Chesapeake Chapter Webinar Go Virtual or Go Home June 19, 2014 Kelson Forsgren and Jack Fagan

Session Overview  Define “virtual” and discuss trends and implications  Discuss best practices and pitfalls  Some “tips and tricks”  Summary and Q&A #WIN

What do We Mean by “Virtual Proposal Management”?  More than just electronic submittal  Contributors are not all co- located  Dependent on technology to communicate and manage  We’ve been doing it and it will continue – more than a trend

Typical Challenges of Virtual Proposal Development  No defined process to do proposals – virtual requires process definition  Decision gates often “short-changed” (or ignored)  No clear understanding of roles and responsibilities  Little consequence for late task completion – schedule, schedule, schedule Long distance accountability lacking  Recognition often goes to the non-contributors  Often a perception that the proposal is not important, if done virtually  “Proposals are free” – Perception increases if team is virtual

The Keys to Virtual Proposal Management 1.Produce Schedule Early – make it highly visible to team 2.Clarify and Publish Team Roles and Responsibilities 3.Hold an Effective Kickoff Meeting (early planning) 4.Write and Develop Great Content 5.Develop Quality Theme Statements 6.Conduct Content Reviews and Edits 7.Facilitate Effective Color Team Reviews 8.Coach, coach, coach

Additional Virtual Best Practices  Leverage technology tools and personnel (including Millennials)  As tasks are assigned, ask the responsible individuals to restate their understanding and acceptance  Assign someone other than the person chairing the call to keep detailed minutes—or record the call  Check progress of dispersed teams frequently  Test your submission process for hardware and software compatibility

Effective Virtual Kickoff Meetings are Vital – Don’t Shortchange This Step!

Apply Best Practices for a Virtual Proposal Kickoff Meeting  Separate the initial core team planning call from the proposal call – otherwise you’re covering too much  Establish clear lines of authority  Establish a detailed, written agenda and distribute it early enough to permit participants to prepare  Take the time to poll participants for acceptance after each agenda item

Plan an Effective Kickoff Meeting

Effective Virtual Proposal Reviews are a MUST - Don’t Shortchange This Step!

Facilitating Virtual Reviews – Is it Different?

Use Virtual Review Team Tools Consistently

3 Steps to Effective Virtual Team Content Reviews: Step One - Be Clear

Content Review Step Two: Be Concise Revise Paragraphs Revise Sentences Revise Words

Content Review Step Three: Be Correct  Consult references  Check spelling, punctuation, and grammar  Resolve word problems  Verify consistency with document and requirements  Confirm nomenclature and identities (acronyms)  Double-check math

Review: Virtual Proposal Development

Summary The trend is here to stay: You Must Leverage Virtual Resources New generation of workforce comfortable with virtual tools/approach Pitfalls to avoid Best Practices and Keys to Success Discipline and process will win the day

Contact Information Kelson Forsgren Jack Fagan WINS (9467)