Tips and Tricks on How to Write a Winning Project Proposal
An effective project proposal is about how you get management and stakeholders to act on your ideas. It is a kind of a bottom-up version of a project request form.
Creating a good project proposal, you have a chance to directly influence your company’s future. Writing a proposal isn’t a super difficult challenge like robotic science or constructing a bridge, however, it is an essential and useful skill for project managers to be able to successfully pitch the projects that they know will benefit a team and business as a whole.
Casual conversations aren’t a solution, so you will need to provide your stakeholders with a formal document that addresses concerns before they have a chance to voice them.
In our previous article, we clearly described what are the benefits of project proposals, so now it is high time to learn how to prepare a great project proposal. Let’s delve in!
How to Write a Project Proposal
1. Identify the problem
At this initial stage, you’ll face some significant questions. What is the problem your project is trying to address? Why is it worth solving? Is it really a problem?
Unfortunately, sometimes decision-making people do not spend much time looking over a proposal. Therefore, make sure that the pain point is succinctly described and in a manner that resonates with them. Use facts, but not opinion. Add useful data from your research to back up your assertions.
2. Prepare a summary
Draft an introductory block called the executive summary. This block should aim to catch your stakeholders’ attention and encourage them to read on. Besides the problem your project solves, it should contain the ways how you are going to solve and the project’s intended impact. One paragraph will be enough, but it will actually depend on your project’s complexity.
3. Define deliverables and criteria for success
In this block, you should define the attributes of deliverables and how to know if the project is successful. Include a delivery date and determine what your project will deliver and what users can expect from it. Indicate when you plan to complete each deliverable.
Your approach or plan is the most important block of the project proposal. It should contain the way how to achieve the project’s objectives. Start it with an explanation of your approach and why it’s relevant and effective. Introduce the strategy of the project and explain how problems will be addressed.
5. Outline budget and schedules
It is also rather important to break down project costs and detail how you will meet deadlines.
In your proposal, try to provide as much detail as possible and break your budget down into categories (salary, equipment, tools, supplies, etc.) This breakdown will demonstrate to stakeholders that you’ve done your research and don’t intend to waste their money.
6. Tie everything up
Make a logical conclusion at the end of your project proposal. It should briefly summarize the problem, solution, and benefits.
Outline the significant parts and restate ideas or facts you want your audience to remember. Check the consistency of ideas and whether all the elements support each other. Ideally, your proposal should tell a story where every block must work together to form a cohesive whole.
7. Make a proofread
In order to make your project proposal interesting, clear, and persuasive, check it twice and rewrite it if necessary. Ensure the proposal is organized and visually appealing and of course ask for feedback.
The Role of Project Management Software in Preparing a Project Proposal
A project proposal is also a kind of project. It means that is also can benefit from a powerful project management tool.
Online management solutions are an essential part of the modern project management basics. They simplify collaboration, save you from the trouble of finding files and documents in different places, allow access to team members, keep everyone in one place, and so on.
Hygger allows you to plan proposals within its excellent functionality. With the help of cozy Kanban boards, you can signify where things stand, and what’s left to be done.
The columns in Hygger allow organizing proposals by section and creating a WBS (work breakdown structure). You may smoothly go through all the steps of your proposal, ensuring that every detail is covered. These bright boards will help you easily collaborate effectively with other team members.
Final words
Creating a project proposal takes time and consideration. Be sure, the time spent is worth it. Remember that a good-written proposal gives you some evident benefits:
- Helps projects stay focused
- Anticipate and solve problems early
- Drives innovation
- Predicts future planning
The process of preparing the proposal requires a flexible and reliable project management software. Feel free to use Hygger as it is ready to help you and your team members collaborate and manage this process in real-time.
