Erika Dickson

See also: Dealing with adversity RFPs are often ambiguous and fail to provide the information that you need. Even worse, sometimes they contradict themselves. It’s hard enough to come up with good estimates when you have all the information you need. When you need information that’s not in the RFP, sometimes you can ask questions. But sometimes you have to figure out how to make your submission based on the information that you do have. Here are some techniques for dealing with numbers when you aren’t sure how to quantify your response: Compare it to something where the quantities are known Pick numbers that you know are too high or too low, and then use words like “at least,” “more than,” “almost,” “nearly,” “close to,” etc. Use the word “average” in a way that does not imply you actually calculated it Use a metaphor If you don’t have a better source, use “in our experience,” “what we’ve seen,” “on similar projects,” or something similar Hedge by saying “approximately” or “about” Turn your lack of knowledge into a benefit by talking about your flexibility and give multiple answers Talk about the need for precision instead of the numbers Talk about the importance of the results Talk in terms of contingencies based on different values Talk about your method for calculating instead of the results of the calculation If you can’t quantify your response because you don’t have the data you need, talk about how you will get the data instead When you don’t know how you’ll calculate things or where to get the data, talk about collaboration

Circumstance So you want to tell a story in your proposal. You’ve heard that a great way to win is to tell a story that is worth repeating, captures the evaluators' attention, is memorable, and leads them to the conclusion or action you want them to take. That sounds great! But how do you do that in a proposal? How do you respond to customer requirements in such a way that you tell a story? Approaches Here are some common ways to tell a story that can be applied to proposal writing. The Case Study. Instead of telling your story about the customer, tell it about another customer with similar requirements. Case studies are a good approach to use when you don’t know the new customer well enough to speak specifically to their needs. Anecdotes and Examples. If you can’t describe an end-to-end case study, you can still share anecdotes and examples. Instead of making the story about a specific case, make it about a number of examples that feature elements that are relevant to the new customer. Tell Their Future. Make the story about what things will be like after you are done working with the customer or at some other point in the future. Make it about how much better things will be. You don’t have to describe the currently environment in detail, but you do have to describe the benefits of your offering from the customer’s perspective. What will it be like to be on the receiving end of your offering? How will the customer’s work environment change for the better? Before and After. When you do know about the customer’s current environment, you can tell a story that is a series of before and after comparisons and contrasts. Just make sure you don’t patronize or insult the customer about their current state. A Hypothetical Story. If you want to tell a case study or a before and after story, but you don’t have one that is sufficiently relevant, then just make it up. That’s what a hypothetical case is. Don’t present it as a story about a previous customer, just present it as a story about a typical customer or the kind of circumstance that’s relevant. Hypothetical stories are often used when describing contingencies (if this happens, then…). A Manifesto. A manifesto is a bold declaration of your principles and intentions. It should be compelling and inspiring. But a manifesto also tends to be about the author and not about the customer. In a bid where the odds are stacked against you, a manifesto can clearly set you apart from the competition. A manifesto is inherently polarizing — instead of promising everything to everybody, it promises something specific and may repel those who disagree. For proposals that’s a high risk strategy. But when the odds are already stacked against you, it’s just the sort of thing that can take your slim chance and turn it into a win. A Tutorial. When the customer is looking to you to provide expertise that they don’t have, you may have to teach them how to evaluate your proposal. Your story shows what’s important and explains its significance. The trick is to present it as a demonstration of your competence without patronizing the customer. The Proof. Make your case. Prove that the customer should select you. An Adventure. Is it about the destination or about the trip? On some projects, you don’t know how it’s going to turn out because part of the project is figuring that out. So how are you to work with? What kind of experience will the customer have? Will it be fun and exciting? Dangerous but under control? Boring but reliable? The calm in the middle of the storm? What kind of adventure will you have with the customer? A Mystery. Help the customer solve the problem by becoming a detective. What kind of detective are you? Are you Sherlock Holmes or are you Columbo? (I’m showing my age but you can find him on YouTube.) Make your story about how you will solve the case. A Comedy. Humor is risky. Nearly all proposals try to avoid it. That makes it a great way to differentiate yourself. If you can manage the risk. Here are some elements of storytelling that you can use regardless of the type of story you write: Value proposition. A value proposition can be an element in another kind of story, or it can be a story all by itself. Your value proposition is basically how you justify your price. Telling a story that’s all about your value proposition makes your proposal all about the price. Sometimes this is the best strategy, but most often it is not (or is a minor part of it instead of the focus). Positioning. How do you compare — to your competitors, to other alternatives, to the customer, or even to yourself (if it’s a recompete)? In a competitive environment, you need the customer to understand how you are alike and how you are different. Most importantly, you want them to know why you are better. Positioning is another strategy that can be just one part of your story or the entire focus. Plot or not? A plot is a logical series of events leading to the climax of the story. Some stories build to a conclusion. But some stories are not based on a plot. They may be descriptive, informative, observations, expressive, or otherwise non-sequential. Because proposals are goal-driven, proposal stories tend to work best when the elements reinforce each other and all lead to the same conclusion. Origins. Where did you come from? How did your offering get invented? The story about something’s origins or how it got started can be captivating. The only problem is that you must make it matter from the customer’s point of view. Who cares about you and your origins? Why do they matter? Your story should revolve around what the customer gets out of it. Descriptive. Most proposals read like a boring documentary. A descriptive story is the easiest to tell, but it’s the hardest to win with. Customers care more about results than about descriptions. Call to action. What do you want the customer to do after they read your proposal? The climax of the story in a proposal will most often be your call to action. But don’t simply make the story about nagging them to take the action you want. To make them want to take the action, you need to tell a story that they want to be a part of so that they take the initiative to take action in order to continue the story. Procedural. There are steps involved in the procurement and steps involved in delivering your offering. You need to describe those steps. An alternative to being merely descriptive is to tell a story about those steps. Is it a drama, an adventure, a mystery, or something else? It’s not about the steps. It’s about what the steps mean, what they add up to, and how they impact the customer. Telling a story instead of describing steps can help the customer see themselves as part of the process. The Surprise Ending. Creative writers love to hit you with an ending that you never expected. Don’t try this in your proposal. While you want to tell a story, proposals don’t get read like a book. They may skip the page where you reveal your brilliance. Instead, tell them the ending of the story at the beginning and make the surprising part how you get there (with a superior approach that no one else would think of, let alone try to deliver). The Scary Story. When there are risks, the customer should be concerned, even afraid. If you need to describe those risks, you might need to tell a scary story. So go ahead and tell it, just keep it credible. Why. Often what matters the most to the customer is not what you will do, but why you will do it that way. The story isn’t about the details of the offering, but the explanation — why you choose to do it that way, why it matters, and what the customer will get out of it. The Sequel. When a movie is successful, they often release a sequel to keep the story (and the revenue stream) going. Many contracts have periodic recompetes. A recompete is a sequel. So how will the characters and the story change in your sequel? If they don’t change, it will make for a boring story. The changes are what makes a sequel interesting, both at the movies and in a proposal. Another way to look at sequels is to think of the proposal as the first release and the project as the sequel. If you tell a good story in your proposal, the customer will be anxious for the sequel so they can see how it will turn out. The Remake. Movie studios love remakes because they consider them to be low risk. But how many remakes are as good or as better than the originals? In my experience, hardly any. Think about that when using boilerplate or preparing for your next recompete. The best remakes are when they reimagine the whole concept of the original and produce something that is familiar but innovative and far better produced than the original. If you are working on a remake (whether it’s a recompete, a project similar to another one from your past, more of the same type of work, recapturing work you had but lost, etc.), then consider what it will take to produce a remake that is loved as much as or more than the original, instead of one that disappoints.

