Content Plans

Question 1

What should be in place before you start writing a content plan?

Answer 1

clear and shared view of what the final product should look like

Question 2

What is the general best practice process for planning content?

Answer 2

Plan -> define quality criteria -> execute

Question 3

What could the term ‘content plan’ refer to?

Answer 3

1. Response plan akin to an essay plan
2. Proposal outline
3. Annotated outline
4. Section content plan
5. Mock-ups

Question 4

What is the relationship between the time spent on a content plan and the ROI?

Answer 4

They should be equal

Question 5

What is the relationship between benefits and cost?

Answer 5

Benefits > cost

Question 6

What are the benefits of making a content plan?

Answer 6

1. Helps structure thinking
2. Contributes to opp strategy
3. Communicates win themes
4. Enables review of plan before development
5. Helps ensure compliance
6. Improves consistency of messages
7. Minimises overlaps and prevents gaps in coverage

Question 7

What are the costs of making a content plan?

Answer 7

Time and effort of the bid team writing it

Question 8

When is it appropriate to only content plan for a select few questions of an ITT?

Answer 8

When there is a tight deadline or the bid team is writing for an experienced team with an existing relationship with the buyer, and so the cost (time and effort) of making a content plan would outweigh the benefits

Question 9

Do small teams need more or less communication via content plans?

Answer 9

Less - there is less delegation taking place in a smaller team, as there are fewer parties to delegate to; they thus don’t need as much information up front

Question 10

What is the minimum that a content plan should cover?

Answer 10

Enough detail to check that all requirements are covered and to enable the team to decide who is writing what

Question 11

What is a Requirements Analysis Matrix?

Answer 11

A checklist that accompanies a content plan for the bid writing team to use. It can help ensure that all requirements are being met during the bid writing process.

Question 12

What is the APMP term for ‘clarification questions’?

Answer 12

Solicitation Questions

Question 13

How does APMP define “robustness”?

Answer 13

“Robustness” means that the structure will support the many demands placed on it and remain stable throughout development of the proposal.

Question 14

How do project management practitioners see a content outline?

Answer 14

As a product breakdown structure for the planned document

Question 15

What is the maximum number of levels (decimal places) that a numbered heading should have?

Answer 15

Three (i.e. 3.1.2)

Question 16

What should the skeleton of your outline include?

Answer 16

1. Required sections and structure
2. Required numbering system (if given)
3. Required headings and terminology

Question 17

Is there a circumstance in which you can deviate from the buyer’s imposed structure?

Answer 17

Yes, if it would make the evaluation process easier. In this instance, the bidder would need to explain their rationale for changing the structure in their proposal.

Question 18

What is the goal of all document design?

Answer 18

Ease of evaluation

Question 19

True or False: there should always be a set page/word limit?

Answer 19

True - if the buyer has not imposed one, the bidder should establish their own to keep the proposal a reasonable length

Question 20

What should the relationship be between word count and weighting/emphasis (either stated or inferred)?

Answer 20

The bidder should dedicate more of the word/page count to where the emphasis is highest - they should be in proportion with each other

Question 21

What does MECE stand for?

Answer 21

Mutually Exclusive, Complete, and Exhaustive

Question 22

Define ‘uniquely assignable’

Answer 22

Uniquely assignable = responsibility for each part of the content can be delegated to a specific author and/or sub-divisions can be assigned to a team leader

Question 23

What is the difference between a mock-up and a template?

Answer 23

A mock-up is a more detailed prototype of the end product, and are highly visual. It requires an extra level of design compared to a template, and are more interactive and interdepartmental to produce.

Question 24

What is a horizontal review?

Answer 24

A horizontal review examines the sequence of sections in a content plan, checking for consistency and a smooth/logical customer journey. It is a structural review.

Question 25

What is a vertical review?

Answer 25

A vertical review is a deep dive on each individual section, analysing whether it serves the purpose it was intended to serve, meets the spec requirements, and that the graphics are clear and supportive to the written content.

Question 26

What metrics should you use to plan each task in your content plan?

Answer 26

Whatever metric your organisation has historically used - this could me a measure of how many hours a task usually takes, or how many pages it usually uses

Question 27

What dates is it important to schedule into your process?

Answer 27

Due date, expected end date, content reviews/review windows

Question 28

When should the bulk of content planning be completed?

Answer 28

Once the RFP has dropped but before kickoff

Question 29

Why is it bad practice to provide a content plan asking writers to refer to the RFP and add in any requirements they may identify?

Answer 29

Can often lead to orphan requirements and duplications

Question 30

What is the baseline content plan that every bid should have?

Answer 30

A robust topical outline that can be used to check compliance and plan writing tasks. This does not have to be particularly visual or detailed but must give the bid a general shape/focus.