While rarely discussed in literary circles, few literary genres may be more important in the professional world than that of the whitepaper: the blueprint for any business, venture, or financially-motivated cause. Historically, however, the term white paper was developed by governing bodies and state entities for dry, lengthy manifestos and leaving the term to only appear in the business world in the late 1980s - businesses, governments, and organizations have been creating outlines describing just what their organization aims to achieve, earn, or actuate. These technical works allow for anyone from investors to casual observers to understand the vision, goals, and stent that is the organization being analyzed.
In recent years, however, the white paper concept has exploded from a boring, dry, technical work to a colorful, easily explainable roadmap created by specialized business writers. Historically, however, the term whitepaper.