Project management professionals are often engaged in managing a project for different reasons. A primary need for these professionals is their ability to achieve the set goals of a project within the given constraint. The primary constraint in a project includes the scope, budget, time, and quality, while other constraints may include the optimization of resource allocation to meet certain goals.
While a project management professional must not miss out on the vital skills needed in the field, it is also important for project professionals to have persuasive proposal skills. There's no hope of winning top contracts if you have no solid project management proposal template to convince clients of your skills.
A project manager initiates, plans, executes, controls and closes the work of a group of skilled personnel to achieve specific goals of a project. Clients need to see these skills in writing with respect to their proposed project if you must win their approval. This is where you have to craft a well thought out project management proposal template to highlight what you will be offering a client.
1. How to write a project management proposal template
A project management proposal should include just enough information that would help your sponsor make a decision. A good practice of proposal writing is to draft a compelling executive summary since that is what your client would encounter first in the document.
The quality of this section may determine if the reader continues to review the proposal or not. However, other sections of your project management proposal template are also important. See relevant information to include in your document.
1.1. Title page
This is the first page of the proposal where the title of the document appears. Besides the title, the section includes the name of your organization and the date you prepared the document. This should be followed by your email and contact address, as well as the information of the proposed client.
Start with the title of the project management proposal, then identify yourself and the project owner or company. At least, provide a field to include business name, contact address, mailing address, and phone contact of both parties in the project management proposal PDF template.
1.2. Executive summary
Think about the executive summary of your project management proposal template as the section that captures the vision, goals, scope, and timeline of the project. This is where you paint a picture of what you’d achieve in the project if you are given the go-ahead. Include a statement of expertise, past successes, and the skills in your arsenal.
This is where you make a statement that captures the service you wish to offer. Say, [Client Company name] is the need for project management service in initiating, planning, controlling and implementation of [project name] which may include the following:
- Task 1
- Task 2
- Task 3
- And so on.
1.3. Project details and goals
If you coordinate a project, you must know the details about the task and the objective from your client's perspective. Highlight the problem and restate the goals using the words of the client.
You want to ensure the client knows what to expect and the benefits they get from the project's completion when they employ you. Put this in writing, restate the goal of the project management service you wish to render, and explain this from the perspective of the project owner.
1.4. Scope and deliverables
There’s something you are bringing to the table; this is the section of your project management proposal template to highlight them. Talk about your services, including initiating, planning, executing, monitoring plus control, and close of the project.
What is the core problem the project owner is facing? Identify the problem, describe the scope using the words of the owner, and enumerate your solution to the problem. Talk about your scope and strategy to achieve the goal of the project. Will you need a team, materials, and resources?
If yes, this section is where to state them when writing your project management proposal PDF template. Remember that a proposal takes a persuasive form of writing. Include words that show you are versatile and ensure the document is brief but compelling to help the proposed client decide on giving you the approval.
1.5. Cost summary and resources
Outline the fees for each part of the project and give an estimate of the total cost. What resources are needed and which team do you plan to use to achieve the goal? What budget have you come up with, and what's your payment? Include your fees and pricing method so that the customer is assured that the fees are only for the services you’ve promised.
1.6. Timeline and milestones
Break down the project into a manageable discrete task and set milestones if necessary. That will help you track and manage the project effectively. Project managers are skilled in scheduling and optimizing the allocation of resources to tasks or activities. What’s your schedule breakdown? Are there milestones dates, including the duration as well as the estimated project duration time.
These are some factors that influence the decision of project owners after going through your project management proposal PDF. How would you track progress, and how do you expect the project owner to measure return? Put your plan to paper, so you don't leave any aspect of your proposal to chance.
2. Project management proposal writing tips
The following tips will help you craft a solid project management proposal template.
- Keep it simple with just enough information to help the proposed client make a decision.
- Make a hypothesis, provide an estimate and don't just
- Include extra information in the appendix
- Set realistic milestones
Custom your project management proposal template. Ensure you tailor it to meet the requirement of the proposed client. Initiating and executing of projects is almost an everyday affair with companies and even individuals. Usually, project owners tend to employ project professionals to manage their projects, considering the constraints involved. A project is unique, time-bound and requires cost estimation, scheduling, control, and execution with cost and time constraint. If you are a project manager, it’s good you possess top-notch project skills, but you must be able to get everyone thinking about the same goal.
One of the ways to do that is to create a robust project management proposal. Creating and sending a detailed project management proposal PDF to companies who outsource projects shows you are a professional with the potential to deliver what you've outlined in the document.
3. What to avoid when writing a project management proposal PDF
Take note of the following pitfalls when writing your project management proposal. A Project Management Institute Global congress paper lists these four as fundamental to the rejection of proposals:
- Poorly defined proposal
- Proposal not aligned with the client's goal
- