TArticles tagged with: process

7 more changes experts would make to the BD, capture, and proposal process

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” –Alan Watts In this wrap-up to my 3-part series asking capture and proposal experts to share their responses to the question, “If you could change one thing about the business development, capture, or proposal life cycle or process, what would that be?,” my industry colleagues share their practical insights and suggestions. I would end the search for the holy grail of a plug-and-play repeatable process for BD, capture, or proposals. Principles apply and rules exist. It’s just that for any given opportunity, it might make sense to ignore or break half of them. –Wendy Frieman, APMP Fellow and Principal Consultant, Lohfeld Consulting Group The proposal process is only as good as its leadership. Veteran proposal managers demand a smooth process and usually get it – building in risk mitigation … Continue reading 7 more changes experts would make to the BD, capture, and proposal process →

Industry experts’ proposal war stories and lessons learned – Part 3 of 4

What do two or more capture and proposal folks inevitably talk about when we get together – our latest war stories, of course! Just like ants and bees go back to their nests and hives and share information with their peers, I think the sharing of war stories at every capture/proposal gathering is some sort of subliminal survival mechanism in this profession. I recently asked a number of my colleagues to share their favorite war stories – and tell us what they learned from the experience. Here is part 3 of my 4-part series on capture and proposal war stories. Over the years we’ve seen people suffer serious health issues, buildings be struck by lightning, FedEx packages go missing, and weather-related apocalypses. The best advice I can take from all of these is to leave extra time; never ever push final production or delivery until the last minute! –Colleen Jolly, … Continue reading Industry experts’ proposal war stories and lessons learned – Part 3 of 4 →

Industry experts’ proposal war stories and lessons learned – Part 1 of 4

We’ve all heard the war stories around the office coffee pot and at industry events and cringed, thinking, “Wow! I’ll make sure that NEVER happens to one of my proposal efforts.” There are as many potential disasters waiting out there, however, as there are RFPs in the Cloud – and I’m sure we’d all rather learn from someone else’s horror story than become the originator of a classic ourselves! I recently asked a number of my colleagues to share their favorite war stories – and tell us what they learned from the experience. Here is part 1 of my 4-part series on capture and proposal war stories. I was in an organization that decided to bid on a job where we did not know the customer, the customer did not know us, a well-loved incumbent was in place, we only had a 75% solution for performing the job, and our … Continue reading Industry experts’ proposal war stories and lessons learned – Part 1 of 4 →