Win more government and competitive contracts by using project management principles. Schedule proposal efforts and staff proposal teams for on-time delivery of compliant and high-scoring bids. Avoid version control problems and staff burnout.
Walls – whether actual or virtual – are places where the big points about an RFP response are posted, in a format big enough and simple enough to be seen and taken in at a glance: the response schedule, the selling themes, and the control sheet that identifies the status of each of 37 sections in the final multi-stage process of preparing the document for submission.
Under extreme time pressure, hard-charging proposal teams can go negative, become paralysed by fear of failing, and forget to laugh. Flipping all of these is key to fostering effective teamwork.
Greeting others on the proposal team at the start of the workday reminds everyone that they’re not working on their own. It reminds them that they can both give and receive help on numerous challenges. Saying goodnight also reinforces teamwork and gives others the courtesy of a chance to ask you that one burning question before you leave.
Rule #3 for preventing version-control problems is this: Pass version control clearly. Don’t just say what you did with the file; don’t just say where the file is. Say what you did, where it is, and who now has version control.
Rule #2 for preventing version-control problems: Have clear rules for handling online files. Goodness. It sounds simple, doesn’t it?