An escalation plan provides a series of levels. If the purpose of the escalation plan is to resolve problems or issues, then if an issue is not resolved at the first level, it moves to the second level, where more resources, expertise, capabilities, authority, etc., are applied to resolving the issue. If it is not resolved at the second level, it moves up to the third. It continues to move up until it reaches the highest level. The number of levels and the triggers for moving from one level to another are usually determined by the person writing the escalation plan. ApproachesIn addition to resolving problems, an escalation plan can be used to ensure that something is accomplished on schedule. If milestones are not met, additional resources can be assigned. Escalation plans can also be used for moving decisions up the chain of command, controlling expenses, rewarding good performance, etc. An escalation plan is really a way of documenting how you will make decisions. They describe when you will react and how you will react. Having an escalation plan tells the customer what you will do. They can inspire confidence and build trust by showing that you’ve anticipated things and will react in a way that is appropriate. They are also a way of saying that your reactions will be controlled, so that you won’t expend too many resources on small issues, but have a way of applying whatever resources are necessary when the circumstances merit that kind of response. Escalation plans work best when the triggers are objective and the responses are automatic. If the trigger from one level to another is a person’s action or authorization, then you don’t know for sure that the plan will be followed. You can use an escalation plan to provide authorization to staff to expend resources and act when certain criteria are met, without having to get permission. When you do this, the customer knows that your staff can react decisively to issues and the risk of a problem disappearing within the bureaucracy is much lower. Escalation plans can also be useful to generate metrics. You can see what things are happening at what level, and adjust criteria and resource allocation as necessary. Questions to Answer in an Escalation Plan When does a problem get additional attention, oversight, or resources? How long should it take to escalate an issue? Are there any circumstances or events that should trigger an escalation? Is approval or action required to initiate an escalation? How do you ensure that escalations happen? Can something significant skip steps in the escalation process? What are the criteria or considerations at each escalation step? What additional authority, resources, or capability does each escalation step bring to resolve the issue? Is escalation only for issues? What about recognition or positive circumstances? How many escalation levels should be provided? What gets it all started? Does the topmost level provide sufficient resources and authority for the customer to be confident that their issues will always be resolved? What additional information will you request and/or track at each level? How will you track, assess, and analyze the performance of the escalation system over the life of the project? Will customers be notified of each escalation step? What is the priority of your escalation system (delivery of appropriate resources, authority, expertise, speed, cost control, communications)? Sample Escalation Themes When you operate transparently, you can make statements like these: You can count on us meeting deadlines, because our approach to escalation ensures that resources are added until all goals are achieved. Our approach is efficient because additional resources (or higher levels of expertise) are only used when needed. Our staff will be able to react quickly and decisively, because our approach to escalation automatically grants authorization in advance when certain criteria are met. Our company will be responsive to your needs because our approach to escalation ensures the right people get involved at the appropriate times. Our approach to escalation ensures that no problem will ever languish while “waiting for approval.” You will get the right mix of low cost and high cost resources applied to your project because our escalation plan gets them involved at the appropriate times.

Circumstance What are you going to offer to beat your competition? Sometimes the RFP forces you to bid the exact same thing as everyone else. Or so it seems. The customer wants to be able to compare apples to apples when they have to make a selection. However, you need to stand out from the other bidders in order to get selected. Approaches See also: Differentiation So what should you bid? It seems that you only have two choices: Offer the same thing as your competitors or offer something different. But is that really true? What about offering the customer the same thing as your competitors, only: Developed or delivered in a different way? Producing better results? With more reliability? With more credibility based solely on a better proposal? With more future options? With more growth potential? With more flexibility? Delivered faster? Better integrated? With better after sales support? With a better warranty or guarantee? With more accountability or transparency? With better risk mitigation? With a better attitude or friendlier service? In a way that is more convenient? In more sizes or better quantities? If you do offer the same thing, you must meet the competition head on and overpower them with a much better offering. Or underprice them. If you are required to bid the exact same thing as your competitors, it may not be possible to have a better offering. It’s easier, not to mention more profitable, to be different. This is another place where you can apply the “who, what, where, how, when, and why” approach that we recommend for proposal writing. Think about how to differentiate your offer by changing: Who participates in or benefits from the projec What you do or deliver Where you work, produce, deliver, or support your offering How you work, produce, deliver, or support your offering When you work, produce, deliver, or support your offering Why you approach it the way you do and what the results will be for the customer If you can’t change it, then identify it, make it clearer, or just better describe the results for the customer or how they will benefit from it. That alone can set you apart and make you a more attractive source. When you offer exactly the same thing as everyone else, you compete on price. When you offer something different, you compete on value. When you offer the same thing, only you do it in a different way, you gain the ability to offer them something better, without increasing your price. If the RFP is so specific that you can’t have a better offering, then you can still be a better source. In fact, other than price, there might not be anything else for the customer to consider. The customer is looking for differences, so make them clear. Give the customer a clear choice, even if it’s for the same deliverable. No matter how hard the RFP tries to force you into bidding the same thing as everyone else, you can always be different. In fact, you have to be different in order to be better. You must learn to want to be unusual. If you can’t achieve that, you can’t be exceptional. But it all starts with offering the customer a difference. The question is whether it's a difference that matters to the evaluators. In choosing how to be different, what matters to the evaluators should be your most important consideration.

