Introduction
Many recent government contracts have been based on the trend of awarding large contract rights to multiple contractors who then compete for specific, fixed-priced contracts (i.e., projects) within the large contract vehicle. A key to optimizing success is pursuing the opportunity in advance of the request for proposal (RFP) and then preparing the proposal in a short time frame. This paper introduces mind mapping as an innovative tool that uses a collaborative approach to helping proposal teams quickly and successfully developing a capture plan, fast-track RFP analysis, and drafting a proposal framework before making the rapid transition into project plan development and proposal writing. Outlined within this paper are the steps winning project teams use to leverage mind mapping within this short-fuse process.
Government Task Order Proposal Requirements
In recent years, government contracting has transitioned from cost-plus award fee contracts to multiple award contracts with fixed-price task orders. Multiple award contracts are typically awarded to three to five prime contractors who compete for individual task orders. These task orders are typically firm fixed priced (FFP) contracts, meaning the scope of work must be completed under a fixed priced. FFP contracts can be risky, with the winning contractor required to perform the work to the as-bid margin. Because the government typically does not pay for proposal preparation, contractors must absorb the cost. To minimize costs, companies must have processes in place to streamline the preparation of task order proposals.
Task order RFPs can sometimes include government statements of work (SOW), which can be vague and poorly organized. Contractors must analyze each sentence of the RFP to understand scope requirements, exclusions, constraints, and acceptance criteria. This is an important step to help ensuring the proposal team accurately captures project scope requirements. The technical volume requirements may include key personnel resumes, technical approach narratives, and past performance descriptions. Cost volume requirements may include a detailed cost estimate and subcontractor proposals. The government will award a task order as a best-value award. Keys to winning a task order include the following:
- Understanding project requirements from the customer’s perspective
- Client relationship
- Technical solution, which solves the customer’s problem at the lowest cost
- Past performance
- Pricing strategy
- Key personnel that meets or exceeds the evaluation criteria
Contractors must implement preparation processes to effectively respond to the quick turnaround requirements of task order proposals. These processes should include tools and templates that facilitate the preparation of a winning proposal. Mind mapping software can be a key tool in the proposal team’s toolbox.
Mind Mapping Software for Task Order Proposals
A mind map is a diagram used to represent ideas, tasks, or other items linked to a central topic (Mind map, 2009, ¶1) (Exhibit 1). Mind mapping software is visual software for collaboration, innovation, problem solving, brainstorming, and planning.
Mind Mapping Software Features
Organization chart view
Map view
Tree view
Note fields
Tags
Links
Filters
Graphics
Export to MS Office Software
Exhibit 1– Mind Map
For government task order proposal preparation, mind mapping is an effective method to capture, organize, brainstorm, and share information and ideas. It is an excellent resource for virtual teams, because team members can view the map and provide immediate feedback. For conference room meetings, the software is a digital alternative to whiteboards and flip charts. The team can efficiently brainstorm ideas and organize information. At the conclusion of the meeting, the map creates a powerful digital record of the meeting. Key features of mind mapping software include the ability to export map content into MS Word to share information with the project team, link to websites to access relevant project information, and incorporate graphics, map markers, and spreadsheets.
Brainstorming sessions that use flip charts and white boards are often difficult to organize, ineffective for virtual teams, and require extensive post meeting time to create a useable electronic copy. With mind mapping software, the proposal team can create an electronic map of brainstorming and project planning activities. This allows the project manager to organize information during planning meetings and establish real-time interaction with the proposal team. Mind mapping software can also be used in conjunction with flip charts and white boards, where meeting attendees are actively involved with writing. The project manager captures information from the flip charts, using the mind mapping software, and presents the map to the meeting attendees.
Mind mapping software is an efficient approach to creating project planning documents, including the scope statement, work breakdown structure (WBS), activities list, and procurement statements of work. Using the software, the project manager can focus on scope planning and then leverage these efforts to create the project schedule, cost estimate, and risk register. The software minimizes the tendency for proposal teams to establish departmental “silos” to create the various project planning documents. This can occur in the rush to respond to a RFP in which proposal team members each review the contract SOW and then independently prepare planning documents. Using mind mapping software, a project manager can more effectively integrate the efforts to prepare the WBS in a collaborative environment. Meetings with the proposal team are productive, because the project manager can decompose the WBS in real-time with the team. Proposal team members visually see changes to the WBS and can provide feedback. The WBS map can include note fields, links to photographs or wiki pages, and tags to organize the WBS using filtering features. A project manager can use the software to leverage project scope planning using the WBS map to create the activities map, risk identification, and project schedule.
