What's not to like?
Just as movie storyboarding prevented wasted film and shooting time, so proposal content planning saves writing time. By drafting the correct content in the right structure the first time, you save re-drafting. The diagram to the left (courtesy Shipley Ltd) summarises an example of the impressive savings that can be achieved.
Putting effort into planning and preparing the proposal content early in the process also helps get senior-level buy-in. This can reduce the frustration and demotivation associated with last-minute executive amendments. Given these benefits, what’s not to like?
Content planning in action
Many of you will be producing content plans without even realising it. By creating a document structure with headings and sub-headings, you provide your contributors with an “Outline” that indicates the required content; this is a simple content plan. Adding guidance notes to the Outline creates an “Annotated Outline.” Beyond this, a content plan can be developed further to include:
- Relevant requirements from the Invitation to Tender
- Details of your company’s strategy for winning this part of the bid
- How you will handle your strengths and weaknesses and those of your competitor(s)
- Details of any relevant scoring or evaluation criteria
- The solution outline, including features, benefits and proof points
- Ideas and concepts for graphics
The medium used to present content plans is not as important as the task itself. Acceptable media are:
- Hand-written flipcharts
- Mindmaps (see Figure 2 for an example)
- PowerPoint slides or equivalent
- A Word document or equivalent
- Online tools such as Miro
Remember, this is about planning textual and visual content, not actually writing or drawing. The process encourages clear thought and structure, reducing time and rework. Think of it like mapping out the plot of a novel before writing anything – working out exactly what’s going to happen and when to each of the characters before putting any words on paper.
Who's in charge?
Every bid response should be run as a project with a schedule detailing the tasks, milestones, roles and responsibilities. There are three steps to the content planning process:
- Pre-Kick-Off Planning: One of the Bid Manager’s tasks when preparing for a bid Kick-Off Meeting is to create the proposal document structure. In designing the response, (s)he will consider each section and sub-section, deciding on the level and format of content planning necessary – typically for new material and complex sections. The Bid Manager will create and populate the content plans with relevant tender and capture information. Shared with writers at the Kick-Off Meeting, the plans give shape and direction ready for further development.
- Post-Kick-Off Preparation: Content plan development occurs between the Kick-Off Meeting and the Content Plan Review (also known as the Proposal Strategy Review or the ‘Pink” Review’ ). During this period, which can continue up to halfway through the response timeline, the writers will analyse the inputs, gather further information and develop their thoughts, writing structures and concepts for visuals.
- Review and Freeze: Once prepared, the content plans need an independent review because:
- No one can be objective about their work
- Other people can improve work
- Buy-in can be reinforced
- Management approval can be gained
- Subject Matter Experts’ (SMEs) input can be obtained
- Confidence to proceed to the next step will be built
The Bid Manager will organise the Content Plan Review and brief all reviewers on the opportunity, the proposal requirements, the win strategy and key messaging. Whether in-person or virtual, the review should cover the ‘horizontal’ picture (the flow of sections) and the ‘vertical’ picture (how each section unfolds).
Reviewers need to add value to the process by being constructive and not destructive. No reviewer should simply state, “this is not good enough.” They must clearly describe an improvement and they should indicate if their recommendation is optional or mandatory. Post-it notes are an excellent way to make suggestions in person. For virtual activities, use a visual tool such as Miro or create separate review sheets to avoid collating multiple sets of track changes.
Once the Content Plan Review is complete and the changes implemented, it’s crucial to ‘freeze’ the proposal design. All internal stakeholders should have been engaged, exposed to the status, and agreed with the approach by this stage. Only in exceptional circumstances, where a significant issue arises from an external source, should the proposal design be open to amendment.
Don't be scared
Those new to content planning can find it daunting. It’s always tempting to tackle the writing as soon as possible for fear of running out of time; the idea of not writing anything until halfway through the available time can be scary.
Similarly, people often think that content planning will create more effort, not less. Careful thought about when and to what level content planning will add value will lead to shorter timescales, as well as less stress and greater satisfaction. I use it for all my work, however large or small, whether working alone or in a team. Just drafting this article, I had a mindmap with the sections and the key points. It’s really not that difficult, and the benefits far outweigh any negative thoughts. I hope I have convinced you to at least try.
