Technical Approach Email this Article Printer Friendly Page

The Technical Approach is usually the most critical chapter in a federal proposal. It is the part that the customer focuses on because it presents the solution to their problem. Sometimes it is the only chapter really read thoroughly by the customer. It usually tips the scale for the winner.

The Technical Approach is the most difficult chapter to write. Why?

• It requires more creativity and any other part of the proposal.
• It has to be written by technical specialists. (Most of the proposal can be written by an experienced Proposal Manager but not the Technical Approach.)
• Many technical people can’t write because their education and training didn’t require writing.
• Most technical writers don’t like to write even if they can and will do almost anything to avoid proposal writing.
• Technical people can be burnt out because of the crisis nature of previous proposals.
• The best writers are usually fully billable and are not available.

All of these factors contribute to the difficulty of producing a responsive Technical Approach.

The answer to the Technical Approach writing dilemma is structure, structure, and more structure.

A table driven procedure for organizing and writing a technical approach is presented in this section. The procedure provides an outlining technique and structure for developing technical approach content. It is particularly valuable when more than one person is assigned to writing the technical approach. Specifically, the procedure:

• Assists writers in developing ideas about technical content
• Provides a catalyst reminding writers what and where topics should be presented. Used correctly, it can stimulate thoughts and assist in creating compelling content.
• Allows writers to focus exclusively on content; not how it is said.
• Dictates an incredibly tight organization structure. Forces multiple writers to write to the same detailed outline.

The technical approach should be outlined in detail as the first step in the proposal writing process. Using tables provides a visual framework for technical personnel that will help them see what kind of information the Proposal Manager needs to develop a more detailed outline. To build a technical approach outline:

Step 1: Use the statement of work from the Request for Proposal to develop a Work Breakdown Structure.

A Work Breakdown Structure (WSB) is a two or three level hierarchy of the tasks and subtasks required to implement a technical solution.

The WBS for a technical approach should be developed to showcase the strengths of your company’s proposed solution. For example, you may have a feature of your proposed solutions that you want to stress but normally would not show in a WBS for the project. Describing the value of this aspect of your solution as a separate work task could showcase the feature, distinguish you from your competition, and strengthen your proposal.

The WBS is usually dictated by the RFP. The work descriptions, contract deliverables, required results, and performance criteria in the RFP will dictate the work tasks in the WBS. Usually, the first-level tasks of a WBS can be derived directly form the RFP. Subtasks and activities to accomplish the RFP requirements are less apparent and should be developed by the technical approach writers.

An example of a work breakdown structure for a development project of any type--IT, business process, document, etc--is presented below.

Step 2: Create blank templates of the TASK/SUBTASK TABLES as shown below. Create a blank template for each task identified in your Work Breakdown Structure and then fill in the tasks and subtasks. You may have more or less than four subtasks.

Task Table

Introduction

Summarize the work process in terms of what, why, who, when, results, benefits, etc.
Describe your value proposition and/or selling point
State any underlying principals
State customer insights
Describe important issues like timing, equipment, personnel, setting, preparations, conditions, etc

Task Closing (not necessary for short tasks)

Summarize key issues including the value of performing the work or the importance of expert knowledge.
Why is this task important in achieving the customer’s objectives?
How does the task fit into the larger scheme of things?
Stress why you propose to do it this way in contrast to other ways.
What will be the customer benefits, results, and improvements?
Don’t overdue the closing, hit the high points.

Step 3: Add content to the Task/Subtask tables.

The Proposal Manager should start the technical approach outline by filling in as much information as possible in the task/subtask tables based on past experience, old proposals, selling points, etc.

Start at the top row of the table and work across each row. What you say for one subtask will remind you of content for the next subtask as you move across the row. Fill in as many cells as you can row-by-row.

Leave cells blank when content is not apparent or add notes to remind you of content sources, people to talk to, etc. Don’t worry about blank cells and don’t try to force content for the sake of entering something in a cell. Don’t worry about sentence structure; just set your thoughts down in short phrases.

The Proposal Manager should then convene a meeting of the technical proposal writers (subject matter specialists). Present the outline and use it as a story board to fill in as much content as possible based on the suggestions of the technical personnel attending the meeting.

Encouraging collaboration to develop technical approach content should be the single goal of the meeting. Do anything that will help the writers supply content for the task/subtask tables. Keep in mind that the specialists probably are participating reluctantly and would rather be somewhere else. Also, remember that they would rather talk than write. Cross-fertilization of ideas and creative thinking can be achieved in a number of ways:

• Display the task/subtask tables using a big screen projection system.
• Paste enlarged copies of the tables on the wall.
• Use collaborative storyboard software on one or more laptops.
• Hand out paper copies of the tables and have the writers print content as it occurs to them in the table cells, collect all handouts, and expand the outline after the meeting.

Expand and refine the outline following the meeting and distribute it to each writer by email along with their respective writing assignments. In the email, request that each writer add more detail to the outline in their own area of expertise, and set a date for a second meeting to finalize the outline (more meetings may be required).

Finalize the outline in the second meeting (more meetings may be required for large proposals).

Move the content from the tables into a traditional text outline and then email the outline to each writer. Include a due date for the first draft of their piece of the technical approach. Send the table format for the outline as well because the writer may want to expand the outline prior to writing text.

Click here for Example Technical Approach