Ingredients What deliverables will you produce? What is the benefit to the customer for each? What specific requirements will each deliverable meet? How will you manage the production of deliverables? What standards will you use to evaluate the quality of deliverables? What is your schedule for delivery? What is the review/acceptance process for each deliverable? What media will be used for the deliverables? Can you provide samples of the deliverables? Approaches Most projects include reports and documentation and some include products or physical deliverables. How deliverables will be scheduled and produced, and how you’ll provide quality assurance should be addressed in the Management Plan. Consider providing a table listing deliverables, the frequency/schedule, and benefits to the client. You may also wish to describe deliverable quality standards and metrics. If possible, you should provide samples of deliverables. If the deliverable is a large document, at least provide the Table of Contents. If the deliverable is a tangible product or object, provide a photograph and/or specifications.

Ingredients What types of customer support do you think will be necessary? How will you provide this support? What capacity will be required for providing support? What support will provide on-site and what support will you provide off-site? What is your approach to issue tracking? What will your standards for response time be and how you will meet them? How will you manage issue escalation? What are your support policies and procedures? Will you use any systems or tools to enhance the support you provide? Approaches Projects that have a specific help desk requirement will often include it in the Statement of Work, to be addressed in the Technical Approach. However, customer support can be a topic for the Management Plan as well, especially in the context of issue tracking and escalation. Technical details, such as the use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms and techniques, can be useful for your customer support response. However, in the Management Plan, you should focus on the functionality and benefits to the customer, as opposed to the features of the technology. Strategies If the RFP does not specifically require customer support, it may be a competitive advantage if you provide it anyway.

Ingredients What are your back-up and recovery plans? Which team members are responsible for continuity management? What are your recovery priorities? How you will coordinate your continuity plans with external organizations and third parties? What are your plans for facility relocation? What training will you provide to ensure that staff know what to do in an emergency? How will you test your back-up and recovery plans? How will you protect any vital records? How often will continuity plans will be reviewed and updated? Approaches Individual sections of the Technical Approach may address back-ups and various contingency alternatives. A continuity plan, which can be part of the Management Plan or a completely separate section, describes these precautions at the project –level; it details how the project as a whole would continue operations in the event of an emergency. A continuity plan should address plans and procedures for back-ups, relocation, and the implementation of contingency alternatives. A continuity plan should include re-organization and re-constitution of project staffing, back-up recovery and system re-deployment, and relocation. It should address roles and responsibilities, contingency plans, training of project staff, and testing of recovery procedures.

Circumstance In a competitive market, you can sometimes gain an advantage by introducing change that disrupts your competitor’s strategies. It is easy, especially when bidding against an RFP, for everyone to do what is expected of them. It only makes sense to join them when you are confident you can outscore them that way. If you are not, or you are the under dog, you need to rearrange the competitive playing field to put you on top. Here are some ways to do that. Approaches Challenge the best practices. If everybody competing follows the “best practices” then you need to be even better to win. Or at least be different. Maybe the “best practices” are out of date. Maybe you can do better and ghost your competition at the same time. Give them more. Better specifications, metrics, procedures, involvement, reach, capabilities, resources, speed, quality, risk mitigation, knowledge, results, proof, detail, accountability, transparency, etc. Giving them more does not have to cost more. Sometimes it just means being more thoughtful about what you are doing and taking the time to explain it better. Start early. You can start before winning the award. Obviously you don’t want to spend a lot of money when you are at risk of losing, but you can identify things that you are able to do without incurring a lot of cost. Do those things immediately so that you can include the results in your proposal. Some examples might include recruiting, design, prototyping, research, sourcing, testing, validation, etc. If you're pursuing an opportunity to develop software, you can squash the competition submitting not just paper, but a prototype as part of your proposal. Or if you're planning to use software on a project, you can set up a demo server so the customer can see the software during evaluation. Better yet, allow them to start using it to plan the project start-up before award. If you can get them using your services, you not only cement your relationship, you make it so the customer doesn’t want to give up your services by selecting someone else. Change the tone. You can propose the exact same thing and be more friendly, wise, interesting, conversational, collaborative, humorous, careful, knowledgeable, practical, clear, confident, accessible, credible, trustworthy, etc. Don’t hide behind business-speak. Don’t sound the same as your competitors. Sound better. Sound like someone they’d like to work with. Change the focus. Focus the customer on what matters. Change what the procurement is about. Then be the best at delivering it. You do not have to change your actual offering to achieve this. You can change the context, results, priorities, trade-offs, concerns, etc. This has the effect of changing how the evaluation criteria are interpreted. Change the metrics. How is success defined and measured. If it isn’t, then start (and this becomes your discriminator). If success is defined and measured, then change the numbers. Raise the bar by tightening the numbers. Track more metrics. Provide better analytics. Turn metrics into improved results. Leave your competitors inferior. Go where your competition does not. Expand the scope of the project to areas your competitors don't cover. Offer tools they don't support. Use techniques they don't offer. Provide a demonstration or a trial service that the customer didn't ask for. Provide additional information online. Provide options. Provide related capabilities. Disrupt the business or delivery model. Get clever regarding what you charge for and what you don’t. Change how deliverables are delivered. Or supported. Change the contractual terms. Offer a warranty or guarantee that is amazing. Offer a fixed price instead of an hourly rate. Offer upsell options. Or volume discounts. Introduce the Internet to a material world. Or introduce bricks and mortar to a virtual world. Obsolete your competitors. Convert your weaknesses into strengths. Trade-offs always have two sides. If your weaknesses are the result of a trade-off, there's a reason that your weaknesses are better than the alternative. Position your weaknesses as an advantage. If you're inexperienced, you're also new, fresh, innovative, and unshackled. If you can’t afford something, then you've found a way to lower costs. See how it works? Deflect and redirect. If you have a problem, redefine it. Better yet, turn it into an advantage. Reinterpret. Spin. Position problems to minimize their impact. Position competitors' strengths so that they do not matter. Position your strengths as their weaknesses. Play verbal Aikido. Attack. Tell the customer what’s wrong with your competitors. Name names. Generate fear, uncertainty, and doubt. It’s not libel if it’s true. Be honest. If your competitors dabble in the dark arts and practice some of the more aggressive strategies listed above, then one way to counter them is with honesty. Over the top honesty. Don’t hide behind business-speak. Just tell the simple truth. Make sure everything is provable and transparent. Be credible. Let the customer see status information in real time. Give them the same information you have access to. Nobody wants a vendor they can’t trust. So give them one they can. Using some or all of these strategies is much better (and more fun!) than the same old boring RFP compliance that everyone else is doing. You'll win more contracts and leave your competitors wondering what happened. Why fight fair?

