From Gate Review to War Council: Strategic AdvanceBrooke CrouterLohfeld Consulting GroupJune 1, 2011

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Agenda

• Military campaigns and capture• Gate Reviews: Purpose and Structure• Conclusions

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Gate Reviews as War Councils

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Meade’s Council of War

Draw on the knowledge of senior leaders to make a critical decision

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A military campaign initiates a series of operations aimed towards a single, specific, strategic objective or result

• Once the target is identified—– Take the offensive – Wage combat on our terms– Build and retain momentum– Be agile and adaptive– Win decisively

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat” —Sun Tzu

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Capture is a set of activities initiated to win business by selecting the best targets

Expand Products and Services

Expa

nd th

e M

arke

t

Current clients New Clients

New

Wor

kCu

rren

t Wor

k

Core Business: Must Win

All New Business: Breaking New Ground

Expand the Business: Likely Targets

Expand the Business: Likely Targets

Op 1

Op 7

Op 6Op 5

Op 4

Op 3

Op 2

Op 10

Op 9

Op 8Op 13

Op 12

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To execute a successful campaign, the general staff requires data

An understanding of the environment

Intelligence about the adversary

An assessment of its own capabilities

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles – Sun Tzu

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A capture team requires similar data

Understanding internal capabilities and resources

Understanding the client

Understanding the competitive environment

Capture requires intelligence to improve situational awareness

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Data gathering is iterative

• Confirm opportunity elements• Identify strengths and

weaknesses• Determine shaping efforts• Stay ahead of the competition• Mitigate risks

Plan

Prepare

Execute

Asse

ss

Assess

Assess

Strategy

Explore all avenues for intelligence; the more specificity gained, the more precise and focused the resulting proposal

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Both efforts require resource alignment

Direct every operation toward a clearly defined and attainable objective

Focus on the most important tasks

Avoid actions that do not contribute directly to achieving the objectives

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Strategy is key to success

• Military strategy is the planning and execution of the contest between groups of armed adversaries

• Capture strategy is roadmap detailing the opportunity strategy, actions and results, schedule, and responsibilities for a successful pursuit

All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved – Sun Tzu

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Communication and review are critical

However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results – Winston Churchill

War Council• Provide relevant information and

analysis• Make recommendations• Prepare plans• Monitor operations• Control operations• Assess progress

Gate Review• Provide relevant information and

analysis• Make recommendations• Prepare plans• Monitor operations• Control operations• Assess progress

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Gate reviews must be organized to achieve selected objectives and outcomes

• Three capture gate reviews provide insight and assistance to achieve capture objectives• Gate 1: Opportunity Assessment Review

• Gate 2: Strategy and Capture Plan Review

• Gate 3: Pre-Proposal Readiness Review

Each Gate is an opportunity to assess capture progress and ensure we should continue to dedicate the time, money, and resources to

capture and bid the opportunity

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Gate Reviews: Structure and Purpose

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Each gate review meets a specific goal

• Provides impartial guidance and validates direction of team activities

• Helps teams identify and prioritize critical next steps

• Resolves any issues or roadblocks identified

• Confirms the bid/no bid decision

Most importantly: Each gate review must meet the needs and objectives of the capture team

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Organize to ensure relevant decisions and feedback

Evaluate and approve capture activities

Validate the win strategy

Provide the necessary resources

Ensuring the right participation for gate reviews is critical

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Suggested gate review membersMembers Value-Added

Lead Executive Responsible for final decisions and approvals

Business Unit Lead

Responsible for business case

Capture Manager

Accountable for overall process; orchestrates the effort

Senior Advisor(s)

Provide expert insight into a particular subject area or the procurement itself

Other SMEs Domain and functional experts; knowledge about buyer and market

Contracts Manager

Provides contractual insights into procurement

BD Lead Client and account knowledge

“If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” –Gen. George S. Patton

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Develop strategy for conducting the review meetings

Meet with Chair to discuss overall gate review plan and meeting objectives and goals and to address any issues ahead of time

Plan logistics

Strategy and logistics are key to successful reviews

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Gate 1: Opportunity Assessment

Qualifies an opportunity

Assists in formalizing the positioning strategy

Concludes with a go/no go

Gate 1 qualifies the opportunity

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Gate 1Key Inputs

Prioritized customer concernsCustomer contact planCustomer, market, competitor

knowledgeAccount strategic plans and

situational assessmentCustomer strategic plansCompetitor analysisMarket analysisPartnering plans, strategy, and

tacticsPipeline reports

Key Outputs

Updated customer analysis, requirements and contact plan

Customer historyStrategic fit analysisPotential teaming listUpdated competitive assessmentTop-level strategyCapture milestone schedule and

action items tracking listGo-No Go Decision

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Key Questions at Gate 1• Is the opportunity a fit for the corporate strategic plan?• What is the anticipated contribution to revenue and profitability?• What is the strategic relevance?• Do we understand the requirement?• Do we have the ability to offer the right solution?• Can we influence the client and position our solution?• Do we know the competitive landscape?• Do we have the resources to manage this effort?• What are the risks and can they be mitigated?

