The Proposal Management Plan (PMP) documents the roles, responsibilities, tasks, schedules, and deadlines before contributors start developing proposal sections, volumes, and ultimately the complete proposal. The plan becomes the “evergreen” guide to keep the team on track and accountable.  Too often, Proposal Managers decide to “wing it” or ignore the critical step of documenting the plan to help track progress.

Establish direction, then velocity. Some proposal managers start holding too many meetings with writers and SMEs before planning is complete. The result is wasted effort, conflicts, and loss of commitment to a quality effort.

Save time by extracting and adapting content from the capture plan and account plan with direction from the opportunity manager. You should insert boilerplate PMP descriptions of roles and procedures and tailor based on the proposal effort.

While a PMP is often described as a single document, most PMPs are a series of documents or files that are prepared, posted, shared, and repeatedly updated on a secure website. Use this virtual, shared document approach, especially when team members are virtual and not co-located.

Tips to ensure a sound Proposal Management Plan:

1. Always prepare a Proposal Management Plan, even if the proposal is a re-compete or task order.
2. Complete and review the PMP prior to the kickoff meeting.
3. Distribute the PMP at the kickoff meeting.
4. Keep the PMP current, but manage to the plan. Refer to it at daily stand-up meetings.

Develop and adapt a PMP template for your organization that fits your environment.