Circumstance If your goal is to provide reasons for the customer to select you (what themes are supposed to provide), then maybe you should think less about your strengths and what you offer, and think more about what matters to the customer... Approaches See also: Winning What is the nature of your offering? Is a commodity (whether a product or a service? Or is it a unique or specialty offering, like a customized product, professional service, or solution/integration? What will the type of contract or contract vehicle be? This could be fixed price, an hourly rate, or some other variant. It could be a government contract (any of the various kinds) or a commercial contract. The strategies for winning one type of contract can be very different from another. What is the competitive environment? Your bid strategies depend on the nature of the competitive environment. Are you the only bidder or is it competitive? Are there a few competitors that you can identify or an unknown number of competitors? Is the competitive field regulated or open? How will you position your company against the competition? How are you different from any potential competitors? Why are you a better choice for the customer? What makes your offering special? Does it have to do with the specifications or performance? Or the results it will produce or the benefits it will deliver? How is it innovative? How is it different from what your competitors will propose? Is there anything special in the way the offering will be delivered or implemented, or in how the contract will be fulfilled? What are your pricing strategies? Will you emphasize price or deemphasize it in favor of something else? Is there anything special about your pricing model or the options that you offer? Is there a difference in the short term or long term impact? Are there any promotions, discounts, or anything else that the customer should consider? Are there any incentives or penalties that could impact pricing or performance? Are there any pricing related contractual considerations such as bonding or insurance that makes your offering exceptional? What are your strategies and messages regarding value? What are the customer’s evaluation criteria? Did they put them in the RFP? Do they have an official, point scored, and documented evaluation process. Will they follow it? What do you need to say to get the top score? What do you know about the customer? In particular, do you know their preferences regarding what they wish to procure, how they wish to procure it, their desired results, and what they want in a vendor or to see in a proposal? Do you have any insights into their true needs? What do you know about their spoken and unspoken goals? What can you do help them fulfill those goals? What is the nature of your relationship? What do you want it to be? What is special about your company and/or team? Being qualified is not exceptional. But what is exceptional about your qualifications? What about your capabilities is valuable to the customer? How is your experience relevant? What successes have you had? Do you have any references or testimonials you can provide? What resources do you have? What quantities can you cite? What are the relationships between your resources, locations, specifications, results, etc., and the customer’s needs? How can you translate them into percentages, ratios, or statements that having meaning to the customer? Can you make them part of your win strategies or story? Quantifying things brings credibility, and doing a ton of research to boil it all down into a simple sound bite can absolutely be worth it. What special concerns should you address? This can range from topics like risk, quality, or environmental considerations to other qualities that can impact the customer’s decision. Now based on your circumstances, considerations, and decisions, what do you need to communicate to your customer? What is your story? But even more important, what does it add up to? Does it give the customer reasons to want to select your proposal? Does it give the evaluators what they need to justify selecting you? When they tell their bosses who they want to award the contract to, what are they going to say to explain their selection? What they say is your story. And if you don’t tell it, they’ll make one up for you.

When you get a proposal assignment, consider: See also: Assignments Are you capable of performing the assigned task? It does no good to accept an assignment if you are unable to complete it. If you are not confident that you can complete the assignment on time and with quality sufficient to help win the proposal, then you need to speak to the Executive Sponsor or Proposal Manager. It is better to let people down while they have time to replace you than it is to accept the assignment and then be unable to complete it on time and per the specifications. Do you have the skills, background, and knowledge? Technical staff may not have sufficient writing skills to complete their assignment, even if they have the right technical knowledge. And vice versa. A common solution is to pair a writer up with a Subject Matter Expert. When an assignment is botched, it is often because the person assigned was not up to the task and didn’t realize it until it was too late. One way to mitigate this is with frequent progress checks. People don’t always like to admit their limitations. Do you have the availability/capacity? People who are capable tend to be in demand and may not have the time for something else. Even if you may have the best of intentions, it can lead to late and/or incomplete assignments. You should work with the Executive Sponsor to free up the key people and make sure that the MustWin proposal is given the priority it deserves. Do you have what you need to complete the assignment? If any resources or information are needed to complete the assignment, you need to identify them and notify the proposal manager early enough in the process so that they can be provided. Once you accept an assignment, here are some things you can do to ensure success: Provide progress updates early and frequently. Don’t wait until an assignment is complete before you let people see it. Get input (especially on approaches) and collaborate early to make sure you are going down the right path. Quantify progress. Progress should be quantified three ways: 1) How much time is left, 2) How many items in the Content Plan have you addressed, and 3) if your section has been reviewed/validated. Using a red, yellow, green scale may help. Self-review. The Content Plan provides you with the same tools that reviewers will use to validate your sections. Use them to assess whether what you have written fulfills all of the goals and requirements. When you submit your assignment it may not be “complete.” Assignments must be validated. All assignments should be validated per the Validation Plan for the proposal. This will involve checking compliance with RFP requirements and verifying that what was written matches what was specified in the Content Plan. Assignments must be complete. An incomplete assignment is usually the result of the author running out of time or not having the information required to respond to all the requirements. Frequent progress checks help mitigate both issues. Corrections. Sometimes a section will be given to another author or SME to contribute to, correct, or complete. Sometimes you will get additional guidance and be the one responsible for making the changes.

