put the rfp down

PUT DOWN THE RFPHow to save your sanity and help yourself AND your clients lead happier and more fulfilling lives.

Drupal Experts For Non-ProfitsDiscover • Plan • Design • Build • Support

Beta!

Friday, August 13, 2010

MY NAME IS ADAM

I’m a Partner / Business DevelopmentI’m a recovering responder to RFPs.

(this is where you say “Hi Adam”)


“He who fails to plan,plans to fail.”

Old Italian Proverb


FANCY TECHNICAL TERMSRFP

Wikipedia says: A Request for Proposal (referred to as RFP) is an early stage in a procurement process, issuing an invitation

for suppliers, often through a bidding process, to submit a proposal on a specific commodity or service.

DiscoveryThe process of investigating, developing and implementing a

plan for your website needs. Deliverables could include wireframes, sitemap, feature specifications, user interviews,

personas, etc and most importantly, a Drupal Implementation Plan.

flagfor later


WHO IS THIS FOR?

Smoother Sales Process

Better Drupal Sales

Better Client Relationships

Save Time

Save Sanity

Smoother Vendor Process

Better Drupal Website

Better Vendor Relationships

Save Time

Save Sanity


WHO IS THIS NOT FOR?

If you have a flawless & automated estimation process that requires little analysis.

If you are required by law to write an RFP and have no way

to edit the process.

If you have a pre-cog on staff who can read a clients future

thoughts.

If you find budgets exploding and ever lowering expectations to be

tons of fun.


WHO SHALL WE BLAME?

THEPROCESS!


I’M NOT A SORCERER

RFPs are not going away.

RFPs can be useful.

RFPs are NOT evil.

But, most RFPs, in the Drupal community,

currently waste EVERYBODY’s

time, money and energy.


WHY RFPS ARE AWESOME(ACCORDING TO WIKIPEDIA)

• Informs suppliers that your company is looking to procure and encourages them to make their best effort.

• Requires the company to specify what it proposes to purchase. If the requirements analysis has been prepared properly, it can be incorporated quite easily into the Request document.

•Alerts suppliers that the selection process is competitive.

•Allows for wide distribution and response.

• Ensures that suppliers respond factually to the identified requirements.

Official Boring Bullet Point Slide

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ADVOMATIC BUILDS DRUPAL SITES FOR GOOD CAUSES

LOTSOF EM


WE’VE WRITTEN A TON OF RFP RESPONSES IN OUR DAY

50+OF EM

We won 5 RFP bids in 5 Years


1-3WEEKSPER RFP

3-5STAFF

PER RFPHRS

PER RFP

10-40

TIME DEVOTED TO RFPS

ALL FOR

FREE!Friday, August 13, 2010

OUR OLD RFP PROCESS1 I find an RFP

or a lead sends one. Julie Analyzes, Does Free

Discovery, Passes Developers a Vague Feature Specification

2

Developers, Themers & Sysadmins Analyze, Do Free Discovery, Guesstimate Client Needs, Write A Technical Plan & Estimate, Pass Back to Julie

3

Julie reformats, adds PM, QA, and Contingency. Contingency adds 33% to bottom line of project so client isn’t surprised later. We then approve and send our honest and forthright 30 page proposal to client.

4


OUR OLD RFP PROCESS

Profit!5


X

OUR OLD RFP PROCESS5A We make it to final round of discussions with client.

Executive sees our prices which is 33% higher than competitors. They go with competitor. Then scope balloons and they get mad at them.

RFPFAIL

5B

RFPFAIL

We get the gig. After going through a proper discovery process, we discover that their needs are far beyond what the RFP said. Then scope balloons and they get mad at us.


This made us sad.The process was clearly fundamentally broken,

and worse, it was making Advobaby cry.

Sad Advobaby

We had our worst sales quarter EVER.We were almost at rock bottom.

Almost.


ROCK BOTTOM

Long VagueState Education Drupal Retheme

RFP

Large Very Technical Well Thought Out

RFP

Came disguised as two seemingly different RFPs.

They weredistributed everywhere

possible.


ROCK BOTTOM


RFP


RFP


Vague Spec

Detailed Non-Drupal

Spec


possible.


ROCK BOTTOM


RFP


RFP


Vague SpecAwkward RFP Format w/

irrelevant langauge

Detailed Non-Drupal

SpecWell thought out

and easy to readdocument


possible.


ROCK BOTTOM


RFP


RFP



irrelevant langauge

Large Budget

Detailed Non-Drupal



Large Budget


possible.


ROCK BOTTOM


RFP


RFP



irrelevant langauge

Large Budget

Detailed Non-Drupal



Large Budget


possible.

Allows for wide distribution and response.Flagged from

earlier...


ROCK BOTTOM


RFP


RFP



irrelevant langauge

Large Budget

Detailed Non-Drupal



Large Budget

90+Responses

50+ Responses


possible.

Allows for wide distribution and response.Flagged from

earlier...


50+ Responses

THE EXTRAPOLATION

90+Responses

+3

WEEKSPER RFP

4STAFF

PER RFP

40HOURSPER RFP


50+ Responses

THE EXTRAPOLATION

90+Responses

+2-6

STAFF PERPROPOSAL

1-2HRS PER

PROPOSALWEEKS OFINTERNALDEBATE

?

(MY TOTAL GUESTIMATE)


80UNBILLABLE

HOURS

1-2%CHANCEOF WIN

90PROPOSALS

TO READ

90DIFFERENT

IDEAS & BUDGETS

SAD RFP MATH


OMG, WHAT DO I DO NOW?

A B C


OPTION C WITH LESS RAGE

I found the problem.(Like a billion firms before me.)

C


DRUPAL RFPS ARE ANNOYINGThey are bureaucratic.

