The Proposal

Project Proposals Genesis of Proposals: They can result for formal requests (e.g. Request For Proposal, RFP) They can be unsolicited (e.g. trying to initiate an innovative project) They can result from an informal suggestion They can be requested by your boss

The Purpose for a Proposal The purpose for a proposal is to present an idea or potential solution to a need exhibited by a potential customer This means you must sell your ideas This means you must sell yourself/team Your capabilities Your tools Your resources

Contents Establish that a need exists Understand the topic Understand the client’s needs (critical) technical fiscal schedule Respond to your client’s needs & requirements

Content Deliver sufficient information to convince your potential customer that: your idea will meet the need your idea is the best solution That you are capable of delivering a solution on time and on budget In reality, there is a fine line between too much information And too little information. (e.g., too much information will give the solution to the client without your work.)

The Outline of the Proposal Title Page (sample on webpage) Titles Participants Dates Executive Summary One page Read and absorb in 5 minutes All critical information

The Outline of the Proposal Background Establish the need Establish your understanding of the topic Establish your understanding of the need Establish your understanding of the requirements Objective Aims, goals, end result For big projects-phase 1, phase 2, phase 3,...

The Outline of the Proposal Technical Approach (Methodology) Systematically describe how the effort will be conducted Give a step-by-step description of how you will provide a solution List the schedule of activities in a Gantt Chart This approach should convince the customer that you have a high probability of success You should address each of the objectives and deliverables

The Outline of the Proposal List of Deliverables Tangible results of your work that will be delivered to the client The deliverables must satisfy your customer’s needs Note: The proposal is not a deliverable!

The Outline of the Proposal Budget Itemized costs for conduct of the project Total cost required for a solution Usually this is a critical factor in deciding if you win the downselect

The Outline of the Proposal Personnel Key participants Organizational structure Contact information Responsibilities and qualifications Appendices Supporting documentation

Proposal Deadlines: Detailed Outline (to advisor) is due: September 20 Draft of the proposal is due: September 30 Finished proposal should be presented to advisor in mid-October Signed (by client) proposal is due: October 30 Oral Proposal presentations begin: Tuesday, October 23

Teams Team captains (project leads) (by next Tuesday) Faculty will assign a captain Then will pick controller & webmaster from other team members Set your client & advisor meetings Send out agendas! Define team roles (in writing) Submit information to me.

Next Step Gather information When you meet your client: Ask good questions - listen to answers! Document (write into your log) the input Define the challenge What are the engineering requirements? Start working on a timeline (Gantt chart) and budget

Team Assignments Develop Proposal outline Copy to advisor Copy to me (initialed by advisor)  Draft of deliverables  Draft of budget requirements

Questions?