Determine Your Scope
The scope of an instructional memo should stick closely to the subject line of the heading, making its objective clearly comprehendible to its readers while alerting them to the relevance of the information it is delivering.
The subject line should define the specific topic that your information relates to and the opening paragraph should remove any question from the reader's mind regarding the built in who, what, where, when and why's of that topic.
If required, a summary and discussion following the opening should flesh out the need-to-know details and close any "so what" doors that may have been left open. Think of it this way: the "ignore this memo" room is right through those "so what" doors. Shut them.
In the sample instructional memo the writer uses the opening paragraph to answer the "W" questions that arise from the specific topic in the subject line. The following paragraphs are the guts of the memo and two of them appear in bulleted form.
Determine the scope of your memo. First, write down a clear description of your topic in the subject line. Be specific. Next, review your list of answers to the "W" questions. Beef it up with new lines containing need-to-know information that helps your reader understand the memo's relevance.
Again, sentence fragments are fine. On completion you will have determined your scope. Later, while drafting your memo this list will be turned into complete sentences and paragraphs.