Proposal Management Basics & Tips on Proposal Writing For the: STC Tech Comm Career Day

Proposal Management Basics& Tips on Proposal Writing

For the: STC Tech Comm Career Day

By: Kristen L. Sweet

March 15, 2003

Topics

• Proposal Management Approach– Proposal process

• Proposal Writing Tips– Content– Reader’s needs– Basic rules

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Proposal Management Approach

• Proposal process

– Includes:

• Documented process

• Training for all team members

• Schedule to implement process

• Create a process that defines the responsibilities of the team

• Follow the structure to ensure the successful completion of a proposal

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Proposal Process

• Team Members– Within proposal development, the roles and titles of the team

will vary• There may be a large team or a proposal team of one

• Proposal Manager: obtains all resources to produce the proposal• Volume Leader: leads the development of a proposal volume for a

multi-volume proposal – reports to the manager• Proposal Coordinator: supports manager with the development

process• Production Leader: leads the publication process

(Printing/Copying/Binding/Packaging)• Proposal Writer/Illustrator: works with the manager/volume leader

to provide text and graphics illustrating the solution• Proposal Editor: edits all drafts of the proposal• Pricing Staff: provides the cost information for the solution

proposed

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“Any proposal manager (or outside consultant, for that matter) who claims to know how to run a serious proposal effort without chaos should be quietly

and briskly dismissed from reality. Chaos is the very nature of the proposal beast, and the manager who accepts this fact is ready to face another one: While the chaos of proposal work cannot be

eliminated, it must be controlled. Otherwise, it will eat the managers, the proposal team, and the proposal itself

alive.”– Pugh, 1993, p. 82

Proposal Process

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Proposal Process

Proposal Manager Pricing Group

Proposal Coordinator

Proposal Writers/ Illustrators Production Group

Small ProposalTeam

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Proposal Process

Production Leader

Proposal Editor

ProposalCoordinator

Project Manager

Proposal Manager

Past PerformanceVolume Leader

Writers/Iluustrators

ManagementVolume Leader


Technical VolumeLeader


Cost VolumeLeader

Quote/ Price Staff

Large Proposal Team

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• Proposal organization will vary according to the size of the proposal team

• Budget restrictions will dictate the development process

• Complexity of the proposal requirements will determine proposal resources including:

– Deadlines

– Bid/No Bid decisions on other proposal efforts

– Teaming agreements with other companies, contractors, and vendors needed produce the proposal

– Technology needed to develop the solution

Proposal Process

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• Managing resources isn’t just a pre-RFP concern

– Utilizing proposal staff only when needed will reduce costs and minimize distractions to remaining team members

• However, the proposal team may find itself growing as the deadline approaches

– Deficiencies in fulfilling the requirements

– Vendor/Company limitations

Proposal Process

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• To minimize the deficiencies the proposal team may need to:

– Provide training for all staff

• Proposal seminars

• Software training (MS Office, Adobe FrameMaker, Photoshop, Visio, etc)

– Develop standards to prevent having to recreate the process for each new opportunity the company pursues

– Plan writing assignments

• Outline the requirements

– Prevents rewrites later in the process process

• Outline the format and production requirements

– Utilize contractors and vendors for proposal development

– Implement technology allowing for efficient and effective proposal development

Proposal Process

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“There are many ways to write proposals as there are companies, but many of these ways are crude, ineffective, expensive,

and bound to repeat many previous mistakes…

We cannot stress enough that organized proposals are probably twice as likely to succeed as those ‘fly by the seat of the

pants’ exercises…”– Whalen, 1996, p 1-3

Proposal Process

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• Define the process in writing

– Summary

• Basic guidelines to tailor for each proposal

• Detailed checklist

• Documenting the process eliminates re-inventing the wheel each time

– Establishes quality

• Provides the frame work for a “lessons learned” session following the completion of a proposal

Proposal Process

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• Provide the guidelines to the team

– Proposal Instruction Book

• Preparation schedule

• Detailed instructions/responsibilities

• Planned strategies/win themes

• Summary of proposal approach

• Writing/graphic guidelines

• Style/format guidelines (may vary according to RFP)

• Summary outline with a requirements matrix

• Organization/roles of staff

• Specific company work flow/communication standards and procedures

Proposal Process

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“….managing a proposal is one of the toughest, most challenging jobs you will ever encounter.

