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Stop Wasting Precious Proposal Time!

Stop Wasting Precious Proposal Time!. Chris Simmons, Rainmakerz Consulting LLC APMP Georgia Chattahoochee Chapter September 29, 2010. The Time Management Challenge . Basic Needs Eating, Sleeping, Exercise, Relaxing . Significant Others Adrienne, Spencer, Shea, Family, Friends. Work.

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Stop Wasting Precious Proposal Time!

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  1. Stop Wasting Precious Proposal Time! Chris Simmons, Rainmakerz Consulting LLC APMP Georgia Chattahoochee Chapter September 29, 2010

  2. The Time Management Challenge Basic Needs Eating, Sleeping, Exercise, Relaxing Significant Others Adrienne, Spencer, Shea, Family, Friends Work • Proposals • Other billable • Non-Billable • APMP Other Church, PTA, Chores, Hobbies 8,760 hrs. Many of us spend too much time at work leaving precious little time for other (more important) things.

  3. The Time Management Solution Basic Needs Eating, Sleeping, Exercise, Relaxing Work Significant Others Adrienne, Spencer, Shea, Family, Friends • Proposals • Other billable • Non-Billable • APMP Other Church, PTA, Chores, Hobbies 8,760 hrs. Being more productive at work means more personal time for you.

  4. Time Management Challenges… ….for Proposal Professionals ‘Issues’ Survey • Not enough time to respond • No respect for proposal schedule deadlines • Limited resources that increase time pressures • The biggest challenge I face is time! • 12 other time related issues The most frequently mentioned proposal development issues are related to time management. (Source: 24Hour Company Issues, April, 2008)

  5. The History of Time Management Greek/Roman water clocks (100 BC) Egyptian sundial (1500 BC) Egyptian-built obelisks Middle East (3500 BC) Spring powered and pendulum clocks (1600 AD) Quartz (digital) watches (1920) Cesium atomic clock NIST (1967) Time management started more than 6,000 years ago and continues to increase in popularity and diversity.

  6. Proposal Management Challenges RFP issued Proposal kickoff APMP Conference Proposal due date Many proposals are doomed for failure even before they begin, largely because there isn’t enough time.

  7. 7 Time Management Reco’s and Tips Lucky Number ‘7’ Days in a week Habits of highly effective people Deadly Sins The seven high impact recommendations and tips will help you get more out of your proposal in less time.

  8. 1. Set Ground Rules and PLAN Proposal Plan Capture Plan • Opportunity overview • Customer analysis • Competitor analysis • Critical success factors • Win strategy • High-level solution(s) • Proposal team organization • High-Level outline • Methodology • Schedule • Processes, tools. Templates • Lessons learned Thorough advanced planning is one of the cornerstones of managing time efficiently and effectively.

  9. Use a Proposal Development Methodology Methodologies • ShipleyAssociates • SM&A • CapturePlanning.com • LORE 15-day Schedule RFP • Priorities • Constraints Story- boards Gold Pink Use the appropriate methodology and take proposal priorities and constraints into account.

  10. Secure Appropriate Resources Technical Section: • 50 page target • All new narrative • (industry average = 5 pages/day) • 5 days to complete • 1 writer Options: • Base section on boilerplate (not recommended) • Work writer 16+ hour days (not recommended) • Request another full-time writer Verify the right number of resources with the right skills.

  11. Pick the Right Time and Start Meetings on Time…Every Time Starting meetings on time shows you mean business and value everyone’s time.

  12. 2. Organize the Work into Small, Manageable Steps Let’s… …start writing and review in a week Let’s… …understand the RFP …determine solution(s) …develop an outline …storyboard/module plan Don’t let your proposal team go off for too long on a single task.

  13. Avoid Scheduling Work on Weekends…at least initially Don’t plan to work weekends, but be prepared if it becomes absolutely necessary.

  14. Mutually Agree on Deadlines When will it be done! When can it be done? • Best case scenario • No constraints • Optimum efficiency • Constraints • Limitations • Miscommunication • Inherent inefficiencies • Murphy’s Law Work with your team to close the gap between the perfect world and a less than perfect reality.

  15. Set Deadline Windows and Avoid the COB Syndrome Storyboard deadline window Deadline windows help to bridge the gap between the perfect world and the practical realities of the real world.

  16. Set Specific Deadline Times (within the windows) Storyboard deadline window Writer’s Checklist • File name • Sections complete • Spell check • Passive voice (<5%) • Sentence length • Forbidden words • +/- 10% pages “Your section is due on June 18th at 11:00am in the SharePoint SB folder with all checklist items complete.” Set specific deadline times that strike a balance between writer needs and reviewer demands.

  17. 3. Focus on Status and Next Steps • “Almost done” • “Done but I haven’t turned it in” • “95% completed” • “Waiting on input from…” • “Something came up” Keep the team accountable with daily status summaries and action item lists with owners and due dates.

  18. Use a Section Status Summary For Murder: Vicky Volume (Section 1) Review a simple color-coded status summary during daily stand-ups to identify proposal bandits.

  19. Schedule Time-Outs • WHEN? • Missed deadlines • Incomplete work • Poor quality • Low output • WHY? • Discuss circumstances • Confirm understanding • Reset expectations • Commit to action Schedule time-outs to confirm understanding, to reset expectations, and reach a mutual commitment to action.

