The document outlines best practices for developing winning proposals, including establishing a proposal center of excellence and following a structured proposal development process. It discusses proposal elements like compliance matrices, storyboarding, theme development, and reviews. Effective proposal management incorporates project management techniques, quality standards, and continuous improvement methods.

1. Proposal Management Process Develop proposals that WIN , reduces rework & halves the turnaround time Anand Subramaniam

4. Proposal - Overview

7. Proposal – Development Steps Steps Storyboarding kick-off proposal teams with respect to baseline development Physical steps used to develop a proposal Use of automation tools, sections, compliance matrices etc Theme development Gates used to control proposal development Incorporation of price-to-win / cost-to-win Management reviews - teams, timing, frequency, depth & level

9. Why proposals fail? Failure Failure to address requirements No match-up of offering to requirements No experience plus high risk with no contingency plan No substantiation for claims Failure to give buyer what he / she asked for Lack clearly expressed communication Non-compliant and carry a high price tag No front-end planning or marketing intelligence No rationale for alternatives

10. Proposal – Success Criteria Success Criteria Well defined team roles & responsibilities Adopt a proposal development methodology & continuously refine it Understand customer’s environment, their pain factors and use this in your proposal Brainstorm theme statements & link quantified benefits to features Avoid boilerplates & tailor story-boards to the opportunity Use storyboards to track progress & focus team members on their next, immediate task Select team that strengthens your value proposition Pay attention to the evaluation criteria Communicate your action plan and provide validation that you understand the requirements First develop a compliance matrix & monitor it regularly for adherence Whether you win or lose – request a debrief

11. Proposal – Process & Pointers

13. Proposal - Process Win Strategy & Themes Proposal Outline & Schedule Issue writing Assignments Proposal Manager Comply No Create Baseline Manager Approval Yes Proposal Draft Yes Executive Summary Submission Cover Letter No Blue Team Risk /Issues Identified Assignment Issued Capture Manager Incorporate Changes Comply Complete Yes Yes No No Make Changes Proposal Production & Delivery Yes Capture Manager Assignment Issued Risk/Issues Identified Red Team Comply Incorporate Changes No End Gold Team Yes No No Bid Bid RFP Received Start Bid / No Bid End Prepare Proposal Management Plan & Compliance Matrix Kick-off Meeting

15. Bid / No Bid – Process Flow

16. Proposal – Major Players Editors / Writers Proposal Board / Committee / CEO / GM External Consultants / Peak Body Legal Counsel Sales / BDM Proposal Coordinator Players Proposal Manager Pricing / Support staff

17. Proposal – Organisation Structure Board / CEO / GM / Project Manager Proposal Manager Proposal Coordinator Management Section Leader Technical Section Leader Pricing / Cost Section Leader Past Performance Section Leader Writers / Illustrators Writers / Illustrators Writers / Illustrators Writers / Illustrators Industry Section Leader Quality Control / Risk Advisor Writers / Illustrators

22. Pointers – Events Plan Events Plan Proposal kickoff Storyboards - section brainstorming sessions Draft questions about RFP due to client contact Drafts reviewed & due (Blue Team, Red Team, Orange Team etc) Final edit and formatting Final questions due to the client Work plan and costing due dates Board / CEO / GM / Project Manager review(s) Production (print, proof master, copy, assemble and ship!) Proposal delivery time lines Daily back-up after each activity Other RFP dates such as orals and contract award Any scheduled absences / vacations of team members

24. Proposal – Project Schedule

26. Proposal – Win Strategy Themes Point of emphasis Undeniable truth Recurring thought Unique benefits Advantage Compelling point (value for money) Themes Your theme statement that gives you the highest rating Where your Competition is unable to make the same claim

27. Proposal – Why Themes? Why About You Your capabilities and competencies Your related or relevant experience and / or exposure Your “thought leadership” in the chosen field Your strengths Your past performance Your approach Your value proposition Your management style

28. Proposal – Blue Team Review Emphasis on preparing a solid Red Team draft Draft Complete Usually occurs 2 ~ 7 days before Red Team Focus on identifying serious weaknesses Being constructive Focus on inconsistencies, and on RFP-compliance Blue Team Limited to proposal contributors only Checkpoint for Board / GM / proposal Manager

29. Proposal – Red Team Review Limited to non-authors, senior staff members Draft should resemble the final proposal as it will be delivered Red Team debrief should occur 3-5 days before due date Reviewers should make specific and constructive comments Proposal should be scored to show strength & weakness To be critical and to find fault Red Team Post-Red Team debrief -- new assignments are made Include subject mater experts and / or outside consultants

30. Proposal – Gold Team Review Generally involves GM / Proposal Manager Proposal manager has an overall say on the final changes Final pre-production review Final validation of compliance, complete-ness, and accuracy Gold Team Last opportunity to verify scope, themes, message Board review required for bids say $5m+ and high risks

31. Proposal – Risk Record

32. Proposal – Final Review & Delivery Review by Internal groups and divisions Customer name correctly spelt Proposal / project name Bullets, headers, footers etc consistent Resumes format and credentials Ensure consistency of themes and key messages Final Review Terminology to match the RFP Key terms and acronyms spelled out

34. Proposal - Checklists

38. Proposals – Best Practice

41. Using ITIL, PMBoK, CMMI, ISO, PDCA etc CMMI Proposal Life Cycle Service Management ISO 9001: 2000 Lean / Six Sigma Project Management

42. Applying CMMi to Proposal Development Level Characteristics 5 – Optimised Continuous proposal development process improvement is enabled by quantitative feedback from piloting innovative ideas and technology. 4 – Managed Detailed measures of the proposal development process and results are collected. Both the process and products are quantitatively understood and controlled. 3 – Defined Process for proposal development activities is documented, standardised, and integrated into the organisation. All activities follow an approved, tailored version of the organisation’s standard process. 2 - Repeatable Basic proposal development management processes are established to track cost, schedule, and functionality. The necessary process discipline is in place to repeat earlier successes 1 - Initial Proposal process is characterised as ad hoc, and occasionally even chaotic. Few proposal processes are defined, and success depends on individual effort and heroics.

43. Proposals – Centre of Excellence

46. Lessons Learned