fax Pub-0001 6/03 35 Pub-0001 6/03 36 Completed FAX Pub-0001 6/03 37 V. HELPFUL HINTS AND TIPS  Begin letters addressed to and referred by the Governor’s Office with “Thank you for your [recent] letter to Governor ( NAME ) regarding…. Your letter has been referred to me for reply.” Begin letters referred by the Governor’s Office but addressed to someone other than the Governor with “thank you for your [recent] letter regarding…. The Governor’s staff has also contacted me on your behalf.” If asked to respond directly (own signature) to Director’s correspondence, begin “Thank you for your recent letter to Director [name] regarding…. The Director has forwarded your letter to me for reply.” When possible, use “we” instead of “I”. When appropriate, use “According to my staff, . . . .” To easily identify your document as an original, sign your document in BLUE ink color. When using abbreviations or acronyms, spell out the first time when used in the documents with the acronym following in parentheses, such as Department of Information Technology (DIT). When using percentages in sentences, spell out percent, do not use the symbol (%). Use “Enclosure” for a letter and “Attachment” for a memo. Please remember to capitalize the E in Enclosure and A in Attachment. Envelopes should be typed and provided for each person receiving the letter or a copy (except the Governor’s copy). If letter and/or copy can be sent interdepartmental (ID) mail, prepare a label for each recipient. DO NOT USE business envelopes for ID mail. Use “The Honorable” for first line of inside address for elected officials. When using month/day/year within a sentence, a comma follows the year. The complimentary close is always “Sincerely.” Use a Post Office Box when it is listed in an address. This entry should be just above the city, state, and zip code as the postal scanners read from 38             Pub-0001 6/03 the bottom upward. If you are using overnight mail, you must use a street address.       Subject line in letters is optional (use sparingly), but should be two lines below the salutation. The “Internet” and “Web site” are proper nouns, so they must be capitalized. However, “intranet” remains in lowercase. Using “you” when “your” is intended is a common error. For example, the Governor has forwarded you letter to me for reply. When using a dash, leave no space before or after the dash (i.e., Don’t believe him--ever!). When a quoted word or phrase comes at the end of a statement, the period goes inside the closing quotation mark. It is not necessary to add a decimal point or zeros to a whole dollar amount that occurs in a sentence (i.e., I am enclosing a check for $125.). Pub-0001 6/03 39