Why are allocated outlines important?

The key benefits of allocating RFP requirements to specific outline sections and why it matters.

What's wrong with just a spreadsheet of all requirements?

Some tools let me export all requirements into a list in a spreadsheet. That seems easy, right?

Inefficient

Providing only the RFP or a single list requires your writers and reviewers to analyze again and figure out what should apply where

Inconsistent

Without a defined plan from the proposal manager, writers and reviewers might miss requirements or misalign their focus

Inexpert

Other team members don't share the proposal manager's expertise, and may analyze or break it up incorrectly.

How to allocate to your outline

  1. Create a compliant outline aligned with the proposal instructions, criteria, and scope
  2. Identify requirements from the RFP document(s)
  3. Link those requirements to particular outline sections.
  4. Using those links, build author assignments and reviewer checklist that guide your team on the relevant requirements for the sections of the outline you've assigned to them.

The benefits of allocating requirements to your outline.

LInking relevant requirements to specific outline sections early helps your proposal effort.

Avoid false starts

Ensure coverage of your requirements at the beginning! Don't wait for a red team or compliance review to find out you're missing requirements.

Analyze once

Proposal managers repeat themselves a lot - telling writers what a section needs, guiding reviewers to what requirements are important and where find them. The Proposability™ approach to allocated outlines lets you define these relationships once but then reuse in each context (writing, review, compliance).

Empower your experts

Good proposal managers are extremely valuable. Allocated outlines allow them to apply their expertise to shape the proposal response and guide the team.

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