Assessing the impact of the performance layer on your process

Within the MustWin Process Architecture we divide the performance layer into the following areas: proposal management, proposal writing, and quality validation.

The performance layer is where the proposal document gets created. It is what is traditionally thought of as the proposal process, only it is organized architecturally instead of sequentially. This is because we are addressing functionality and not sequence, and functionally proposal development consists of the actual writing and production of the proposal, managed according to the proposal process, with completion validated by quality assurance.  

Proposal Management: Implementation of the proposal process
How do these impact the process and stakeholders? Does any existing process account for them?

• Preparations and input processing. What do you need to do to get ready for proposal development? How will you collect the required inputs? How will you assess them for use in the document?
• Assignments and progress tracking. What resources will you require? How will they be assigned? Once assigned, how will you track progress toward assignment completion?
• Process implementation. How will you implement your proposal process? Do you have a process to implement? Will this pursuit require exceptions or changes to your process?
• Issue management. What issues can you anticipate and prevent or mitigate? What responses should you have for contingencies? 
• Tools/resource development. What tools should you have or build? These can range from simple checklists to major systems. What needs do contributors have that might be addressed by having a tool?
• Training and performance support. What skill or capability gaps do you anticipate that might be filled with training? What can you do to improve the performance of contributors during proposal efforts?

Proposal Writing: Creation of the document

How do these impact the process and stakeholders? Does any existing process account for them?

• Assignment completion and goal accomplishment. How will assignments be issued? How will you track progress towards completion? How will you validate the quality of completion? Will assignment completion fulfill the process goals?
• Expectation management. What do proposal contributors expect? What should you do to address those expectations? Are you communicating your expectations? Are everyone’s expectations being agreed to?
• Execution. Are things getting done as they need to?
• Pricing. Is pricing being completed on schedule according to RFP specifications? Is pricing competitive? Is pricing being done in isolation? Is pricing part of offering design or completed after the proposal is complete? 
• Produce deliverables. Are required proposal deliverables (such as the proposal, forms, pricing, certifications and representations, etc.) being produced on time without defects? How is the quality of proposal deliverables being validated?

Quality Validation: How do you know if you are doing a good job?
How do these impact the process and stakeholders? Does any existing process account for them?

• Definition of proposal quality. Is proposal quality defined? How should it be defined? If it is defined, how is it impacting performance during proposal development?
• Development of quality criteria. Do you have quality criteria that can be used to measure how well you are fulfilling your definition of proposal quality? Are you experiencing issues that could be resolved or mitigated by changing your quality criteria?
• Self-assessment. How are people checking their work? Are your proposal quality criteria being used for self-assessment as people complete their proposal assignments? 
• Implementation of quality validation. What is your review process? Does it fulfill your definition of proposal quality and your quality criteria? Is it consistently effective?