It involves dealing with a wide variety of people with conflicting interests and

organizing and directing the efforts of an ad hoc collection of people with diverse talents

and expertise into a cohesive, motivated team under the most adverse circumstances in an

intensive activity and under great pressure to achieve a goal against which the odds of

success are not favorable. Can you think of a more daunting endeavor anywhere else in the

world?– Helgeson, 1994, p.206

Proposal Process

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• The proposal instruction guide should include the following tasks:

– Capture plan: customer, strategy, and lessons learned analysis

– Customer interface plan: contacting contracting officer/customer prior to the RFP released, during the development, and after delivery

– Facility material plan: knowledge of the customer’s facility, furniture, computer equipment, etc.

– Staff plan: organization of the team

– Communication plan: knowledge of the team players, development process, meetings, schedules, etc

– Document process plan: storyboards, mock-ups, text, and graphics to illustrate the solution

Proposal Process

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• The proposal instruction guide should include the following tasks, continued:

– Quality assurance plan: reviewing/editing proposal drafts to ensure quality

– Production plan: preparing the material, style, and format of the text and graphics for delivery

– Security plan: ensuring the material is contained on company networks, not accessible to the public

– Assembly/Delivery plan: packaging final proposal for delivery to customer, making arrangements for delivery (Fed Ex, email, UPS, USPS, etc

Proposal Process

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“An enormous amount of time is wasted in aimless, rambling meetings replete with

musings and irrelevant chatter of unfocused dilettantes intent on wasting everyone’s time while they run their mouths. I would wager

that the man hours wasted every single day in the conference rooms of America would be

equivalent to the number of man hours required to build the Taj Mahal.”

– Helgeson, 1994, p. 192

Proposal Process

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• The meeting is an elaborate part of the proposal process

– Proposal strategy

– Bid/No Bid decision

– Kick off meeting

– Storyboarding

– Discussing cost estimates/strategy

– Reviewing various stages of the development

• Pink Team

• Red Team

• Blue Team

• Gold Team

Proposal Process

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• Good proposal management includes developing meetings that are effective and useful to the team players

– Involve necessary team members

– Create/distribute the agenda prior to meeting

– One leader per meeting

– Start and end on time

– Stay focused on meeting agenda/topics

– Strive for consensus

– Use visuals to illustrate agenda/topics

– Summarize agenda/topics at the end of the meeting

– Follow-up with a summary email

• Include any “To Do’s” and responsibility of the “To Do”

Proposal Process

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Proposal Writing Tips

• Proposal content is divided into two categories:– Solicited: proposals with specific requirements

– Unsolicited: proposals with little or no guidance on how it should be developed

• Proposals that do not address the requirements are non-complaint– Even if the proposal addresses all the requirements, if it

is not organized properly it can still be categorized as non-compliant because the reader is lost in the content

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• Planning a proposal involves:

– Developing an outline based on the customer requirements

• Requirements matrix to illustrate the proposal outline cross-referenced to the RFP

• Requirements matrix allows the outline to be developed further

– Incorporates ideas into a storyboard format

• Content

• Graphics

• Layout/presentation


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“A proposal must deliver critical ideas quickly and easily. Your writing must

be clear if you want others to understand your project and become

excited by it. It will be hard to accomplish this if you have not clarified

your thoughts in advance.”– Geever and McNeil, 1993, p. 17


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• After finishing the requirements matrix - refine the outline

– Brainstorm on proposal subject

– Establish ideas into logical categories

• Major

• Minor

– Reorganize outline

• Organize according to the draft proposal

• Group ideas together (display a hierarchy)

– Make sure the outline is clear

• Expand on ideas

• Make sure each subdivided point has at least 2 subordinate points


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The storyboard is a writing worksheet that helps the authors organize their stories into main discussion points or topics. The storyboard

enables the planning of each topic around the thesis-theme-visual elements of a short

persuasive essay (i.e. the natural passage of technical discourse). The purpose is to help the authors discover their stories, help them

to be more pointed and purposive (i.e. encourage a problem-versus-solution slant in their arguments), and let the proposal team

review the material before its written out in a hard-to-follow and hard-to-change draft.

