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APMP Bid & Proposal Writing-Content Plans > Best Practices > Flashcards

Best Practices Flashcards

1
Q

What risks are associated with a lack of content planning?

A

Inconsistent and possibly incoherent finished product; reworking can impact proposal schedule and budget

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2
Q

Which is more important in creating proposal content: following documented processes or following customer requirements?

A

Following customer requirements.
Your process should be flexible enough to accommodate different types of proposal content and presentation as determined by the customer’s evaluation process.

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3
Q

Which of the following items can fall under the umbrella of content planning?
Proposal outlines
Annotated outlines
Section content plans
Content plans
Mock-ups

A

All of these. The term “content plan” embraces a wide range of items. Your process documentation should define the terms and techniques to clarify the intent and planned use in your proposals.

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4
Q

What are the benefits of content planning?

A

Helps writers structure thinking to better communicate tin themes
Improves consistency of messages
Minimizes overlaps
Prevents gaps
Helps ensure compliance

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5
Q

When is there low added value from detailed content planning?

A

For more generic, compliance-based and standard company information requests in Q&A proposals

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6
Q

When is there medium added value from detailed content planning?

A

Where answers can be based on reusable content but are important to the customer and need customization in Q&A proposals

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7
Q

Is the added value of content planning high, medium, or low for requirements-style proposals?

A

High

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8
Q

In what kind of proposal should you should confine content planning to the more bespoke and high evaluation scoring elements?

A

Q&A proposal

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9
Q

Is the added value of content planning high, medium, or low for the executive summary of a Q&A proposal?

A

High

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10
Q

In which scenario is content planning a better time investment:

You have an experienced team that knows the customer and is writing about existing products and services

The customer or the products and services are new

A

The customer or the products and services are new

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11
Q

If the writing team is small, what is the minimum the content plans should include?

A

Enough detail to check that you’ve covered all requirements
Who is writing what

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12
Q

What tool can you use to document customer requirements?

A

Requirements analysis matrix or requirements checklist

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13
Q

What tool can you use to trace requirements between the customer request and your written offer?

A

Compliance matrix (including a statement of compliance for each requirement) or
Response matrix (including a reference to the proposal section where the requirement is addressed)

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14
Q

Should a requirements matrix be created before or after proposal kickoff?

A

Before kickoff

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15
Q

In what order should requirements appear in the requirements matrix?

A

In the order of the request

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16
Q

What are the 5 points in a typical starting outline you could use to shape an informal proposal against your knowledge of the customer and understanding of the requirements?

A

Executive summary
Understanding your requirements
Our recommendations
Customer examples
Next steps

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17
Q

How should you start the content planning process?

A

By building a robust topical outline for the proposal

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18
Q

True or false: A preliminary outline should always take the form of a bulleted list in MS Word

A

False.
An indented list, hierarchy, or mind map are all valid ways to
represent an outline. Choose an approach that best fits your way of working, the proposal and team environment, and the proposal’s demands.

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19
Q

What are some elements from the RFP you should follow when starting your outline?

A

Required sections and structure
Required numbering plan (if given)
Required headings and terminology

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20
Q

How many heading levels should be numbered? What heading levels should not be numbered?

A

Numbered headings should be restricted to three levels, unless the instructions direct otherwise.
Fourth-level headings and below should not be numbered

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21
Q

Why should you follow the customer’s requested structure and naming conventions, even if they seem illogical?

A

Non-compliance risks disqualification

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22
Q

Why might you deviate from the customer’s imposed outline structure, and what should you do to mitigate that risk?

A

You you may want to reduce redundancy or make the content easier for evaluators to read. Explain the deviation and the reason for it in the text.

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23
Q

What is the main goal of all document design?

A

Ease of evaluation and scorability

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23
Q

Where should you focus the most detail in the outline?

A

Where evaluation weightings are highest

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24
Q

True or false: If there is no page limit, you should make the proposal as long as possible.

A

False.
Where the customer does not impose a page limit, establish one. Evaluators do not want to receive proposals that are longer than necessary.

25
Q

What does it mean for an outline to be MECE?

A

Mutually Exclusive (no overlaps or duplications)
Complete (all requirements covered)
Exhaustive (anything else that needs to be added)

26
Q

What does it mean for an outline to be uniquely assignable?

A

You could assign each topic or section in your outline to a single author in your team, without subdividing further

27
Q

What are the 3 tests of robustness for an outline?

A

Compliant
MECE (mutually Exclusive, Complete, Exhaustive)
Uniquely Assignable

28
Q

Which of the following should NOT be included in outline annotations?
* Graphics and action captions
* Boilerplate to be used
* RFP requirements
* Page and word count limits
* Themes and strategies for the section
* Customer terminology/style and usage to be used
* The answer to the question for each section
* Proof points to support claims
* First draft content

A

First draft content

29
Q

When developing the content plan, apply the “just enough” principle. What are the risks of too much or too little planning?

A

Too much planning unduly constrains the SME.
Too little planning opens the door to non-compliance and poor quality.

30
Q

True or false: In many environments, an annotated outline is sufficient without detailed section content plans.

A

True.
In many environments, an annotated outline satisfies the “just enough” planning principle.