Configuration management is required to maintain control of the proposal in spite of changes to the files by multiple people The CapturePlanning.com MustWin Process does not require specific configuration management procedures to be followed. The procedures we provide are intended for those who do not have any existing configuration management procedures. If you have existing configuration management procedures, you are encouraged to continue using them. A proposal has a lot of moving parts. The solution you are proposing can change. Multiply the number of authors by the number of files contributed by each. The contents of those many files are often constantly changing. The assignments of people to proposal sections and consequently files change from time to time. Even the requirement itself can change with a cascading effect on every part of the proposal that it touches. Configuration management is required to maintain control of the proposal in spite of all the changes. See also: Proposal completion These changes happen throughout the proposal, but have the greatest affect in the later stages of development, as you approach final production. One overlooked file version conflict during final production can ruin a perfectly good proposal. There are software solutions for file/document management, but lack of software is no excuse for not tracking versions and maintaining configuration control. Automated approaches to document and configuration management can always be emulated using completely manual methods. Likewise, having software does not free you from the burden of diligence. No software approach alone will ensure configuration management. It requires the voluntary efforts of participants. People have to accept it and follow it constantly. Whether manual or automated, a configuration management system can be strict and burdensome, or convenient but tolerant of risk. You must decide what balance to strike for your particular proposal. You may also choose to implement different levels of configuration management at different stages of the proposal.

A Content Plan enables writing to become a process of elimination instead of an open-ended exercise. With the MustWin Process, authors don’t start with a blank page. Instead you start from a Content Plan that has already been validated to ensure that it includes all of the ingredients that should go into your section. All you have to do is follow the recipe. See also: Creating a proposal content plan The Content Plan contains instructions for what to write. Authors simply replace the instructions with what needs to be written. Writing becomes a process of elimination instead of an open-ended exercise. The Content Plan provides the recipe that will guide the preparation of the proposal. Once validated, the Content Plan also becomes a blueprint, as well as a baseline your drafts will be reviewed against. Do not change the headings without consulting the Proposal Manager because they are defined by the RFP and have been validated. Even if they are awkward or could be better organized, you should leave them the way they are. If they are redundant, you should either carefully consider the context (sometimes the same thing can be presented differently in different contexts) or refer the reader to the other section. You may (unless otherwise instructed) add subheadings. You may (unless otherwise instructed) organize the individual requirements under the headings in a way that makes the most sense. Your goals should be to: Comply with the RFP requirements Score high against any published evaluation criteria Provide the information the customer needs to make a selection Articulate why the customer should select you Substantiate the reasons why the customer should select you It is also a good idea to identify any graphics that could help communicate what you are presenting in your sections. See the Graphics topic for an easy approach to doing this.

Production consists of the final assembly of the document, both electronic and hard copy. Because most submissions require binding and multiple copies, reproduction and assembly are also required. Production ends with the packaging and delivery of the finished proposals. Ideally, final production should not start until after the writing is complete and there are no more changes to be made to the document. While some changes may be accommodated after production starts, it makes the completion of the proposal a bit like trying to hit a moving target and adds to the risk of proposal failure. While some formatting may take place during the development of the proposal, there are usually some formatting steps that cannot take place until after the writing and related changes are complete. In addition, there are activities such as Table of Contents generation and the assembly of sections and attachments into volumes that take place during final production. See also: Production Because there are so many opportunities for simple assembly mistakes to happen, quality assurance and configuration management are important aspects of production. Comparing the finished proposal to the Production Plan is a firm requirement. In addition, the use of checklists is encouraged to ensure that everything is double checked after it is produced. If simply reading a large proposal can take most of a day, then consider what a detailed proofreading editorial cycle will require. Typically, final production will require anywhere from 1-5 days depending on the size and complexity of the proposal. When deadlines slip and the time allocated to final production is reduced, the first thing that typically happens is that quality assurance is reduced or skipped. This should not be allowed to happen on a MustWin proposal.

Your opinion of style is not the one that matters This varies according to the expectations of the customer. The MustWin Process only addresses style where it is relevant to achieving this goal. It is important to find out if style matters to the evaluator, because when it does, you need to follow it precisely. Most of the time, the customer will not be concerned with style. If the customer has no style preference that you are aware of, you should write in the style that you feel most comfortable with. It is more important to get your message across than it is to make some kind of “impression.” Much like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, you’ve got to say everything that needs to be said to win before you can afford to give much attention to the style in which you have said it. See also: Maslow's hierarchy Style matters when you have multiple authors and you don’t want the proposal to sound like it was written by multiple people. However, the only way to achieve this is at the back end, during final production. Unless you have well trained, experienced authors, you’ll be lucky to get the content out of them — asking them to also think about style is probably asking too much. If style matters, either to you, your company, or your customer, you need to make sure you arrive at final production with enough time for one or more editorial cycles. The Proposal Manager is responsible for making the judgment calls regarding how to balance style with other competing priorities and for instructing the authors/production staff regarding what to do about it. Debates about style tend to degrade into competing opinions and do not help move the proposal forward. If you have a question about style or wish to participate in the decision, discuss it with the Proposal Manager. Then let the Proposal Manager decide and move things forward.

