Accountability and Progression
A capture plan is a tool that will help us compile our intel, but without an action plan our efforts will soon turn into a dead end. Building client relationships, uncovering project drivers, and improving our position in the marketplace all take action. In order to keep our capture planning efforts successful, accountability and action must be clearly identified. So what makes a good action plan?
An action plan is a list of all our current action items. An action item is something that needs to happen to help improve our positioning or increase our knowledge of a pursuit. For action items to be effective they need to be:
- Specific
- Clear on how it helps our positioning
and/or our project knowledge - Time bound
- Assigned to a capture team member
Throughout the Capture Planning process, ask yourself: “What is Garney doing to gain trust and be liked by the client and the decision makers?” Capture Planning is the process that will help us find and uncover these answers so when an RFP advertises, we can prepare a proposal and presentation that speaks to the client in a way such that they think: “this team understands my needs and has solutions.” If the selection process comes down to two qualified teams, it is likely the client will choose the team they know and trust more, so building client relationships is crucial.
Carry it Forward
Eventually, the time will come when the RFP advertises and we transition from pre-pursuit planning to proposal execution. When this happens, it is important the team revisits the Pursuit Vetting Form to determine if it is still in Garney’s best interest to pursue an opportunity. Resource availability may be less than originally planned when capture planning efforts began, or intel that a client favors another team may influence our decision to execute a proposal or sit this one out. The capture planning process allows our team to make the appropriate go/no-go decision and use Garney resources more responsibly.