TArticles tagged with: kick-off meeting

Proposal scheduling – make it or break it (Part 2 of 2)

Instituting scheduling best practices before, during, and after Request for Proposal (RFP) release can help alleviate risks and improve a company’s chance of developing a compliant, compelling, and winning proposal. This week Brenda Crist, PPF.APMP and APMP Fellow shares part 2 of her time-tested advice on proposal scheduling. Part 2: Effective scheduling after RFP release and submission As soon as the RFP is released, the race against the clock starts to prepare the information needed for the Kick-off Meeting, including the schedule, compliance matrix, and writers’ packages. Start by building a bullet-proof compliance matrix. Have at least two people review the compliance matrix to verify no instruction, evaluation criteria, or requirement is missed! Use the requirements list to build a work breakdown structure (WBS). Then add additional structure to incorporate proposal management tasks including: Kick-off Meeting Contributor Training Question development Daily Standup Meetings conducted Executive Summary draft development Conceptual planning/solution … Continue reading Proposal scheduling – make it or break it (Part 2 of 2) →

12 Ways to mitigate proposal kick-off planning risks

At the 2011 APMP International Conference, Lohfeld Consulting Group’s Managing Director Brenda Crist presented an informative session on mitigating proposal risks. Here are Brenda’s identified Proposal Kick-off Planning Risks and recommended Mitigation Strategies: Insufficient time to prepare for the Kick-off Meeting. Allow approximately 10% of proposal preparation time to conduct planning in preparation for the kick-off meeting. Ensure attendees receive the schedule and writers packages, draft executive summary, and communications/collaboration instructions. Little or no advance warning of the Kick-off Meeting resulting in limited participation. Before RFP release, identify as many kick-off meeting participants as possible. Keep them informed of the potential kick-off date. Send an email requesting their attendance at the kick-off meeting immediately after RFP release. Right participants are not invited. Consider holding a second meeting for participants who were unable to attend. Attendees are not prepared to participate. Provide just-in-time training to get them up-to-speed during the meeting. … Continue reading 12 Ways to mitigate proposal kick-off planning risks →

10 Topics to include in your kick-off meeting agenda

Your kick-off meeting planning process should involve identifying the location, handling logistics, designing the agenda, preparing distribution materials, and inviting the right people. Use a checklist (see our 12 Required Kick-off Meeting Elements blog post) to track all required items. Confirm the meeting time, date, and logistics as the RFP due date approaches. This is an important meeting that sets the tone for final proposal preparation activities – obtain a conference room that will accommodate a large meeting comfortably. Create the list of invitees, and send e-mail meeting invitations to them to hold the projected date and time on their calendars. Ensure you invite core capture and proposal team members as well as a member of your senior management to start the meeting and provide a motivational talk to the team. Create the Kick-off Meeting Agenda and plan to cover the following topics: Proposal overview – describe the client’s needs … Continue reading 10 Topics to include in your kick-off meeting agenda →

12 Required kick-off meeting elements

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. –Andrew Carnegie You should design all aspects of your kick-off meeting to motivate your team, communicate your proposal plan, and set the overall tone for how your proposal team will operate. Though the kick-off meeting typically occurs a few days after RFP release, planning for the kick-off meeting prior to RFP release saves time once the RFP drops – a major advantage for your team. Once actual post-RFP proposal preparation begins, having already planned the kick-off meeting saves important time that you can use to review the RFP, validate pre-proposal products, and prepare final writing plans and writers’ packages. The planning process involves identifying the meeting location, handling logistics, designing the agenda, preparing distribution materials, and inviting the … Continue reading 12 Required kick-off meeting elements →