  20. 4. Keep Interactions Short and Action-Oriented Conversations 12 ? 9 3 Meetings Email Messages 6 Meetings, conversations, and email messages can be big time wasters if not managed closely.

  21. Meetings How long is this meeting going to go? I’m going to be late for golf! Agenda • Item-1 (12:05) • Item-2 (12:15) • Item-3 (12:30) • Item-4 (12:45) • Item-5 (1:15) Always distribute an agenda with time allocations and manage the meeting to finish early.

  22. Conversations • DO’s • Get to know co-workers • Develop rapport • Be cordial • Have fun • Keep it short • Talk about it at lunch • DONT’S • Discuss detailed personal issues/problems • Be disruptive to others • 10+ minute personal conversations Avoid detailed personal conversations on project time.

  23. E-Mail Messages Never send a chain-mail, joke mail, or other non-work related message to your team.

  24. 5. Don’t Hesitate to Escalate The Team We Need? The Team We Have! “Houston, we’ve got a problem.” (Jim Lovell, Apollo 13, April 14, 1970) A big part of having enough proposal time is making sure the right resources are in place to do the job.

  25. Clearly Define Roles and Responsibilities Ed Executive Carl Capture Matt Manager Carol Coordinator Vicki Volume Lead Kurt Cost Walter Writer Make sure the proposal organization is clearly defined and effectively communicated.

  26. Provide Management with Realistic Options and Trade-offs • Proposal A: ‘Must Win’ • Detailed plans and processes • Additional resources • Reassignments • Training • Additional equipment • Specialization • SME/Operational support • Graphics rich • Themes and discriminators • Proposal B: ‘Make Due’ • No plans • Limited resources • Static organization • Do your best….. • Lack of experience/skills • Generalists • Boilerplate • Unsubstantiated claims and marketing fluff Develop and communicate viable options with resource alternatives or reset expectations if necessary.

  27. 6. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate “It’s due tomorrow (Tuesday) at 10am.” “It’s due tomorrow around 10 (pm?).” “Do as much as you can by Wednesday morning.” “I think it’s due by COB.” One of the most common proposal team problems is the inability to communicate even basic ideas.

  28. You Hear What You Want to Hear!

  29. Use the Right Communication Channel Instant Message? Telephone Call? Face-to- face? Email? Ignore? Voicemail Message Telephone Call In general, return messages using the same communication channel. 29

  30. Walk the Halls How is it going? Management (by walking around) can make communication more efficient and effective.

  31. 7. Make it Better the Next Time • Standard processes • ‘Right’ people, tools and templates • Disciplined approach • Customer focus • A lot less boilerplate • Working less/winning more High EFFICIENCY: Getting it in • Ad hoc processes • Not enough resources • Lack of discipline • Internal focus • Too much boilerplate • Working more/winning less Low Low High EFFECTIVENESS: Securing the win Make lessons learned a standard part of your proposal development process.

  32. Get Feedback in Writing Feedback Form Score Summary Very Satisfied (5.0) Mostly Satisfied (4.0) Satisfied (3.0) Partially Dissatisfied (2.0) Very Dissatisfied (1.0) Delivery Process Project Management Final Deliverable People/ Team Solicit feedback from a wide variety of proposal team members and put it in writing. 32

  33. Develop Action-Oriented Recommendations People • Level of resources • Experience/Skills mix • Roles/Responsibilities • Communication • Identify strengths and improvement areas • Develop action-oriented recommendations • Deliver to appropriate management • Suggest a time to discuss Process Technology • BD/Capture • Proposal Management • Proposal Development • Proposal Production • Technology Process • Communication • Document Management • Version Control • Knowledge Management • Communication Develop recommendations for improvement and discuss with management to develop an action plan.

  34. What TM Gurus and Wannabees Say • Make a “To Do’ list every day • Use spare minutes wisely • It’s OK to say “No” • Review your notes every day • Get a good night’s sleep • Become a taskmaster • Don’t waste time agonizing • Keep things in perspective • Use technology wisely • Prioritize ruthlessly Time management gurus and wannabees have similar time management concepts and recommendations.

  35. What if…Time is Really Running Out? • Time must be explicitly managed • You can change your plan, but only if you have one • Are you spending your time on the right things? • Develop a good filing system • Rethink the telephone • Delegate • Take a timeout Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think. ---Randy Pauch (www.thelastlecture.com)

  36. Time IS on Your Side…YES IT IS! Shea (5) and Spencer (8) Adrienne

  37. References • About.com, 11 Time Management Tips, Susan Ward • About.com, Determining Your Personal Return on Investment, Susan Ward • CollegeBoard.com, Time Management Tips for High School Students • Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity, David Allen, Penguin Books, 2001 • Journal of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals,The Big Proposal Management Study of 2009, Spring/Summer 2009 • Linked-In (www.linkedin.com) APMP Group Discussion • New York Times, Meetings are a Matter of Precious Time, Reid Hastie, January 17, 2009 • ShipleyAssociates Proposal Guide for Business and Technical Professionals (Winning Business), Third Edition • TFCN (www.federalcontractor.us) Program/Project Management; Business Development Group Discussions • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Simon & Schuster, 1989 • The CapturePlanning.com MustWin Process Workbook, 2008 Edition • The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch, Hyperion, 2008

  38. Chris Simmons Principal Rainmakerz Consulting LLC www.rainmakerz.biz 202-255-2355

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