The Do's and Don'ts of Effective Project Proposals

12 min read

April 11, 2024

Last updated: April 12, 2024

The Do's and Don'ts of Effective Project Proposals

Developing project proposals is an exhilarating process, filled with the potential for growth and the anticipation of what the future holds for your team and company. It's a pivotal moment, with the air charged with the promise of opportunity and the palpable pressure of a make-or-break scenario. This is your unique chance to captivate potential clients and distinguish your project.

If you need guidance on how to write a project proposal, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we will discuss the do’s and don’ts of effective project proposals and provide recommendations for tools and software that can help you write winning proposals.

Crafting compelling project proposals

Project proposals contain detailed information specific to a particular project that’s about to be launched. They usually explain the purpose, scope, and timeline of a project along with the team responsible, a list of the deliverables, and a few other pertinent items. These proposals can be as grammatically simple as possible but packed full of graphs, data, and charts if needed.

Although you might be a well-to-do creative writer, you’ll be surprised to find that crafting compelling project proposals brings a different set of challenges. There are a lot of components that you need to pay attention to. You’re writing for the real world to make a mark in the business. You need to be in top form, so your proposal comes out flawless and engaging. Then, you can get started working on achieving your anticipated results.

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The Do’s of Writing Project Proposals

1. Clearly define the project objectives and scope

The start of your project proposal should make an impact. In a few concise statements, you should illustrate what the project intends to achieve for you and your client. A good example would be a list of wins or pros and cons with a big focus on the pros. Another way to go about it is to highlight a problem, issue, or need. Then, you can build the project objectives around it, showing how your project is important. Be as direct as you can, especially if you want to make sure that your audience understands the severity of the situation.

When it comes to the project scope, be as descriptive as you can be. Use every tool in the arsenal: reports, data, charts, graphs, and such to drive your point across. Lay out your workflow management strategies, deliverables, and tasks assigned to each member of your project team. Doing this will not only show your team members where they belong in the grand scheme of things along with their responsibilities. This will also show your potential clients that you have a good grasp of the project scope as well as what needs to get done and how to get it done.

2. Highlight the benefits and value of the project

Ever wonder why those TV infomercials had our grandmothers and mothers on tenterhooks back in the day? It’s because brands and advertisers take the time to shed light on the product’s benefits and help customers see the value in acquiring it. In writing project proposals, this means explaining how a project will solve a problem, meet a need, or capitalize on an opportunity. The last one is to the advantage of your clients as well as your brand, providing tangible results.

But how do you do this?

First, you need to articulate the benefits you aim to deliver upon the completion of the project. Second, highlight the ways in which the completed project will add value to the client’s brand reputation. You can factor in revenue if you so choose. These should be in alignment with your proposed project objectives and, most importantly, the needs and other requirements of your stakeholders.

To be successful in this part of your project is to employ one of the best project proposal strategies which is to define clear criteria for measuring the benefits and value of the project while it is ongoing. There should also be indicators for gauging a project’s benefits and value, which will help you and your team have a structured and accountable approach to the project itself.

The Do's and Don'ts of Effective Project Proposals

3. Include a detailed project plan and timeline

There are a few things in life that are worse than waiting and not knowing what to expect. It’s like walking blind, and definitely not worth letting your clients worry or get anxious. While putting together project proposals, outline the project phases. This allows your clients and other stakeholders to anticipate what’s going to happen in the project at certain points in time.

You can also include a list of key activities for your team, other stakeholders, and your clients. Much like a director for a stage production, you need to let each contributor know where they should be at certain stages of the project so they’re not a hindrance to other key players. Lastly, plot the deadlines to show a clear path from start to completion. These deadlines can be for major milestones. However, you can set deadlines for each task stated in the project timeline. You can then create a project calendar that can be synced to each person’s work calendar to avoid overlapping tasks, meetings, or other commitments.

4. Provide a comprehensive budget breakdown

When seeking funding for your projects, detail all associated costs to ensure transparency. Create a cost breakdown to be presented to everyone involved. This includes but is not limited to the following:

Materials
Labor
Contingencies
Processing fees
Incidentals

In your project proposals, you can plug your project timeline into your budget breakdown to demonstrate how each phase can be helped along by solid financing. Categorize your budget requirements by creating direct and indirect cost lists. Direct costs are usually fixed, tied to the outcome, and will increase or decrease as the project is ongoing. This list may include salaries, materials, and supplies. Indirect costs are more variable in total amount and overall purpose. These may include rent for spaces or equipment, fees for additional manpower, utilities, and services, as well as other incidentals.

Along with a budget breakdown, include a budget tracker and a way to account for all the money that comes in and out during a project's lifespan. You can assign a special team or point person for this task.

If you’re not sure how to go about composing a budget breakdown, you can tap a team member (or two) to help out. The use of a budget template can also be a lifesaver. With one, you can have a semblance of a guide so you can get it completed with ease once you get started.

5. Demonstrate your team’s expertise and experience

The best way to sell a project and get potential clients to trust you is by showing them what you and your team can do. It’s important to establish credibility and competence early on. Present your team’s qualifications, certifications, and accreditations to the project decision-makers.

Once you’ve completed the task of building your team and preparing your project proposals, schedule a meeting with everyone involved to introduce them to your team. Or you can make it more fun, modern, and engaging by putting together a video introduction. This way, you won’t have to be in the same place at one time especially if one is not available or too far away. The most convenient way to get everyone involved together with minimal effort is through video conferencing. Ask your team to get their credentials ready to be presented and have each member introduce themselves to the room. This activity will allow everyone to get to know each other and build rapport, camaraderie, and trust with others in the meeting.

