Is Privia flexible enough to keep up?

I recently gave a presentation that included some material on the importance of aligning the instructions given to proposal writers with the criteria that reflects what you think it will take to win. These instructions should also be used as the basis for the criteria that the reviewers will use to validate the quality of the proposal. This is a great theory, but like most things, the difficulty can be found in the implementation.

This had me thinking about automation as a means to lower the effort required. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any software that enables you to define a set of criteria, distribute it to authors as a set of instructions and to reviewers as a set of criteria to use. Then I thought of Privia’s process and workflow features. What follows is the building block approach I went through to evolve a winning proposal result.

You can use the process to prompt people to take steps like:

• Define what it will take to win.
• Convert the list into a set of instructions to include in the Content Plan given to authors.
• Convert the instructions into a set of criteria to be given to the reviewers.

You can use the workflow capability to deliver the files and information people need to accomplish the task. For example:

• Define what it will take to win. Send them a checklist to use as a starting point.
• Convert the checklist into a set of instructions to include in the Content Plan given to authors. Send them the Content Plan template to cut and paste the instructions into.
• Convert the instructions into a set of criteria to be given to the reviewers. Send them the Review Plan template to cut and paste the criteria into.

That makes things easier. But it can be improved on by also providing the guidance they need to complete the assignment.

• Define what it will take to win. Send them a checklist to use as a starting point. Include a short 1-2 page write-up that explains what you are looking for.
• Convert the list into a set of instructions to include in the Content Plan given to authors. Send them the Content Plan template to cut and paste the instructions into. Include a set of instructions for completing the Content Plan.
• Convert the instructions into a set of criteria to be given to the reviewers. Send them the Review Plan template to cut and paste the criteria into. Include a set of instructions that explains how proposal quality validation and criteria-based reviews are supposed to work.

Now, to finish it off, you should include some process information to help put the assignment in context and set expectations:

• Define what it will take to win. Send them a checklist to use as a starting point. Include a short 1-2 page write-up that explains what you are looking for. Attach a page that explains who is responsible for completing the assignment, what needs to be completed, when it must be completed by, and why it is important.
• Convert the list into a set of instructions to include in the Content Plan given to authors. Send them the Content Plan template to cut and paste the instructions into. Include a set of instructions for completing the Content Plan. Attach a page that explains who is responsible for completing the assignment, what needs to be completed, when it must be completed by, and why it is important.
• Convert the instructions into a set of criteria to be given to the reviewers. Send them the review plan template to cut and paste the criteria into. Include a set of instructions that explains how proposal quality validation and criteria-based reviews are supposed to work. Attach a page that explains who is responsible for completing the assignment, what needs to be completed, when it must be completed by, and why it is important.

Now compare the last set to the first set. Which do you think is more likely to get the results you need?

One of the things I like about Privia is that you can wake up with an idea and find a way to make it happen. You can also implement things a little bit at a time. If you don’t have written guidance or process documentation for each step, you can send it as is. As you develop the supporting materials, you can then add it to the process and workflow.

In my experience, not having all the information is usually a good way to break proposal software. Adding a whole new layer of process documentation is a second way to break it. But Privia is flexible enough to keep up. More importantly, implementing a formal process is a careful balancing act between structure and freedom. It is so much easier for people to live within the structure of a process if the process makes things easier for them than not following the process. Automation is a great way to achieve that. Using Privia, assignments just show up along with the instructions, guidance, templates, and everything you need to complete the assignment. This not only makes things easier, but it results in higher quality. Most people seek proposal software to make things easier --- to lower the cost of doing a proposal by reducing the amount of time. Privia delivers that, but it also delivers a higher return on investment by helping you to deliver a better proposal, a higher win rate, and increased revenue to your company.

Members get access to the following related articles:

How software can help solve the unsolvable problems of proposal development
Automating a Process Using Privia

In addition to all of our tutorials, online training, and process documentation, 259 articles like this are available to our paid members.

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