People often obsess over the wrong details on a proposal We recommend an approach based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. If you put effort into a level you haven’t reach yet, you may be taking resources away from a level that has a bigger impact on whether you win or lose. See also: Proposal writing First, make sure you are compliant with the RFP’s requirements. This gets you in the game. Then optimize your proposal against the evaluation criteria to maximize your score. This gives you a shot at winning. Next, make sure that your proposal reflects your win strategies. This tells your story and discriminates you from the competition. Companies struggle to reach and master this level. After this you can focus on visual communication to ensure that your message is communicated effectively. Most companies never make it to this level. The ones that do we call “winners.” Once you have an effective message you need to make sure that typographical errors do not detract from it. Some companies make it this far and have time left for thorough editing. Once your proposal is free of defects then you can focus on style. While you want it to sound like it was written with one voice, hardly any companies ever make it to this level. Doing so takes resources away from the foundation. What the evaluators are looking for in the proposal is how to score you and why to select you. If they find those, then they’ll examine what you are proposing to make sure you can deliver. It is always a good idea, in any type of writing, to imagine what it’s like to be the reader.

If you are like me, you learned the basic five-paragraph essay format (and about a dozen variations) in school. You remember: introductory paragraph, three supporting paragraphs, and concluding paragraph. Most variations follow the same concept: introduce, support, conclude. If you are writing a proposal, this is completely backwards. Consider: See also: Proposal writing The goal of a proposal is to persuade — here is what I want you to conclude, and here’s why. Most proposal evaluators don’t want to be there — here is what I hope you’ll read and here is the obligatory detail that you’re not going to bother with. A winning proposal is easy to evaluate. Picture the evaluator with a checklist in hand going through your proposal — check, check, check. State conclusions that reflect the evaluation criteria, and then explain how or why. Never save the best for last, or build to the finish. Give them what they want right up front in firm, positive statements. You still need to provide the explanation and proof for due diligence, but if there is anything about your approach that you really want them to know or anything about it that is special, you should call it out first. Tell them what the approach will do for them, what the benefit of it is, and only then tell them the details of the approach. The goal is not to deprive them of necessary detail, but to give them what they want, in the order they want it. You’ve got to give them a reason to bother reading the detail. Think about why they are reading — they are evaluating what you are proposing in order to do two things: get through the formal evaluation process (completion of scoring forms) and to make a selection. What the evaluators are looking for in the proposal is how to score you and why to select you. If they find those, then they’ll examine what you are proposing to make sure you can deliver. It is always a good idea, in any type of writing, to imagine what it’s like to be the reader.

If you want to win, you should replace as much text with graphics as is possible The hardest part of enhancing your proposal with graphics is identifying them. Once identified, the actual illustration is straightforward. Conceptualizing graphics and rendering them are two different things. They are often handled by different people. See also: Proposal writing Identifying graphics for proposals requires no creativity whatsoever. Rather than looking at a section and trying to picture it, instead simply look for bullets. Anything that can be written as bullets is a potential graphic. The reason is that most proposal graphics illustrate a relationship or a process. Bullets often contain a sequence, a list of ingredients, a set of choices, or a list of examples. Any text that describes a relationship or makes a comparison could also be a potential graphic. Once you’ve identified a potential graphic, it’s time to describe it. Simple hand-drawn images that show the major components should be sufficient. In fact, you can often identify a graphic using nothing but text. When identifying the graphic, you should describe: The primary objective of the graphic, or the conclusion you want the reader to reach. The audience for the graphic, including their needs and preferences. The questions that the graphic should answer. The subject matter being described. Finally, use the conclusion you want to reader to arrive at after viewing the graphic to write the caption. This will provide the information that the illustrator needs to render the graphic. It will also enable people to review your section prior to the completion of the graphic. Even if there is no graphics support available for your proposal and you must render your own graphics, identifying graphics using this approach will make it easier for you to render your graphic and ensure that it meets the needs of the proposal.

Expectation management: You should make sure that what is expected of you and what you are expecting are both clearly communicated. If you are not sure, then ask for clarification. When receiving an assignment, communicate your acceptance. This should include acknowledging both the deadlines and the scope of the assignment. After you have had a chance to review the Content Plan in detail, you should communicate any issues that may arise. This may include things like changes to your availability, questions regarding topics to be addressed, topics beyond your expertise, interpretation of the RFP, conflicts in the RFP, ambiguity regarding the scope, trade-offs, etc. Do not wait until your assignment is due to communicate issues. The earlier they are identified, the more likely it is that they can be addressed with minimal impact to the proposal schedule or quality. Frequent check-ins and early reviews are highly recommended. The sooner you receive feedback, the easier it will be to address. If you get off track, the sooner it is discovered, the better. Here are some ways to track your progress: See also: Proposal writing Time. In addition to how much time remains, you should communicate whether you are at, ahead, or behind where you should be. Content Plan. A better measure of your progress is the percentage of items in the Content Plan that you have addressed. Validation. Another measure of progress is how much of the proposal has been validated, based on what was said in the validation plan. This is also a measurement of how far you are towards fulfilling your quality goals and completing what the team decided is necessary in order to win. In the absence of other direction, using a red/yellow/green scale works well for communicating your status. As frequently as possible you set expectations with statements like these: I have completed some/about half/most/nearly all of the items in the Content Plan. I have a few yellow issues to address, but nothing that I would label red. I am ahead/on/behind schedule (and I think that I will/won’t catch up). Here is a list of issues I have identified as I’ve gone through my section and a list of assumptions I’ve made in order to work through them. I have discovered an issue that will slow me down and I could use help resolving it. While I’ve finished a draft of everything in the Content Plan, I’m still waiting for some items to be validated. Something has come up and I don’t think I will complete on time, but will complete by [date/time]. I need to speak with someone who is knowledgeable about [topic] so that I can address an item in my Content Plan. I have identified potential graphics. Do you want them now or with my section? At the end of any meeting or review, make sure that you clearly understand what action items you are responsible for. A follow-up conversation or email stating what you understand those items to be is a good idea. The more feedback you provide to the people trying to manage the chaotic environment of a proposal, the better things will be for everyone involved.

