A methodology for figuring out what to write in your proposal
What should you say?
The Proposal Content Planning methodology was developed as part of the CapturePlanning.com MustWin Process. While the MustWin Process helps ensure you have all the information needed to support Content Planning, you can create a content plan for a proposal even if you don't follow our process in full. Here's a document we wrote to explain Proposal Content Planning.
Proposal Content Planning is:
- A tool that enables you to figure out what to write in your proposal.
- A way to build a blueprint for the proposal prior to its construction, or a recipe that the Proposal Writers can follow (pick your preferred metaphor).
- A way to collect input and build consensus regarding what should go into your proposal.
- A container into which you can put placeholders for everything so that you can keep track of them until they have been created.
- A way to deliver instructions, guidance, and information to the Proposal Writers.
- New ways to track progress and turn writing into a process of elimination.
- A baseline that you can compare the draft proposal to so you can tell whether the draft says and does everything it was supposed to do.
A Content Plan functions as a container into which you place everything that should go into a proposal prior to actually writing it. A Content Plan is needed because it is impossible for one person to keep everything in their head, organize it, and then write it and get it correct. Indeed, most proposals require input from multiple people and sources of information. A Content Plan helps you avoid rewrite after rewrite while trying to turn what you have into what you really need.
A Content Plan works like a container that holds proposal instructions as you figure them out.
A Proposal Content Plan provides you with:
- ✔ A way to build a blueprint for the proposal prior to its construction so you can handle complicated RFPs
- ✔ A way to build consensus regarding what should go into your proposal
- ✔ A way to deliver instructions, guidance, and information to the proposal writers that are easy to act on
- ✔ Something that helps bring people together to facilitate their ability to work on the proposal, regardless of their level of proposal expertise
- ✔ New ways to track progress and turn writing into a process of elimination to make the writing faster and easier
- ✔ A structure for how to get an early start on the proposal and guidance for what information you should have at the start
- ✔ A baseline that you can compare the draft proposal to so that you can tell whether the draft says and does everything it is supposed to do
The Proposal Content Planning methodology guides you through what to put into your Content Plans through an iterative process that makes sure you consider everything you should. It is very flexible regarding how it gets implemented so that your needs drive the process instead of you having to conform to the process.
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The MustWin Process provides the guidance and checklists you need to implement the Proposal Content Planning methodology.
It expands on this introduction to help you visualize a Content Plan and provides additional detail on the of benefits of using a Content Plan. Content Plans are very flexible, giving you options for:
- Who should contribute to creating them
- The instructions that go in a Content Plan
- How to best balance schedules and resources
Content Plans also help you manage the critical difference between planning your offering and planning your proposal content.
The core of the methodology is an 8-Step process for creating a Content Plan covers everything you should think about going into your proposal.
Because of the flexibility, we also provide a number of items to help you implement Proposal Content Planning.
Once you have created a Content Plan, it is critically important that you validate it before you start writing to it, so here is a checklist to assist with that.
Access to premium content items is limited to PropLIBRARY Subscribers
A subscription to PropLIBRARY unlocks hundreds of premium content items including recipes, forms, checklists, and more to make it easy to turn our recommendations into winning proposals. Subscribers can also use MustWin Now, our online proposal content planning tool.
Carl Dickson
Carl is the Founder and President of CapturePlanning.com and PropLIBRARY
Carl is an expert at winning in writing, with more than 30 year's experience. He's written multiple books and published over a thousand articles that have helped millions of people develop business and write better proposals. Carl is also a frequent speaker, trainer, and consultant and can be reached at carl.dickson@captureplanning.com. To find out more about him, you can also connect with Carl on LinkedIn.