They interfere with best practices.

They are ineffective.

RFPs sound great, mean well, but their results don’t help, and in

some cases can hurt final product.

*currently*generally


WHY EVERYONE LOSES

Gives awayideas for free

Spends untold hours on gig they most likely will not get

Makes discoveryassumptions resulting in inaccurate estimates

Places focus on budget over quality

Spends untold hours reviewing too

many proposals

Expectations ruinedwhen discovery changes scope


THE COMMON THREAD

DISCOVERY




WHAT I DISCOVEREDABOUT DISCOVERY IN RFPS

CLIENTHELLO

my name is

Project Overview

Feature List*

Technical Plan*

Wireframes*

Design Comps*

Competitor Analysis*

User Research*

*sometimes provided by client (from 2-75% of the time)


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%Pr

oject

Ove

rview

Feat

ure

List

Tech

nical

Plan

Wire

frame

s

Desig

n Co

mps

Comp

etito

r Ana

lysis

User

Ree

arch

Drup

al Sp

ecific

ation

Possible Discovery Deliverables

% Chance of Vendor providing accurate estimate% of Clients who provide discovery deliverable with RFP

Muy Importante

COMPLETELY UNSCIENTIFIC CHART


WEB DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

? ? ?

Discovery

Technical Planning

Wireframing & Design

Development & Implementation

Quality Assurance & Server Testing

Site Launch

Important

Things HappenHere


WEB DEVELOPMENT PROCESSI have anywhere from

2-70% of the information you need. Please tell me how much this will cost?

? ? ?

Discovery

Technical Planning




Site Launch

Important

Things HappenHere


IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?

Examine

Question

Test & Analyze

Diagnose

TreatCure

? ? ?

Important

Things HappenHere


IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?

Examine

Question

Test & Analyze

Diagnose

TreatCure

I have a stomach ache. How much will the

surgery cost?

? ? ?

Important

Things HappenHere

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

As a patient, do you want your Doctor missing 30%-50% of the information they need to give you a proper diagnosis?

Discovery

Technical Planning




Site Launch

YOU CAN CALL ME DR. DEVELOPER

? ? ?

Important

Things HappenHere

As a client, do you want a vendor bidding missing 30-50% of the information they’ll need for accuracy?


Discovery

Technical Planning




Site Launch

YOU CAN CALL ME DR. DEVELOPER

? ? ?

Important

Things HappenHere Please figure out what I

need for a website before I tell you what I need.

As a client, do you want a vendor bidding missing 30-50% of the information they’ll need for accuracy?


WHY EVERYONE LOSES

Gives awayideas for free

Spends untold hours on gig they most likely will not get


Places emphasis on budget over quality

Spends untold hours reviewing too

many proposals



HOW EVERYONE CAN WIN

STOPRESPONDING

TO RFPS

STOPWRITING

RFPS


WHAT IF I ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY HAVE TO DO AN RFP?Find a way to make the process work for you.

Break it into two phases. Do a Discovery RFP. Take those deliverables and then do a Development RFP.

Remind your decision makers that quality of work saves money in the long run.

Build relationships with Vendors you trust. Lean on them for advice on how to approach your leadership.


I’VE BEEN RFP FREEFOR 6 MONTHS

WOOT!!


OUR NEW RFP PROCESSA client send us an RFP.

We tell them we don’t respond to RFPs.




I have an RFP.




RFPs tend not to be accurate in determining cost.

We can’t estimate project costs until after you go

through a proper discovery phase with a Drupal shop.

We’ve found that scope and budget can change dramatically if

you don’t do Discovery first.

I have an RFP.




RFPs tend not to be accurate in determining cost.

We recommend talking to your peers and find a Drupal

firm that you trust to engage in a Discovery phase with.

We can’t estimate project costs until after you go

through a proper discovery phase with a Drupal shop.

If you’d like to see what we can do, we’d gladly sit down with your decision makers and walk you through our process with previous clients. We can give you

vague ballpark costs.

After a flat rate Discovery phase with us, we’ll provide you with a Drupal Implementation Plan and an

estimate. You can then take that plan elsewhere for bids, or hire us!

We’ve found that scope and budget can change dramatically if

you don’t do Discovery first.

I have an RFP.


HOW VENDORS CAN WIN

Get paid to diagnose. Your expertise is valuable.

Encourage potential clients to scrap the RFP process, and engage in a discovery process.

Instead of writing proposals, write case studies, and show potential clients your process.

Take all the time you would be spending writing proposals you are guestimating, and fix bugs in

Drupal instead.


HOW CLIENTS CAN WINDon’t write RFPs. If you must have some formal

process in place, write an RFQ (Request for Qualifications).

Only send your RFQ to a few vendors that you trust or were referred to. Better to get 6 great proposals

then 90 of all shapes and sizes.

Find a vendor within your budget, whose process makes you the most comfortable, who has expertise

in your specific industry and hire them just to do Discovery.


WHAT IF I’M TOO SMALL OR NEW TO SAY NO?

Make sure that the potential client will add to your credibility.

Make sure that they will improve the street cred of your portfolio.

Make sure they will help your bottom line.

Don’t just send a proposal, get to know the client. Try to find an advantage that will make your proposal stand out.


IT’S THAT SIMPLE

QUESTIONS?


RESOURCES

Blair Enns: http://www.winwithoutpitching.com/

Becoming the ExpertThe Manifesto

Advoblog: Web Dev for Noobs

Discovery and UX Design


THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Adam MordecaiPartner / New Business Development

How’d I do? Let me know:http://www.advomatic.com/NoRFP

[email protected]

Twitter: @advomatic & @advodudeFB: http://facebook.com/advomatic


put the rfp down

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