Bottom line: have we assessed each opportunity and selected those we can shape to win and are aligned with our strategy?

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Summarize key points in a dashboard

Color scores highlight where to focus capture efforts to raise win probability

Decision Factors Score

Strategic fit 4

Requirements understood 2

Right solution 2

Client advocacy 3

Competition favorable 3

Financial objectives can be met 4

Adequate time for capture 4

OVERALL ASSESSMENT 3.1

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Gate 2: Strategy and Capture Plan Reviews

Assess the progress we are making in executing our capture plan

Focus on the strategy we’ve defined and are executing

Are conducted iteratively

Gate 2 evaluates the progress of the capture efforts

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Gate 2Key Inputs

Updated customer analysis and contact plan

Updated customer historyStrategic fit analysisPotential teaming listUpdated competitive assessmentTop-level strategyCapture milestone schedule and

action items tracking listResource requirementsGate 2 review package

Key Outputs

Capture planUnderstanding requirementsPreliminary offer designPositioning planUpdated competitive assessmentWin strategy and action plansTeaming strategyPrice to winRisk analysisOverall capture assessmentNext steps/actions refined

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Key Questions at Gate 2• Are we making consistent progress?• Do we have the right capture team?• What resources are required to improve our progress? Are those

resources available and reasonable?• Do we still have time to improve our positioning?• Is our intelligence on the deal improving?• What has changed in the market? How have we adapted?• Have we positioned our solution with the customer?• Are we executing our teaming strategy?• Have we developed a win strategy with real discriminators?

Bottom line: are we executing our plan and making progress?

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Gate 2 includes a dashboard to measure progress against 9 capture elements

Capture Management Assessment MatrixWin Considerations Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month x

1. Form capture team2. Understand customer requirements and objectives3. Develop prelim solution linked to customer objectives4. Position solution with customer5. Assess competition6. Develop win strategy7. Build team and sign teaming agreements8. Establish price to win 9. Assess riskOverall Capture Assessment

Blue = excellent Green = good Yellow = limited accomplishment Red = unable to accomplish

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The dashboard is an assessment of capture progress

• Breaks the capture into its component elements– Focuses questions– Helps determine where additional support/

resources are required– Opens up discussion

Dashboards help the review team identify problem areas

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Gate 3: Pre-Proposal Readiness Review

This is the time in which to raise any final challenges

Highlight how the pre-proposal preparations have advanced

Determine how to eliminate or mitigate any risks prior to RFP arrival

Gate 3 is a checkpoint to answer: “Are we ready for the RFP?”

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Gate 3Key Inputs

Draft (or strawman) RFPCapture planProposed offering: technical

solution, management approach, past performance, cost/price

Competitive assessmentWin strategy and action plansTeaming strategyPrice to winRisk analysis / OCIGate 3 review package

Key OutputsUpdated capture planUpdated win strategy and

action plansTeaming agreementsProposal planStoryboardsDraft executive summaryDraft proposed productsProposal readiness

assessmentBid/No Bid decision

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Key questions at Gate 3• Have we gained insights into the procurement?• Have we positioned to beat the competition?• Do we have a compelling solution with excellent features and

benefits?• Do we have a powerful team?• Have we developed an accurate price to win?• Do we have a compelling win strategy?• Does our past performance support our approach?• Can we perform? Technically? On schedule? Within costs?

Bottom line: Does our preparation justify the investment?

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Pre-Proposal Progress AssessmentPre-Proposal Progress Assessment

Considerations Gate 3

1. Assign proposal manager and proposal resources

2. Establish capture/pre-proposal repository

3. Develop strawman RFP

4. Review solution against RFP

5. Review/approve storyboards/ annotated outlines

6. Identify and develop early-stage proposal products

7. Draft oral presentation

8. Finalize proposal development plan

9. Plan kickoff meeting

10. Conduct pre-proposal gate review

Blue = excellent Green = good Yellow = limited accomplishment Red = unable to accomplish

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Conclusions

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Gate reviews should be strategic discussions

• We can increase our win probability– Engaging the right participants– Asking the right questions– Creating a “council of war”

• At each gate, we need to ask and confirm– “Can we win?”– “Are our objectives clear?”– “Have we taken the actions to advance our strategy?”

"Unless a variety of opinions are laid before us, we have no opportunity of selection, but are bound of necessity to adopt the particular view which may have been brought forward." - Herodotus

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Questions? Comments?Discussion?

Gate 1

Gate 2

Gate 3

Contact InformationBrooke CrouterPrincipal Consultant, Lohfeld Consulting Group, Inc.Creating Winning Proposals for Government Contractors

301-580-3839 (m)

bcrouter@lohfeldconsulting.com

www.LohfeldConsulting.com

@Lohfeld

facebook.com/LohfeldConsulting

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