– Tracey, 1993, p. 54


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• Storyboards:– Provide general proposal information

• Title/Volume number

• Section author

• Font/Size/Page requirements

– Identify proposal requirements• RFP section number

• Requirements matrix section number

– Identify proposal theme– Provide section summary– Illustrate graphics


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• Benefits of Storyboards

– Improves quality of proposal by identifying RFP requirements early in the proposal process

– Integrates text and graphics required to meet the requirements of the RFP

– Provides the ability for the team members to comment and address each proposal section

• Identifies how each section meshes into one complete proposal


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• Benefits of Storyboards, continued

– Allows proposal team to identify and correct any content/graphics problems early on in the proposal process

– Less writer-ego issues

• Revising outline will take less time

• Fewer revisions because outlines were initially agreed upon during storyboard reviews prior to writing


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“Developing a clear, comprehensive picture of what the client is seeking is the single most

important part of your whole proposal preparation process - if you get the requirement wrong, you’ll get the solution wrong.”

– McCann, 1995, p.53

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• Reader Obstacles:

– Impatience: understanding the organization of the proposal content

• If information can not be found easily, the reader won’t spend the time looking for it

– Time conflicts: balance between evaluating a proposal and conducting other work commitments

– Interruptions: due to time conflicts, the reader will not be able to read through the entire proposal in one sitting

– Lack of knowledge: readers may not have knowledge of the topic; thus losing interest in the proposal

– Shared decision-making: writers also have a challenge of meeting the needs to readers who have varying levels of influence on winning and losing proposals

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• Reader Needs:– What do you know about the reader?

• What is the reader looking for?• What role do they play in the organization?• What kind of influence do they have?• Will one person conduct the evaluation or

will it be a group of people?– Research the types of proposals other

companies, colleagues have prepared• Provide a better understanding of what you

are up against with writing this proposal

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• Reader Needs, continued:– Identify the audience

• Who is the decision maker?– Provide their own assessment or work in

conjunction with others to assess the proposal• Who is the advisor?

– Provide input to the Decision Maker

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• Reader Needs, continued:

– Identify audience knowledge/skill level

• Proposal writing often entails translating technical information into a non-technical format

• Reader Categories:

– Managers: decision makers

– Experts/Specialists: highly technical

– Operators: will use the product/solution

– Generalists: catch-all group - know the least about the topic

– Strategy meeting

• Discuss all customer issues/concerns

• Develop ways to solve these issues/concerns

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• Basic rules for writing the proposal:– Rule 1: Write with an effective style

• Concise without sacrificing clarity• Avoid cliché’s, trite or wordy phrases• Use active voice to provide clear

understanding of what you are proposing • Keep customer perspective by using

you/your• Avoid distracting text changes• Vary length of paragraphs to allow for

comprehension and readability

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• Basic rules for writing the proposal, cont.:– Rule 2: Grammar usage

• Verb/subject agreement• Identify pronouns• Ensure sentence modifiers are clear • Avoid dangling/misplaced modifiers• Proper use of commas• Avoid command errors in word usage

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• Basic rules for writing the proposal, cont.:

– Rule 3: Write with clarity, conciseness, and accuracy

• Ensure sentences are developed in a clear format

• Avoid sentences being interpreted in other ways

• Avoid ambiguity

– Forces the reader to select the meaning

• Don’t assume the reader has knowledge of the topic

– Writing in a manner that would allow the reader to be able to comprehend the information without asking for clarification

• Verify the content for accuracy

– Research

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• Basic rules for writing the proposal, cont.:– Rule 4: Use paragraphs as the framework of your

writing• Paragraphs represent the building blocks of the

document• Typical length is 6 to 10 lines• Split the information between multiple paragraphs

if it goes over the 10 line limitation• Shorter paragraphs adds white space increasing the

readability of the document

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• Basic rules for writing the proposal, cont.:

– Rule 4: Use paragraphs as the framework of your writing

• Use a topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph

– Clearly illustrates what you are about to discuss

• Develop a main idea

– Provides concrete supporting details to the topic sentence

• Develop transitional elements

– Provides the flow from one paragraph to another

• Develop closing sentence

– Provides concluding sentence about the topic before moving on to the next section

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“Simply regurgitating the RFP buys you absolutely nothing; it will earn the evaluator’s disgust with your

ineptness, or worse yet, his everlasting hatred for your insult

to his intelligence.”– Helgeson, 1994, p.99

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“If a proposal is to make a good first impression, the reader’s first 10 seconds of exposure are

crucial. The reader’s first concerns are:How long will this one take to evaluate?

