Applying Lean Six Sigma Methodology to Proposal Management and Business Development

Many organizations struggle with implementing effective processes for Business Development and Proposal Management. These functions are filled with creativity and nuance, and sometimes it can be challenging to distill these types of activities into repeatable processes. However, failure to implement effective processes and systems will result in wasted time, fewer opportunities, lower-quality proposals, and fewer new contracts.

Lean Six Sigma methodology has been implemented across many industries for decades. The premise of the framework is simple: reducing waste and reducing variation is the key to improving any process. Through eliminating wasteful efforts and controlling key aspects of the process, organizations can drive dramatic improvements in their performance. Although many may not consider Proposal Management and Business Development to fall into a traditional process framework that would benefit from Six Sigma-thinking, these methods can help teams go to the next level and submit more winning proposals.

The following are some ways that your team can use process development and Six Sigma-thinking to drive results:

· Create a process map: Go through an exercise of creating a process flow diagram for your process. Doing this will show you steps that are sequential, parallel, and perhaps unnecessary in getting a proposal completed. The actual number of steps will usually surprise you because we often do not take the time to go through the processes step-by-step. Seeing the process visually in its current state can help you quickly identify issues.

· Identify how long it takes to complete various steps/phases: This may be challenging to achieve since every opportunity is different, but you can usually track down how long things sit in email inboxes, hours in meetings, the time it takes to get signatures from key leadership, and other critical factors. You may be surprised at how long “simple” activities actually take. Identifying steps where the process gets held up will enable you to implement improvement measures and controls.

· Track re-work: How often does your team have to re-do work because of errors or low quality? Do you often have to swap out teaming partners because they don’t have the capabilities you thought they had? Do you have to re-write proposal sections because someone used incorrect information? Are you constantly having to go back through capability matrices to update information based on new teaming partner interest? Implementing tools to prevent re-work ahead of time can mean the difference between winning and losing an opportunity.

· Reduce variation in proposal writing quality: Many organizations submit a mix of good and bad proposals. Using existing content and repurposing it for new proposals will elevate your writing quality over time. Giving your team tools to synchronize your organization’s key narratives will assist you in setting higher standards and accessing the right content in the right context.

· Automate: Automation is a great way to reduce unwanted variation. Using software to automate information sharing, messaging, knowledge management, and other key elements of your process will drive significant improvements in performance.

Lean Six-Sigma-thinking was used when creating the InfoSquirrel platform. The enhanced automation, knowledge management, messaging, capability sharing, teaming management, and other built-in features will dramatically reduce variation and eliminate waste from your process. Visit www.infosquirrel.com to join for free today!