Another key feature of the mind mapping software is its ability to integrate with MS Office Software and Project Management Software. Traditional approaches to creating the WBS can require multiple users to enter information into project management software. This can cause the project team to work in “silos” when developing project planning documents and the technical approach narrative. This approach can lead to inconsistencies between the WBS, project schedule, and proposal narrative. Using mind mapping software, the project manager and proposal team can focus on analyzing the RFP and defining scope requirements. Once the WBS is finalized, the team can export the map into MS Word, Excel, Project, or Primavera to share information with the team and create the project planning outputs. This feature allows the project manager to leverage the scope planning processes to create time management, cost management, and procurement management outputs. Additionally, data are entered only once, reducing errors and re-work during the proposal development process.
Creating a Winning Proposal Using Mind Mapping Software
Mind mapping software (Exhibit 2) is a powerful tool used for preparing a winning proposal. A proposal team can use the software to improve the capture process, define proposal submittal requirements, create project planning documents, and create the technical volume.
Exhibit 2 – Mind Mapping Software
Mind mapping software can be very effective during the capture process prior to receiving the RFP. A project manager can document capture information using a capture map (Exhibit 3) and brainstorm the information with the proposal team. This information should include both capture management and project planning information. It is important to define project requirements and to identify technical solutions early in the capture process and also to brainstorm capture strategies, including win themes, pricing strategy, and differentiation. An effective capture map includes the following subtopics:
- Project information
- Scope requirements
- Schedule requirements
- Quality requirements
- Client and project risks
- Capture strategy
- Client intelligence
- Win themes
- Strategy to win
- Differentiation
- Pricing strategy
- Technical strategy
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Past performance
- Competitor analysis
Exhibit 3 – Capture Map
Using the capture map, the project manager brainstorms with the proposal team to develop the capture strategy and then prepares a capture plan. This eliminates the tendency to create the capture plan in a vacuum. The project manager exports the map content to generate the project charter, capture plan, and project planning outputs. A key benefit in creating a capture map is integrating the capture management and project management body of knowledge concepts. This focuses the efforts on project planning to create the planning outputs early in the proposal process.
Creating Project Planning Documents
Mind mapping software is a powerful tool for project planning, including scope management, time management, cost management, risk management, and procurement management. Key steps to create planning documents using mind mapping software include:
- Analyze government RFP
- Finalize capture map
- Create WBS map
- Export WBS map to MS Word
- Create activities map
- Export activities map to MS Project
Using mind mapping software, a project manager can quickly prepare the scope management outputs. It is important that the proposal team initially focus on defining the scope requirements using a collaborative approach. Mind mapping software simplifies the scope definition process. Once the RFP is received, the proposal team analyzes the RFP and updates the capture map, including the scope management sub-topics. Using the capture map, the proposal team can define the project scope, including requirements, deliverables, constraints, and exclusions. A project manager can use the presentation features of mind mapping software to present the capture map to the proposal team. This collaborative review establishes agreement on the scope requirements and technical approach early in the proposal process. Using the filtering feature, the project manager can apply a filter to the scope topics and then export the map into MS Word to create the scope statement. This allows the proposal team to leverage scope definition from the capture phase into the proposal preparation phase.
Mind mapping software also provides a more effective method for analyzing the RFP and creating an electronic WBS (Exhibit 4) that incorporates the contract SOW into the map. The proposal team reviews the RFP and then creates the electronic WBS, which the entire proposal team uses for its specific proposal preparation assignments. This eliminates the tendency for the proposal team to individually create notes while reviewing the SOW. Mind mapping software includes features to set up the map direction as an organization map, right map, or tree views. Using the tag feature, project managers can set up filters to organize the WBS and present to subject matter experts. The project manager and subject matter experts can then easily decompose the WBS into work packages. The project manager can update the WBS and provide immediate feedback to the proposal team to finalize the WBS. In additional to copying the SOW into the notes field, the proposal team can include the technical approach, risks, and photographs and create the WBS dictionary within the notes field or to link the work package to various software programs to create the WBS dictionary. With mind mapping software, a project manager can leverage project scope planning using the WBS map to define activities, resource requirements, and activity durations as well as identify risks and create the project schedule.