Is it long and wordy or short and concise?Is it well organized?

Who submitted the proposal?Content counts more than form, but first

impressions are also created by a proposal’s outward appearance, especially by evidence that it is well organized and easy to read.”– Jacobs, Menker, and Shinaman, 1990, p.

124

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• Proposal Writing Rule 1– Follow your writing plan

• Storyboards provide a starting point• Make sure your proposal strategy complies

with the RFP• Integrate text and graphics to illustrate your

theme• Proposal Writing Rule 2

– Provide the basic proposal details• Keep it basic

– Who, What, When, Where, How, Why

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• Proposal Writing Rule 3

– Ensure your proposal details have purpose

• Avoid “data dumping”

• Respond to the contents of the RFP

• Provide background information to help the reader better understand the content of the proposal

• Provide details to illustrate that you understand what the RFP is looking for

• Gain the reader’s credibility by illustrating that you know the details of the RFP

• Don’t assume the reader knows what you are talking about


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• Proposal Writing Rule 4– Use boilerplate information, but use it carefully

• Technical specifications, company information, advertising and other marketing material

– Make sure that it fits the requirements of the RFP

• Poorly tailored boilerplate wastes space, reflects an unprofessional approach, shows little concern for your reader’s needs


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• Proposal Writing Rule 5– Select the right verb tense

• Present tense: something that exists now• Future tense: for something that will exist or

occur in the future– Present tense is the best because it reflects

availability– Avoid passive voice

• Readers tend to get lost • Does not reflect a professional understanding

of the requirements


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• Proposal Writing Rule 6– Substantiate your proposal claims

• Unsupported claims within your proposal does not provide credibility

– Don’t expect your reader to believe it just because it is written

– Back it up with facts• If you cite past experience, make sure that

experience clearly illustrates the overall theme of the proposal and fits within the RFP requirements


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• Proposal Writing Rule 7– Sell benefits, not features

“You ought to be writing the proposal to sell stuff. Products, services, projects, ideas. Whatever you’ve got. The proposal is a marketing tool; it helps you make money by convincing people to contract with you for the kinds of things you can provide. The proposal positions your product or service as a solution to a business problem.”–Sant, 1992, p. 9


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• Proposal Writing Rule 8– Be logical in your persuasive argument

• Good arguments form the basis for effective proposal writing

– Persuasion tries to convince the reader to adopt to a certain point of view or pursue a certain line of action

– Argue why your product or service should be purchased by the customer


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• Proposal Writing Rule 9– Attack proposal weakness head on

• It is normal to want to avoid placing anything in the proposal that suggests a weakness in your product or service or your ability to meet customer needs

• To mitigate a weakness explain it early on– Illustrates you have done everything you can to

eliminate the weakness• It is better to have the reader know your side of

the story– Adds to your credibility


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• Proposal Writing Rule 10– Write lawfully and ethically

• Comply with legal and ethical standards– Content that is illegal or unethical may

cause you to lose the contract, be subject to lawsuit and/or other charges

– Avoid using unauthorized proprietary information

– Verify all information is correct– If using materials from another company,

make sure written authorization has been provided in advance


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• Final note on Proposal Writing Tips:

– Proposal writing must overcome the reader’s roadblocks

• Time constraints

• Impatience

• Interruptions

• Lack of knowledge

• Shared-decision responsibilities

– Meet with your customer as much as possible during the development

• Incorporate those ideas, comments into the content of your proposal

Summary

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• Final note on Proposal Management:– Proposal Development is a process

• Clearly defined• Documented

– Use time wisely– Develop schedules, tasks, proposal plans– Monitor schedules, progress - maintaining the

balance of the team – Avoid changing the schedule, plan upon team

agreement

Summary

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Proposal Management Basics & Tips on Proposal Writing For the: STC Tech Comm Career Day

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