A proposal prepared at the launch of a project must be written in an easy-to-understand manner so that anyone can read and understand the outline. In particular, if the items to be described and the writing style are not standardized, it will be difficult to compare multiple proposals.
However, many people may be troubled by the fact that the format of the proposal is not standardized within the company, making it time-consuming to read.
In this issue, we will focus on how to write an easy-to-read project proposal and templates for below people.
- “I want to use a template to unify the proposal format.”
- “We want to create a system that allows us to quickly find data for a proposal.”
- “We are looking for an easy way to share the proposals you have created.”
If so, this article will help you find not only an easy-to-read way to write proposals, but also an easy and effective way to manage and share them.
Contents
What is a proposal?
A proposal is a document prepared at the start of a new project that outlines the project of budget, schedule, and other information.
It is often confused with a RFP, but there are differences between the two.
- Proposal
- RFP (Request for Proposal)
A proposal is primarily intended for internal use, and its purpose is to help employees understand the details of the project.
A document that is often issued from client to contractor for request when client want to help to solve some problems.
In most cases, a proposal is prepared first, and the direction of the problem to be solved is proposed at a meeting with the client. Then, once the client and the project team have agreed on a policy and decided to launch the project, a proposal is prepared to flesh out the details of the project.
In this way, in order to launch a project, it is necessary to share the outline of the project within the company through the proposal and gain approval for the project. Furthermore, if the proposal is used as a springboard for further discussion, more effective ideas for solving the problem may be generated.
Example for basic items required in a project proposal
Here are the example of basic items that should be included in a project proposal. Use the following as a guide to create a proposal that is not over- or under-informed.
Current problems
First, clearly state the current problems.
To set the direction of the project, analyze your company’s current situation and identify the problems. After identifying a set of problems, determine the issues to be solved by the project by comparing them with internal resources and the external environment.
Once the issues to be addressed are determined, clearly state them in the project proposal so that the “issues to be solved by this project” can be identified at a glance.
Purpose of the project
Next, state the purpose of the project, which is an essential item.
Based on the issues identified, it is necessary to define “how the issues will be improved in this project. It is also important to visualize the goal in the planning: “What is the final state to be achieved?
In this way, the purpose of the project can be described and shared within the company, so that all members can accumulate discussions while understanding the direction of the project.
Specific measures
Once the objectives of the plan are clearly defined, specific measures should be described.
Here, it is necessary to clarify “what initiatives will be taken to achieve the objectives”. Also, clarify “to whom the project is intended” by describing the target of the project.
For example, it is necessary to consider up to specific initiatives with a resolution such as “to run TV ads that are easily seen by the masses” or “to run ads on the Internet, where effectiveness can be easily measured”. In this way, measures should be described with the means and other details concretized.
In addition, a quantitative analysis of the expected effects of the measures you have devised will make your proposal more persuasive.
Overall schedule
Next, describe the overall schedule for the project in order to ensure that it proceeds in a planned manner.
Schedule the time from planning to execution, working backwards from the delivery date. In particular, it is important to establish a schedule with a reasonable amount of leeway, taking into account the possibility that the project may not proceed as expected due to changes in internal conditions or the occurrence of problems.
In addition, setting several milestones for the entire plan will allow for periodic reassessment of progress. In this way, the overall schedule should be included in the proposal so that the project can move steadily toward its delivery date.
Income and expenditure plan
Finally, present a clear income and expense plan for when the project is implemented.
Based on the details of your measures, clarify “how much you will need to invest and how much you will be able to recoup as a result”. In addition, if each item is broken down and described in detail, the risk of unexpected costs and budget shortfalls can be minimized.
For example, many expense items can be listed, such as raw material costs, labor costs, and commissions paid. Thus, the income and expenditure plan can be a deciding factor in whether or not the project is implemented, so be sure to describe it in detail to make your plan more persuasive.
5 tips for how to write an easy-to-read proposal
Here are 5 points to keep in mind when writing a proposal. If you keep the following points in mind, you will be able to create an easy-to-read proposal that readers will understand.
(1) Follow the 6W2H principles
When creating a project proposal, it is necessary to follow the 6W2H. The following is an example of a project proposal that incorporates the necessary items into the 6W2H.
- When：When will the project be implemented?
- Where：Where will the project be implemented?
- Who：Who proposed the project?
- What：What is the project to do?
- Why：Why is the project for?
- Whom：Whom is the project for?
- How：How will it be implemented?
- How much：How much will it cost?
If the proposal is written according to the above items, the information will be organized, easy to read, and the proposal will be full of content.
(2) Use the 3C analysis
The 3C analysis makes it easier to analyze the current situation and identify issues.
The 3C Analysis is a framework that breaks down the Company, Customer, and Competitor and clarifies the relationship between each element.
Using 3C analysis, you can analyze the current situation without omissions based on the external environment (Competitor and Customer) and the internal environment (Company).
(3) Use SWOT analysis
In addition to the 3C analysis, a SWOT analysis can be used to develop a more concrete plan.
