How to Write a Project
Proposal (Steps &
Template Included)
by Marshall Simmons | Oct 27, 2021
What Is a Project Proposal?
A project proposal is a project management document that’s used to define
the objectives and requirements of a project. It helps organizations and
external project stakeholders agree on an initial project planning framework.
The main purpose of a project proposal is to get buy-in from decision-makers.
That’s why a project proposal outlines your project’s core value proposition. It
sells value to both internal and external project stakeholders. The intent of the
proposal is to grab stakeholder and project sponsor attention. Once you have
people’s attention, the next step is getting them excited about the project
summary.
Getting into the heads of the audience you are writing the project proposal for
is vital: you need to think like the project’s stakeholders to deliver a proposal
that meets their needs.
We have created a free project proposal template for Word to help structure
documents, so you don’t have to remember the process each time.
Types of Project Proposals
In terms of types of project proposals, you can have one that is formally or
informally solicited or a continuation. There can also be renewal and
supplemental proposals. Here’s a brief description of each of them.
Solicited Project Proposal: A solicited project proposal is
sent as a response to a request for proposal (RFP). Here
you’ll need to adhere to the RFP guidelines of the project
owner.
Unsolicited Project Proposal: You can send project
proposals without having received a request for proposal.
This can happen in open bids for construction projects,
where a project owner receives unsolicited project
proposals from many contractors.
Informal Project Proposal: This type of project proposal
is created when a client asks for an informal proposal,
without an RFP.
Renewal Project Proposal: You can use a renewal
project proposal when you are reaching out to past
customers. The advantage is that you can highlight past
positive results and future benefits.
Continuation Project Proposal: Sent to investors and
stakeholders to communicate project progress.
Supplemental Project Proposal: This proposal is sent to
investors to ask for additional resources during the project
execution phase.
How to Write a Project Proposal
There are several key operational and strategic questions to consider,
including:
1. Triple Constraint: How can we address the triple
constraint of project scope, schedule and cost?
2. Core Problem: What is the core problem we’re trying to
solve?
3. Resources: What resources will be available?
4. Timeline: What project timeline are we working within?
5. Budget: What project budget do we have to work with?
How does this affect our goal setting?
6. Strategic Goals: What are the strategic goals of our client,
and how does our proposal align with those goals?
7. Responsible Parties: Who are the people responsible for
the project? What are their goals and motivations?
8. Client Benefit: How will the client benefit from the
completion of our project? What is their primary goal?
9. Project Deliverables & Success: How will success of the
project be measured? What deliverables do our
stakeholders expect to see at closure?
Once you’ve answered these questions, you can write a project proposal. All
project proposals have six elements which construct the proposal’s
foundation. Let’s take a look at a project proposal example.
Sample Project Proposal Outline
These six elements are the foundation of a well-constructed project proposal
outline:
Executive Summary
The executive summary provides a quick overview of the main elements of
your project proposal, such as your project background, project objectives,
project deliverables, among other things. The goal is to capture the attention
of your audience and get them excited about the project you’re proposing. It’s
essentially the “elevator pitch” for the project life cycle. It should be short and
to the point.
The executive summary should be descriptive, and paint a picture of what
project success looks like for the client. Most importantly, it should motivate
the project client; after all, the goal is getting them to sign on the dotted line to
get the project moving!
Project Background
The project background is a one-page section of your project proposal that
explains the problem that your project will solve. You should explain when this
issue started, its current state and how your project will be the ideal solution.
History: The history section outlines previously successful
projects. It also outlines those that could have run more
smoothly. By doing so, this section establishes precedents.
Namely, how the next project can be more effective using
information from previous projects.
Solution: The solution section addresses how your project
will solve the client’s problem. Accordingly, this section
includes any project management techniques, skills and
procedures your team will use to work efficiently.
Project Approach
Your project approach defines the project management methodology, tools
and governance for your project. In simple terms, it allows project
managers to explain to stakeholders how the project will be planned, executed
and controlled successfully.
Requirements: Requirements are the items, materials and
resources needed for the project. This section should cover
both internal and external needs.
Authorization: This section covers who the decision-
makers are on the project team. It also covers which
stakeholders have sign-off authority on the client’s side.
Project Scope: The project scope refers to all the work
that will be executed. It defines the work items, work
packages and deliverables that will be delivered during the
execution phase of your project life cycle. It’s important to
use a work breakdown structure (WBS) to define your
tasks, subtasks and prioritize them.
Project Resources: Resources are critical for the
execution of your project. The project proposal briefly
describes what resources are needed and how they’ll be
used. Later, during the planning phase, you’ll need to
create a resource management plan that will be an
important element of your project plan.
Project Timeline: Once you’ve defined your project scope,
you’ll need to estimate the duration of each task to create a
project timeline. Later during the project planning phase,
you’ll need to create a schedule baseline, which estimates
the total length of your project. Once the project starts,
you’ll compare your actual project schedule to the schedule
baseline to monitor progress.
Project Budget: All the resources that you’ll need for your
project will have a price tag. That’s why you need to
estimate those costs and create a project budget. The
project budget will need to cover all your project expenses,
and as a project manager, you’ll need to make sure that
you adhere to it.
Financial Statements: If you want to convince internal
stakeholders and external investors, you’ll need to show
them what are the financial benefits that your project could
bring to their organization. You can use a cost benefit
analysis and projected financial statements to demonstrate
why your project is profitable.