The Do's and Don'ts of Effective Project Proposals

The Don’ts of Writing Project Proposals

1. Don’t overlook the importance of a clear executive summary

Imagine being invited to watch a movie you haven’t seen a trailer for. You have no idea who’s in it or what it’s about at all. Would you go and see it? Would you even be interested?

The same goes for project proposals. If you fail to summarize the key points of your proposal, you run the risk of losing your audience’s interest from the start. You have to have a semblance of a preview of what the project is about or at least a synopsis of what the proposal contains. The executive summary of your project proposal should be what usually is a one-page document that enumerates the reasons, goals, and plans for the proposed project. To be specific, a project proposal’s executive summary should contain the following:

Problem – What is the project intended to solve or address?
Solution – What is the anticipated result of the project?
Plan – What steps will you and your team take to achieve the anticipated result?
Risks – What are some of the challenges, blockages, and hindrances that you expect and how do you plan to overcome them?
Request – What is your “ask”? What do you want the reader with everything they’ll read in the proposal?

Given the name “summary” you have to keep in mind that the one in your proposal is exactly that – a summary. Keep it comprehensive but concise and ideally all on one page. Pack in just enough information to hook the reader and encourage them to read through the whole proposal and give serious thought to your proposition.

project proposal

2. Don’t ignore the potential risks and mitigation strategies

Nothing in the business world comes to fruition without a bit of friction. Not addressing possible challenges along with how you plan to handle them can make your proposal seem naïve or unrealistic. It can’t always be all sunshine and rainbows. You have to leave room in your proposal for the silos, challenges, and bottlenecks that you expect to come across along the way.

In the same vein, you can’t just list the anticipated risks and challenges and leave it at that. It’s a well-known fact in the business world that if you can identify a problem, you should also be capable of formulating a solution. After you’ve itemized the project's expected challenges, provide your audience with your workarounds.

Map out your contingency plan for each problem and show your audience that you cannot only get the job done but also face every obstacle head-on. There’s no quicker way to win people over, especially future clients than by showcasing your keen perceptiveness, along with your expertise in planning and strategic innovation.

3. Don’t forget to tailor the proposal to the audience

It must have happened to you or someone you know in the past: you’re looking for jobs out in the market and sending out masses of applications. However, there’s a hitch. You forgot to customize your cover letter to the particular recipient. Even if it may seem as simple as just the first name, failing to personalize a message shows carelessness, disorganization, and a total lack of commitment. When it comes to putting together project proposals, a one-size-fits-all approach may not resonate with specific stakeholders or address their unique concerns and interests.

Project proposal guidelines include getting to know your audience or at least recognizing the common demographic. This not only helps keep the language consistent but also allows you to develop a more targeted approach to issues that particular stakeholders might face. Tailoring your proposal to the audience makes your team and proposal more relatable, paving the way for easier connections to be established.

The Do's and Don'ts of Effective Project Proposals

4. Don’t underestimate the project’s costs and timelines

There are two important things that can limit your project’s success: money and time. Not acknowledging and making concessions to combat these means guaranteed failure. Providing overly optimistic estimates can lead to trust issues and project overruns, damaging your credibility. Be as pragmatic as you can be when touching on the subjects of timeline and costs. Don’t be too negative or positive. Find a middle ground. Leave a little wiggle room so you don’t limit your team and yourself.

Remember that the budget is important for sound resource management, cost control, risk alleviation, and project success as a whole. Some people hesitate and even feel embarrassed when it comes to coming up with a project budget which can result in sub-standard supplies, a barely-sufficient talent pool, and subpar results. If you want to secure the best possible outcome for your team but want to keep the costs modest, add a buffer to your base. Set a realistic percentage and factor that into your budget. Then, include protocols in your project proposals that will allow surplus money from certain parts of your project to be diverted to other areas that need it.

Same with timelines. If you want the best results, give your team sufficient time to rest and breathe in between busy work hours. Allow for pockets of time for reviewing and improving various outputs so you can be sure that the finished product is top-notch. Add the timeline steps below to your list of key components of project proposals:

Determine the project scope
Create a work breakdown structure (WBS)
Break each structure into manageable tasks
Determine task dependencies
Quantify the total time each task requires
Secure resource availability
Track and mark important milestones
Establish your project timeline

5. Don’t leave out critical supporting documents and references

Whenever you prepare a project proposal, make sure you share all relevant information and supporting documentation with the potential client.

If you take away critical supporting documents and references, the client might become upset, lose interest and not get back to you.

The solution is two-pronged. The first: a team drive. The second: a company knowledge base.

Decide to get a project documentation folder early on. This will become the primary storage for anything related to your project, whether it’s the first screenshots and data for the proposal or a space to collect contracts, permits, or workflow charts. Create a structure to save all the things you need for the project proposal, such as slides, spreadsheets, files, and images, and ensure that the interested party has access to these files when he receives the proposal.

You can get software that will allow you to lock documents to keep them safe from unauthorized alterations and deletions. You can also choose to grant viewing access to those who need to check on anything at any time.

Successful project proposal elements include the right tools

Having a list of tips for effective project proposals is not enough. You need tools at your disposal too! As with anything in the company related to your project, utilizing the right tools is essential in successful project proposal writing and execution. We have found a service provider that you can trust to provide you with every single app and tool that you may need. Introducing Bitrix24!

Bitrix24 is where you will find every tool that ensures your project success, from task management, project documentation, knowledge base, and everything else you may need! They are also available for use whether you have onsite or remote employees. Sign up today and give Bitrix24 a whirl.