Writing proposals requires a process
Let’s say you’re a programmer and you’re wondering how to advance in your
career? The fastest way to do it isn’t to learn the latest programming language.
The fastest way to do is to be good at writing proposals. Why? Because proposal
work is the strategic aspect of what managers in IT do. It’s how they bring
bread and butter to the table.
Improving your writing skills with education will help advance
your career
You can be the best darn programmer in the world but ultimately, unless you
are contracted out in a body shop, your employer sees you as a cost. Sales
people bring in the money and then your company must spend it to pay for the
likes of you. Luckily, your past education doesn’t
limit your foray into proposal writing.
Understanding “Requests for Proposals” and the best way to write proposals in
response to them is how you start to inch your way from leaving the bull pen
where your forehead is stamped with “COST” and moving into the executive circle
where you’re seen as a money maker.
A proposal is what you write when you want to communicate to a prospective
client about what you propose to do for them. In the proposal you usually
include:
• your understanding of the client’s needs, often culled from their “Request for
Proposals” and subsequent interviews
• your high level solution to the client’s needs
• your qualifications to produce this solution
• your estimated costs, schedule, and human resource requirements
• any assumptions or provisions
Don’t know the first thing about proposal work? No problem. You can learn to
write them and as you work on them, you can learn to improve your proposal
writing skills. This is a case where money spent on getting educated can really
help. Take distance learning courses
or buy a book on the proposal work. You should look into the syllabus because
you don’t want to take a course where the educator has no experience responding
to “Request for Proposals” or how to write proposals that win bids.
Related Article(s)
see also
writing process
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