PROPOSAL

MANAGER: FROM

GOOD TO GREAT

Lisa Pafe and Liz Skarlatos

Introductions

3

Lisa Pafe, CPP APMP Fellow, PMP

Vice President, Lohfeld Consulting Group

Liz Skarlatos, Member, APMP

Managing Director, Lohfeld Consulting Group

Agenda• Purpose

• Quick Poll: Are You Great…or Only Good?

• What Makes a Manager Rise to Greatness?

• Generational Perspectives

• Engagement

• To Do List vs. Stop Doing List

• Hedgehog Concept

• Proposal Manager – Position Description

– Competencies

• Recommendations to APMP

Purpose

• To define those qualities that make a Proposal Manager great

• To make recommendations to APMP on how to improve both the position description and competencies

• To help good Proposal Managers achieve greatness

Audience Poll

• Are you a good Proposal Manager?

• A great one?

• How do you know?

What Makes a Manager Rise to Greatness?

• Experience/Practice

• Engagement

• Talent

• Education/Training

• Temperament

• Others?

7 Shifts from Manager to Leader*

1. Specialist to Generalist

2. Analyst to Integrator

3. Tactician to Strategist

4. Bricklayer to Architect

5. Problem Solver to Agenda Setter

6. Warrior to Diplomat

7. Supporting Cast Member to Lead Role

*Harvard Business Review

Generational Perspectives on LeadershipAttribute Baby

Boomers

Gen X Millennials Gen Y

Leadership Consensus Competence Achievement Critical

Authority Love/hate Unimpressed Respectful Must be Earned

Work style Teamwork Self-reliant Methodical Work/Life Balance

Engagement is Key

• Effective Proposal Managers are not simply process drivers

• They collaborate early with Capture Manager and Solutions Lead/team

Typical Proposal Manager Engagement

Ideal Proposal Manager Engagement

Understanding Requirements and Profiling the Work

Reviewing /Understanding Corporate Strategy

Capturing Solution and Associated Strengths

Assessing Proof Points/Evidence

Aligning Solution with the Proposal

Client Facing Skills and Experience

• Effective Proposal Managers leverage client facing roles, consulting skills, and experience – Understand mission because they have been

mission and customer focused

– Have strong consulting and interpersonal skills

– Instill confidence, are decisive and flexible, delegate effectively, and are natural teachers/mentors

– Understand delivery and execution

Good to Great

• Jim Collins influential book on corporate

greatness applies to individuals

• To-Do List vs. Stop Doing List

Hedgehog Concept*

• We can achieve

greatness only at the

nexus of three

intersecting circles

*Jim Collins, Good to Great

Find your hedgehog

• What can I be great

at?

• What are my

economic motivators?

• What am I passionate

about?

Revisiting APMP Definitions

• Proposal Manager description

• Proposal Manager competencies

• What do we want to add/delete/revise?

Proposal Manager reality

APMP Proposal Manager Definition

A Proposal Manager is responsible for proposal

development (e.g., written, oral, demonstrations),

including maintaining schedules, organizing

resources, coordinating inputs and reviews,

ensuring bid strategy implementation, ensuring

compliance, resolving internal team issues, and

providing process leadership.

APMP CompetenciesCapture plan development Process management

Client interface management Production management

Compliance matrix development Proposal review management

Content plan development Proposal strategy development

Executive summary development Proposal strategy review

Graphics development Requirements identification

Information gathering Risk mitigation

Kick-off meeting management Sales participation

Knowledge management Schedule development

Negotiation management Teaming identification and management

Opportunity qualification Virtual communications

Outline development Win strategy development

Winning price development

Do these define greatness?

Final Recommendations

• Distribute to APMP for feedback

• Take back to our workplaces to improve

About Lohfeld Consulting GroupAs the premier capture and proposal

services consulting firm focused

exclusively on government markets,

we provide expert assistance to

government contractors in Go-To-

Market Planning, Capture Planning

and Strategy, Proposal Management

and Development, Capture and

Proposal Process and Infrastructure,

and Training.