Since all of your competitors have the same RFP, you can expect them to at least be compliant. If you want to win, you must be more than merely compliant. People who are new to proposal writing, especially technical staff, often don’t know how to word their responses to RFP requirements. Even if they get advice like “make sure your response goes beyond mere compliance” they may not know how to proceed. Figuring out what words to use can seem really hard. Here is an example of how to respond to a simple RFP requirement and go beyond mere compliance. The RFP says: Software must be virus scanned before installing updates on the servers. It would be really easy to respond to this by saying: We will scan software for viruses before installing updates on the servers. This would be compliant. Just barely. But it’s certainly not going to impress your potential customer. It’s doesn’t tell them anything more than what they told you. Besides, everyone who has the RFP is going to respond with something that is at least compliant. Being merely compliant does nothing to discriminate you from your competition. And yet, some requirements are stated so simply that it’s hard not to respond with something like “We’ll do what you asked for.” When you don’t know what to say to go beyond mere compliance, try this formula: Who, what, where, how, when, and why. Using the example above, the response could become: See also: Proposal writing Who will do it? Software will be virus scanned by our qualified technicians before installing updates on the servers. What will they do? Our qualified technicians will scan software for viruses using Norton Anti-Virus before installing updates on the servers. Where will they do it? Our qualified technicians will scan software for viruses using Norton Anti-Virus before installing updates on any servers at your facility. How will they do it? Our qualified technicians will scan software for viruses on a test system that is not connected to the network before installing any updates on servers at your facility. When will they do it? Any time new software must be installed, our qualified technicians will scan the software for viruses on a test system that is not connected to the network before installing any updates on servers at your facility. And the most important… Why will they do it? In order to ensure the reliability of your systems, and to make sure that they remain virus free, any time new software must be installed, our qualified technicians will scan the software for viruses on a test system that is not connected to the network before installing any updates on servers at your facility. Now compare this statement to the original, merely compliant version: We will scan software for viruses before installing updates on the servers. What a huge difference! If you were the customer, and had to pick between the two, which would you pick? Without doing anything else differently, you can discriminate yourself from your competition, simply by going beyond mere compliance. Here is another example: Requirement: Documentation shall be kept up-to-date. Response: Our software developers will use [insert name], a configuration management tool, to keep documentation updated and synchronized with new versions. [insert name] will provide a web-based repository where you will be able to view the documentation at any time. In addition, [insert name] will also ensure that documentation is updated with every new software update released. By keeping documentation up-to-date, we lower long-term maintenance costs and increase the quality of the software that we deliver to you. Remember that “why” is the most important question. It should make clear how to the customer will be impacted and show them the benefit of your approach. Writing benefit statements is usually the hardest thing for new proposal writers to get accustomed to. It may help to think in terms of results. Always make sure that you address the result of what you are proposing to do. If you think that the result is obvious or will simply provide what they are asking for, then dig deeper and show how what you will do will either deliver what they want or help them achieve their goals. In the example above, you have to ask yourself, “Why do they want the documentation kept up-to-date?” In software development, the reason is usually related to making sure that the code can be maintained. But it could also be related to user-friendliness and the training of new users.

Here is a simple approach that can not only help you achieve compliance, but can help you exceed compliance by answering all of the customer’s questions (including the ones they forgot to ask). Here is a simple approach to help you cover all the bases in your proposal. For each section/requirement that you must address, make sure you answer: who, what, where, how, when, and why. Repeat it until it rolls off your tongue and you have it memorized. See also: Proposal Writing Who: who will do the work, who will manage the work, who does the customer call if there is a problem, who is responsible for what What: what needs to be done/delivered, what will be required to do it, what can the customer expect, what it will cost Where: where will the work be done, where will it be delivered How: how will be work be done, how will it be deployed, how will it be managed, how will you achieve quality assurance and customer satisfaction, how will risks be mitigated, how long will it take, how will the work benefit the customer When: when will you start, when will key milestones be scheduled, when will the project be complete, when is payment due Why: why have you chosen the approaches and alternatives you have selected, why should the customer select you This simple little phrase (who, what, where, how, when, and why) can help you ensure that your proposal says everything needed to “answer the mail.” For each of the customer’s requirements, go through the list and you will probably have everything covered. You can use it for inspiration when writing, and you can use it like a checklist for reviewing a draft proposal. And you thought proposal writing was supposed to be hard!

Validating the review plan ensures that the approach to proposal quality is sufficient The Executive Sponsor determines the level of quality required for the proposal by reviewing the Validation Plan. The Executive Sponsor should consider whether the items in the Proposal Quality Validation Plan are sufficient to achieve the level of quality required. The Executive Sponsor may wish to increase (or decrease) the level of formality in reviews, the number of participants, or the number of items to be validated. See also: Goal: validate that the draft reflects your quality criteria Here is a checklist to help you ensure a thorough review of your Proposal Quality Validation Plan: ❏ List of validation items contains everything it should and has been customized to reflect the evaluation criteria and what you know about the customer, the opportunity, and the competitive environment ❏ Defined scope and outcome for each validation item is correct ❏ Method specified is sufficient ❏ Level of formality is sufficient ❏ Output is correct ❏ Schedule is correct ❏ List of participants is sufficient ❏ Leader of each item is identified ❏ Requirements for participation are defined and sufficient ❏ Whether any other notes or procedures should be specified

Creating a Proposal Quality Validation plan Once you have created your proposal quality criteria, you need to allocate them to reviews. Then the plan itself should be reviewed to ensure it meets standards and expectations In order to complete the plan, you need to: Collect and group items that can be assessed at the same time Allocate criteria to the milestones on your schedule Determine the best method for reviewing each item (individual, team, in-person, distributed, etc.) Assign and schedule reviews See also: Proposal quality validation To make this as easy as possible, we have grouped our sample list of quality criteria according to milestones and have provided a Proposal Quality Validation Form. With your proposal schedule in hand, you can determine when to review each of the criteria. Simply complete a copy of the form for each review. The Proposal Quality Validation forms will tell your reviewers what they need to accomplish. They can use the same form to document the results of their review. The collection of forms constitutes your proposal review plan. This makes it easy to quickly prepare a written Proposal Quality Validation plan. You should validate the Proposal Quality Validation plan itself before implementing it. What is an acceptable level of quality assurance, number of reviews, or allocation of reviewers for one pursuit, may not be acceptable for another pursuit. It is a good idea to prepare a table that documents your company's quality standards based on the size, complexity, value or other facts for a given pursuit. For example, above a certain value you might require a certain number of people participate in the reviews, or require participation by certain executives.

