TArticles tagged with: proposal roles and responsibilities

Lessons learned from the circus: how to handle mistakes

There’s more truth than jest to the saying that a proposal submission is a bit like a circus. In today’s post, learn from professional performers how to handle mistakes.

As a hobbyist trapeze artist, I can attest the truth in jokes about managing proposals being like running a circus. Yes, it’s a juggling act with multiple performers dancing in and out of each other’s paths. But a circus performance and a proposal submission have deeper traits in common. For instance, both activities are team efforts with defined roles and responsibilities. The teams comprise members with varied backgrounds. In proposal development, you may work with team members from different departments, of different ages, and with different levels of experience. In my trapeze classes, I also work in teams with varying levels of experience, different ages, and different abilities. Another commonality is the pressure to succeed. There is a lot on the line in proposals and in a circus! In trapeze, we face the success or failure of a performance, but we also have each other’s lives in our hands. While … Continue reading Lessons learned from the circus: how to handle mistakes

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Expert advice for starting out in capture and proposal-related positions – Part 3 of 3

New to the capture- or proposal-related profession or a seasoned veteran, you’ve had experiences that you can share to help all of us (new and “battle hardened”)  improve our professional and personal management and interpersonal skills, abilities, and focus. I recently asked a number of my colleagues to share their best advice for someone starting out in a capture or proposal-related position, e.g., proposal manager, capture manager, proposal coordinator, graphics, writer, pricer, etc. We wrap up our industry-leaders’ advice here in this final part of my 3-part series. Get clear definition of your role at a very granular level. This might sound like over-engineering, but it will pay off if everyone has the same expectations as to exactly what you are going to be responsible for and accountable for. Typically, descriptions of roles are written at a high level; this leaves lots of room for different interpretations and expectations. –Wendy … Continue reading Expert advice for starting out in capture and proposal-related positions – Part 3 of 3

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11 Ways to mitigate final proposal document review 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 Final Proposal Document Review Risks and recommended Mitigation Strategies: No final document review. The company misses one of the most effective and inexpensive mechanisms for improving the proposal. Schedule a final document review as soon as possible. Document review is held too late in the proposal life cycle. Hold the final document review approximately two-thirds through the proposal life cycle. Reviewers are unprepared. Work with the reviewers in advance to verify they understand their roles, responsibilities, and time commitment. Help the reviewers by holding training or producing a brief training document. Eliminate any reviewer who from the review team who is unprepared or unable to provide an objective review. Review is unorganized or does not produce feedback that benefits writers. Hold one review team member … Continue reading 11 Ways to mitigate final proposal document review risks

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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

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