31
Q

List as many suitable headings to include in a content plan as you can think of.

A

Suitable headings to include in a
section content plan template include:
* Customer and proposal name or reference
* Graphics to use
* Reference number and title of the section
* Boilerplate to use
* Section purpose
* Case studies and proofs to use
* Requirements to address
* Customer terms and language to use
* Win themes
* Page and word count limits
* Outline and headings for section content

32
Q

What is a mock-up?

A

Mock-ups are a page-by-page visualization of the finished document laid out in its planned final form.

33
Q

How does a mock-up differ from a section content plan?

A

Mock-ups visualize the finished document laid out in its planned final form. They contain layout information and page space constraints. Mock-ups require interactive development, where the team and key users work together to refine each version.

Section content plans provide additional specification for a document section but do not represent the final page layout of the section. Section content plans are suited to a sequential development approach.

34
Q

What benefits do mock-ups offer for hard copy proposals?

A

They give the printer advance notice of what to expect.
For large proposals, they allow you to plan the number of folders and the printing timeline.
They help with planning for landscape enclosures and oversized attachments like project plans.

35
Q

Which sections are likeliest to get mock-ups?

A

Typically only the most important sections or those that are expensive to produce.

36
Q

Who should develop initial section content plans before kickoff?

A

The Bid Manager or Proposal Manager

37
Q

Who further develops the initial section content plans after kickoff?

A

The writers

38
Q

After completing the content plans, what do writers need to get before they begin writing?

A

Approval of the content plans by the Bid Manager or Proposal Manager.

39
Q

What serves as a contract between the Bid Manager/Proposal Manager and the writer, that defines what is to be developed?

A

The completed section content plan

40
Q

Who all should participate in a content plan review?

A

proposal contributors and writers
senior managers who have an interest in the proposal
members of the final document review team
members of the core team.

41
Q

What does a horizontal review of content plans accomplish?

A

Examines the consistency and flow of the planned proposal at the top level

42
Q

What does a vertical review of content plans accomplish?

A

Deep dive into an individual section

43
Q

Which type of content plan review–horizontal or vertical review– asks the following questions:
* Does the plan meet the purpose for the section?
* Does it cover all the requirements for the section?
* Do the graphics support the story? Are they clear?

A

Vertical review

44
Q

Which type of content plan review–horizontal or vertical review– asks the following questions:
* Is the sequence logical and easy to follow?
* Is it compliant with the customer’s instructions?
* Does it tell a consistent story?

A

Horizontal review

45
Q

What is the name of the tool that shows which uniquely assignable item in the outline is assigned to which responsible developer?

A

proposal responsibility matrix

46
Q

After content plan review, what updates need to be added to the proposal management plan?

A

proposal responsibility matrix and schedule with due dates and reviews

47
Q

According to the APMP 2002 Benchmarking Survey, how long should it take to develop a simple graphic?

A

1–2 hours

48
Q

According to the APMP 2002 Benchmarking Survey, how long should it take to develop a complex graphic?

A

2–6 hours

49
Q

According to the APMP 2002 Benchmarking Survey, how long should it take to develop new material, in pages per day?

A

Four pages per day

50
Q

According to the APMP 2002 Benchmarking Survey, how long should it take to adapt boilerplate, in pages per day?

A

20–40 pages per day

51
Q

Name a few attributes of well organized proposals

A
  • They provide a roadmap of how the proposal is organized
  • They make key points easy for evaluators to identify and understand
  • They are written from the customer’s point of view
  • They tell customers what is important to them
  • They use multiple highlighting techniques (tables of contents, headings, graphics) so evaluators can scan the document and locate the information they need
52
Q

At what levels of the proposal should you plan summaries to reinforce key information?

A

At all levels of the proposal

53
Q

What proposal section provides a brief and high level summary of the customer’s key issues and our solution?

A

The executive summary

54
Q

What formatting tool helps you clearly mark when you are moving to the next point, organize into sections, and announce content?

A

Headings and subheadings

55
Q

Which of the following is a heading, and which are subheadings?
“How This Software Will Benefit Your Company”
“Software”
“Software We Use Regularly”

A

Heading: “Software”
Subheadings: “How This Software Will Benefit Your Company” and “Software We Use Regularly”

56
Q

Put these components in order to structure information for the reader:
-Proofs
-Features and benefits
-Summary/conclusion
-Intro/overview
-Address drawbacks

A

-Intro/overview
-Features and benefits
-Proofs
-Address drawbacks
-Summary/conclusion

57
Q

Should your most important points come first or last in a section?

A

First

58
Q

What are some ways you can make key messages pop?

A

Using bold text, callout boxes, and graphics

59
Q

What are three ways to answer redundant RFP instructions?

A

-Group similar ideas together and eliminate redundancies (if the RFP does not require a particular structure)
-Repeat the same answer, checking for any additional context that should be added based on volume or section
-Answer fully in the first instance, then refer back
-Use a compliance matrix to show the customer where you’ve answered each question

60
Q

What is a product status register?

A

Proposal responsibility matrix + due dates + status fields

APMP Bid & Proposal Writing-Content Plans (3 decks)

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