Before you can create proposal criteria, you have to understand what it will take to win Proposal Quality Validation starts with identifying what it will take to win. This is the standard used to measure quality against. The MustWin Process facilitates identifying what it will take to win by collecting the intelligence you will need during the pre-RFP phase. The MustWin Process will also guide you through preparing a list to document what it will take to win. This list is the first step in providing a set of quality criteria to measure your proposal against. It is also critical for developing your win strategies and the themes that will articulate to the customer why they should select you. Collectively, the items on your list should add up to what it will take to win the opportunity. Your “What it will take to win” list should include: The actions you must take The things you must know or information you must gather Anything you must have, prerequisites, or dependencies in order to complete the tasks The results you must achieve The following areas should be explored and considered in order to develop a list of items that define what it will take to win the opportunity. Within each area, consider what items should be on your “What it will take to win” list: See also: What it will take to win Readiness at RFP Release: There is a great deal that you must know about the customer, the opportunity, the competitive environment, and even yourself in order to win. Most of this information should be collected during the pre-RFP phase so that you can act on it immediately when the RFP is released. Many of the questions asked during the MustWin Readiness Review process are designed to lead you towards knowing what it will take to win. You should mine the Readiness Review forms for inspiration for your “What it will take to win” list. Customer’s Evaluation Criteria: If the customer is conducting a formal evaluation, they should publish the criteria they will use to select the winner. Before the RFP is released, you should attempt to discover what those criteria will be. You can also use previous RFPs to provide clues. If they do not publish written evaluation criteria, then you should gather intelligence regarding what they think is important and what will impact their decision, preferably weighted or in order of (the customer’s) priority. The customer’s evaluation criteria are the most important consideration in designing the proposal, determining what you must do in writing in order to win, and assessing the quality of your proposal during development. Your “What it will take to win” list should include items related to responding to the customer’s evaluation criteria. Competitive Advantages: In order to win, you must be a better choice than any of your competitors. Competitive advantage can come from many sources, including offering superior benefits (and not merely better features), a proposal that achieves the highest evaluation score, an excellent relationship with the customer, and outstanding references. Your “What it will take to win” list should include all of the items related to finding, identifying, and articulating your competitive advantages. Win Strategies: Win strategies are the things you plan to do in order to win. An example is hiring a Project Manager with particular qualifications. Another might be opening a local office or teaming with a particular company. Win strategies can and should be related to achieving a competitive advantage. Everything that you must do to identify and implement your win strategies should make it onto your “What it will take to win” list. Themes: Themes are how you articulate why the customer should select you (as opposed to a competitor). They provide customers with reasons to justify their decision. Your themes will be based on a combination of the evaluation criteria, and your win strategies and competitive advantages. Your “What it will take to win” list should include identifying your themes, incorporating them into your proposal, and validating their implementation. Completion of Proposal Plans: Since planning is critical to winning, it makes sense that successfully preparing, validating, and implementing your proposal plans should make it on to your “What it will take to win” list. Execution: Follow-through is critical. This means you must track progress towards the completion of the plans and then validate that they have been executed successfully and that the desired outcomes are achieved.

How you are going to conduct your reviews should be planned. The MustWin Process makes it easy. You should not wait until the proposal is written to figure out how to review it. Instead, you should start with a Validation Plan that specifies how the proposal will be reviewed and provides a basis for measuring quality and progress. A Validation Plan takes the quality criteria based on what it will take to win and allocates them to a series of reviews. Creating the plan can be made checklist simple. Once prepared, the Validation Plan itself must be reviewed. The Proposal Manager is responsible for preparing the Proposal Quality Validation Plan. The Executive Sponsor is responsible for reviewing it (and thus setting the standard for quality). Implementing Proposal Quality Validation is as easy as 1, 2, 3… See also: PQV Implementation The first step is to create a written Proposal Quality Validation Plan. To do this, start by preparing a list that documents what it will take to win. You can use the sample list provided with the MustWin Process as a starting point. Next, list the criteria you will use to review the proposal. We have provided sample criteria as well. For each item that you need to validate, you need to determine when, where, and how the validation will be performed. To plan your reviews, allocate the criteria, either individually or collectively, to your schedule and assign reviewers using the form provided. The result is a written Proposal Quality Validation Plan that specifies what will be validated, how it will be validated, who will perform the validation, and when the validation will occur. The second step is to approve the written Proposal Quality Validation Plan. The Executive Sponsor and key stakeholders should review the plan to determine whether it is sufficient to achieve the level of quality required. The third and final step is to implement the Proposal Quality Validation Plan. This is essentially a checklist-driven process of elimination. You can measure the progress of your proposal based on how many items have been validated and checked off the list.

A written definition of proposal quality helps to get everyone on the same page The CapturePlanning.com MustWin Process assures quality by first defining it and then validating whether or not it was achieved. The MustWin Process defines proposal quality as: The degree to which a proposal implements all of the things you have determined are necessary in order to win. Using this definition forces you to: See also: Proposal quality validation Identify what is necessary to win Review the proposal against what you have identified as being necessary to win This gives you a measurable way to assess proposal quality. This is critically important, and yet most proposal processes do not provide any definition of proposal quality, let alone one that is measurable or verifiable. Measuring your proposal quality enables you to: Measure your progress against what really matters, instead of just watching the clock run out Know whether you have created a quality proposal To achieve this, the MustWin Process guides you through turning what you know about what it will take to win into quality criteria. The quality of your proposal is measured against these criteria. Your progress towards creating a quality proposal is measured against how many of these criteria you have fulfilled. We have provided you a set of criteria that you can use as a starting point. Some criteria are more important than others. Some may not apply at all to a given proposal. The criteria that are most important to winning may vary from proposal to proposal.