Which Proposal Method is Better?

What is Business Development?

My proposal win rate jumped and cost dropped...

When I switched from Waterfall to Agile.

Here's the difference...

***WATERFALL METHOD***

1972: Richard Shipley created a linear process for proposal projects.

Waterfall typically consists of these sequential steps:

1. Kick-Off
Identifies RFP specifications, proposal schedule, resource allocations, win themes and ghosting themes.

2. Initial Draft Review (Pink Team Review)
Subject Matter Expert (SME) drafts reviewed by proposal management and other corporate managers to confirm proposal is compliant.

3. Initial Draft Recovery
Writers update draft content based on reviewer comments.

4. Second Draft Review (Red Team Review)
Second draft review by proposal management and other managers to confirm proposal is credible and compelling.

5. Second Draft Recovery
SMEs make final changes to the drafts.

6. Final Review: (White Glove Review)
Proposal manager and other managers conduct final review to confirm final proposal is compliant, credible, and compelling.

7. Production and Shipment
Proposal is printed and delivered to prospect.

***AGILE METHOD***

2001: Agile software development manifesto was created.

Agile proposal development is based on these principles:

1. Solution Driven
Customer-oriented kick off identifies baseline understanding of the solution, win themes, ghosting themes, backlog of technical gaps, and intelligence gaps about the customer and competitors.

2. Expert Writers
Expert writers consult with SMEs to finalize solution and fill gaps with emphasis on win themes and ghosting themes.

3. Technical Reviews
Drafts routinely updated and reviewed by SMEs to confirm if proposal is credible, compliant, and compelling.

4. Writer Leadership
Expert writer serves as Scrum Master of the proposal development effort, prioritizes the backlog, schedules SME reviews, and makes any necessary draft changes.

5. Content Re-Use
Expert writers use similar content from previous proposals and other existing content to rapidly create an initial draft and identify content gaps.

6. Daily Scrums
Daily Scrum calls with SMEs fill the gaps and dynamically allocates resources based on PWIN and opportunity criticality. Some teams may use a software dashboard to show status and manage resources to increase efficiency.

Proposal is delivered to prospect when it meets desired PWIN thresholds for compliance, credibility, and compelling.

Matrix below shows how the methods differ.

What's your favorite proposal method?

Tony Gray, BDP
Author of the Business Development Body of Knowledge

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