A blueprint is the first version of a program or standard to be developed, before it is submitted for approval or implementation. The concept is also used to name the previous work that is done to write a project.
For example: “The ruling party is already working on the preliminary draft of the National Budget”, “The preliminary draft for the reform of the airport will be put out to tender in the coming weeks”, “Some members of the Liberal Party presented the preliminary draft of the Tourist Law”.
When creating a preliminary project, the intention is to start a debate and analyze a proposal. Once this original idea is enriched, it can be turned into a project with precise and detailed directions. Finally the project can be approved and executed, making the proposal come true.
An example of this concept can be seen in the Preliminary Draft of the National Law on Territorial Planning presented by the Federal Council for Planning and Territorial Planning of Argentina in 2010. It had a draft prepared in 2009 and, after several changes, it was offered to the Executive Branch in September 2010.
In general, a preliminary draft bears a title and includes the definition of the proposal, the existing background on the subject and the objectives pursued. It also mentions the proposed procedure to carry it out. These and other points are detailed below:
* title: although the preliminary project is in an initial phase, which will not reach the public’s eyes intact, it is very important to assign it a title, to give it a more defined character and increase the probability of making a good impression from the first moment of your evaluation;
* Background: since the preliminary project is conceived to solve a problem or satisfy a need in a specific area, it is necessary to present in its lines all the information gathered through the investigations carried out so far;
* definition of the problem: this is one of the most delicate points, since the clarity with which we expose the characteristics of the problem to be treated largely depends on the response we receive. It is advisable to look for conciseness and avoid secondary data;
* justification: another of the key moments in the preparation of the preliminary project, since it gives us the opportunity to present the reasons why we believe that the project will work, that it will be a success and will bring us a series of indispensable benefits;
* objectives: this section is, as its name implies, less subjective than the previous ones, since it places us in a future in which our proposal has been accepted, and for this reason we set out clearly and precisely everything we intend to obtain with its execution;
* procedure: to complement the presentation of our objectives, we must explain how we will achieve them, carefully detailing the steps to follow to demonstrate that we know exactly the way;
* budget: perhaps another of the key points of the preliminary project, especially since it focuses on the money needed to carry out the entire project. For this reason, it is important to request a reasonable sum and justify it with all the possible data, explaining what each portion of it will be used for and why it would not be possible to achieve the previously proposed objectives with less money.
In the nautical field, lastly, the model that develops over the middle of the hull of a boat, without including any accessories or rigging, is called a draft ship. These blueprints allow planning the design of the ship in question, although currently such work is done using computers.