Exhibit 4 – Work Breakdown Structure
It is easy to identify scope omissions using the WBS map. The note fields, which include the contract SOW, provide greater visibility of the project scope and SOW. Scope omissions can be tagged and filtered to increase visibility. The proposal team can then either submit a question to the contracting officer or include an optional price to address the scope omission. An electronic WBS also minimizes the tendency of scope growth during proposal preparation, which can lead to a high price and lost bid.
Once the proposal team finalizes the WBS, the project manager can save a copy as the activities map, which maintains a final copy of the WBS map. The proposal team can then decompose the work packages into activities. If needed, the proposal team can refine the WBS map based on the results of the activities definition process. Mind mapping software simplifies the process to define activities to a lower level to identify risks, durations, and resource requirements. It is easier to sequence activities as compared with an outline format of software scheduling tools. Similar to the WBS map, the activities map includes tags, note fields, photographs, and links. Once activity definition is complete, it is easy to drag and drop sequence activities within the mind map. Commercially available software also includes features to add relationships, resources, and durations.
Once the proposal team has completed the activities map, the map is exported into MS Project to prepare the project schedule. The advantage of this approach is the focus on the scope baseline before preparing the project schedule. If there are significant updates to the schedule, the project manager has the option of updating the activities map and then re-exporting the map into MS Project to finalize the schedule. Mind mapping software also includes scheduling capabilities, which can be synchronized to the activities map.
The activity map allows teams to brainstorm with various subject matter experts to evaluate risks at the lowest activity level. The result is a risk register that more effectively documents the project risks and mitigation strategies.
Creating Winning Technical Narrative using Mind Mapping Software
Once the proposal team completes the activities map, the project manager can export the map into MS Word to create the technical approach outline of the technical volume. The export includes the note fields, durations, and resources. Note fields include information to help the proposal writer prepare the technical approach section, including win themes, contract SOW, technical approach, risk mitigation strategies, and photographs. The export is the outline of the technical approach and establishes consistency between the WBS, project schedule, cost estimate, and technical approach. This provides significant time savings for the proposal team and reduces proposal rework after Management review of the proposal.
The proposal team can include a table in the mind map notes field, which includes information for the proposal writer to prepare the technical approach. This establishes a page for each work package and organizes the export to MS Word. A proposal writer can then cut and paste the information to prepare the technical approach. This approach is similar to the capture management training course, Writing and Managing Winning Proposals (Kent), which includes guidance on preparing a task table to assist the proposal writer.
Mind mapping software is also well suited for creating electronic storyboards. This applies to the technical approach and to other technical volume sections. Using the software, teams can brainstorm each proposal section or sub section. Sub topics can include section objectives technical approach, win themes, differentiators, risk mitigation strategies, and graphics. The writers can export the map into MS Word and then create the proposal content. This approach would need to reflect the activities map to help ensure the technical approach narrative is consistent with the WBS and project schedule.
Exhibit 5 – Technical Narrative
Conclusions
Mind mapping is a collaborative team approach to preparing a winning task order proposal within a compressed time frame. Proposal teams can use mind mapping software to develop the capture plan, fast-track RFP analysis, and draft the proposal framework before making the rapid transition into project plan development and proposal writing. Using mind mapping software, the proposal team can initially focus on scope definition and then leverage these efforts to prepare time management, cost management, risk management, and procurement management outputs. Mind mapping software establishes consistency between the technical approach, WBS, project schedule, and cost estimate. This minimizes proposal errors, rework following Red Team cost proposal reviews, and improves the technical evaluation of the proposal.
Further Reading
The website, mindmappingsoftwareblog.com, provides recommendations on mind mapping software for project management and includes white papers on using mind mapping for project management and various business applications.