SWOT analysis is a framework used to identify positive and negative factors in both the internal and external environment. and effective measures can be found.
However, it is important to note that the strengths and weaknesses should be listed differently depending on the purpose of the project. Therefore, it is advisable to establish a general framework of objectives in advance before proceeding with the SWOT analysis.
(4) Utilize diagrams and graphs
When creating a proposal, it is important to make it visually easy to understand by utilizing diagrams and graphs.
A proposal that is all text takes time to read and at the same time does not convey the content correctly. Therefore, using diagrams and images makes it easier for the reader to visually understand the information.
In addition, graphs based on data will increase the persuasiveness of the plan because they provide quantitative evidence. Therefore, to bring conviction to the reader, use charts and graphs in balance with the text.
(5) Keep it simple
When creating a proposal, try to keep the content simple.
The purpose of a proposal is to gain buy-in for the project. However, if there is too much information, it is difficult to convey the main points and benefits of the project, and even though it is an excellent measure, it may not gain internal support.
Therefore, keep the text simple so that the benefits of the project can be conveyed with just a quick glance at the proposal. Tools such as Stock, which allows you to easily create your own templates, can help you smoothly create a simple proposal that suits your company.
5 best project proposal templates
Here are 5 project proposal templates. Use the samples below to standardize the style of project proposals in your company.
Project proposal templates from Casual
This is a simple proposal template that is compiled single page provided by Casual.
It is a highly versatile template that summarizes the basic items required for a proposal in a single sheet, and can be used for a variety of projects. However, as its main topic is the overview of entire project, be careful that you will need the other document to know the project contents in detail.
Proposal template provided by Smartsheet
This is the proposal template multi-page booklet (12 pages) provided by Smartsheet.
Since it is the template has various items to explain the project in detail, you can outline your project in detail with figures and tables.
Free proposal templates by Slite
This is a proposal template that is used in Slite which is for project management app only.
It is a simple format that outlines the project with no excess or insufficient items. If you want to use it, you should register to subscription for free.
Free proposal templates for construction by Venngage
This is a proposal template that is visualized to help easy to read. Although Venngage is the service that you can customize existed-template freely, you need to subscribe Venngage for free.
Free proposal templates by PanndaDoc
This is a proposal template that is used in PanndaDoc which is for any purpose of project management.
Basically this template is mainly composed by text, but you can customize it you need for more visualize the contents. On the other hand, you need to subscribe PanndaDoc (for free).
Best tool to centralize proposal creation and management
Below is IT tools that centralize the process from proposal creation to management.
While templates can be used to create proposals smoothly, the project will not proceed smoothly unless the created proposals can be shared with the project team and within the company. In particular, if the creation and sharing of proposals are separated into different tools, information tends to be dispersed and management becomes complicated.
Therefore, using an “IT tool that unifies the creation, sharing, and management of proposals” is an efficient way to proceed with a project. However, complicated and difficult-to-use tool increase the risk of proposal creation becoming a personalized process, since only a limited number of team members are able to use them.
Therefore, the tool that should be introduced in your company is Stock, which allows non-IT companies to easily create, share, and manage all information regarding proposals.
Proposals created in “Note” of Stock are automatically saved and shared with any member in real time. In addition, “Message” is tied to the Note, so you can communicate with each member for each proposal, and there is no need to worry about the topic getting mixed up.
Stock| The easiest tool to create and manage proposals
The simplest tool to stock information "Stock"
https://www.stock-app.info/en/
Stock is the simplest tool to stock information. Stock solves the problem, "there is no easy way to stock information within the company".
With Stock, anyone can easily store all kinds of information, including text information such as requirements, images, and files, using the Note feature.
In addition, by using the "Task" and "Message" functions, you can communicate with each topic described in the Note, so that information is not dispersed here and there and work can always be carried out in an organized manner.
＜Why do we recommend Stock?＞
- A tool for companies that are not familiar with ITYou don't need to have any IT expertise to get started.
- Simple and usable by anyoneStock is so simple that anyone can use it without any unnecessary features.
- Amazingly easy information storing and task managementIt is amazingly easy to store information such as shared information within a company, and intuitive task management is also possible.
＜Stock's pricing＞
- Free plan ：Free
- Business plan ：$5 / User / Month
- Enterprise plan ：$10 / User / Month
How to write an easy-to-read project proposal and templates summary
We have focused on how to write an easy-to-read project proposal and templates.
A project proposal needs to be clear and simple so that the reader can easily understand it. Using a template allows you to unify internal project proposals in a simple format and also speeds up the process of writing a proposal.
However, Word and PowerPoint documents must be shared via e-mail or chat, and the management of data files tends to become complicated as the number of files increases. Therefore, it is best to introduce a tool that effectively unifies the creation, sharing, and management of proposals.
In conclusion, the best choice is “Stock”, an information management tool that allows proposals created with templates to be shared in real time.
Free registration takes only 1 minute, so using Stock and implement it to create and manage your proposals efficiently.