Appendix: Information not included in the project proposal
is part of the appendix. It’s where many of the more
interesting details of a project are located. Also, it’s where
team members and stakeholders can do a deep dive to
learn more.
Free Project Proposal Template
Requirements: Requirements are the items, materials and resources
needed for the project. This section should cover both internal and
external needs.
Authorization: This section covers who the decision-
makers are on the project team. It also covers which
stakeholders have sign-off authority on the client’s side.
Project Scope: The project scope refers to all the work
that will be executed. It defines the work items, work
packages and deliverables that will be delivered during the
execution phase of your project life cycle. It’s important to
use a work breakdown structure (WBS) to define your
tasks, subtasks and prioritize them.
Project Resources: Resources are critical for the
execution of your project. The project proposal briefly
describes what resources are needed and how they’ll be
used. Later, during the planning phase, you’ll need to
create a resource management plan that will be an
important element of your project plan.
Project Timeline: Once you’ve defined your project scope,
you’ll need to estimate the duration of each task to create a
project timeline. Later during the project planning phase,
you’ll need to create a schedule baseline, which estimates
the total length of your project. Once the project starts,
you’ll compare your actual project schedule to the schedule
baseline to monitor progress.
Project Budget: All the resources that you’ll need for your
project will have a price tag. That’s why you need to
estimate those costs and create a project budget. The
project budget will need to cover all your project expenses,
and as a project manager, you’ll need to make sure that
you adhere to it.
Financial Statements: If you want to convince internal
stakeholders and external investors, you’ll need to show
them what are the financial benefits that your project could
bring to their organization. You can use a cost benefit
analysis and projected financial statements to demonstrate
why your project is profitable.
Appendix: Information not included in the project proposal
is part of the appendix. It’s where many of the more
interesting details of a project are located. Also, it’s where
team members and stakeholders can do a deep dive to
learn more.
Free Project Proposal Template
While a project proposal template has limitations, it’s a good place to start
writing your project proposal. Try our free project proposal template for Word.
Project Proposal Tips
Whatever project proposal you’re working on, there are a few tips that apply
as best practices for all. While above we suggested a project proposal
template that would have a table of contents, meaning it would be many
pages long, the best-case scenario is keeping the proposal to one or two
pages max. Remember, you’re trying to win over stakeholders, not bore them.
Speaking of project stakeholders, do the research. You want to address the
right ones. There’s no point in doing all the work necessary to write a great
proposal only to have it directed to the wrong target audience. Whoever is
going to read it, though, they should be able to comprehend the proposal.
Keep the language simple and direct.
When it comes to writing, get a professional. Even a business document like a
project proposal, business case or executive summary will suffer if it’s poorly
constructed or has typos. If you don’t want to hire a professional business
writer, make sure you get someone on your project team to copy, edit and
proof the document. The more eyes on it, the less likely mistakes will make it
to the final edition.
While you want to keep the proposal short and sweet, it helps to sweeten the
pot by adding customer testimonials to the attachments. Nothing sells a
project plan better than a customer base looking for your product or service.
Using Kanban Boards to Plan a Project Proposal
ProjectManager allows you to plan proposals within our software. You can
update tasks for the project proposal to signify where things stand, and what’s
left to be done. The columns allow you to organize your proposal by section,
creating a work breakdown structure (WBS) of sorts.
When building a project proposal, it’s vital to remember your target audience.
Your audience includes those who are excited about the project, and see
completion as a gain for their organization. Conversely, others in your
audience will see the project as a pain, and something to which they aren’t
looking forward. To keep both parties satisfied, it’s essential to keep language
factual and concise.
Our kanban boards help you think through that language and collaborate on it
effectively with other team members, if necessary. Each card shows the
percentage completed so everyone in the project management team is aware
of the work done, and what’s left to be done.
Developing SMART Goals for Your Project
Proposal
The best mindset when developing goals and objectives for your project
proposal is to use the SMART system:
Specific – Make sure your goals and objectives are clear,
concise and specific to the task at hand.
Measurable – Make sure your goals and objectives are
measurable so it’s obvious to see when things are on track
and going well, and conversely, when things are off track
and issues need to be addressed. Measurable goals make
it easy to develop the milestones you’ll use to track the
progress of the project and identify a reasonable date for
completion and/or closure.
Attainable – It’s important every project has a “reach”
goal. Hitting this goal would mean an outstanding project
that goes well above and beyond expectations. However,
it’s important the project’s core goal is attainable, so
morale stays high and the job gets done with time and
resources to spare.
Relevant – Make sure all of your goals are directly relevant
to the project and address the scope within which you’re
working.
Time-Based – Timelines and specific dates should be at
the core of all goals and objectives. This helps keep the
project on track and ensures all project team members can
manage the work that’s ahead of them.
Building a project proposal takes time and careful consideration.
The time spent is worth it, however, when you win that next big project!
Project proposals are just the first step in the project planning process. Once
your project is approved, you’ll have to solidify the plan, allocate and manage
resources, monitor the project, and finally hand in your deliverables. This
process requires a flexible, dynamic and robust project management
software package. ProjectManager is a cloud-based project management
software that helps all your team members collaborate and manage this
process in real-time. Try our award-winning software with this free 30-day
trial.
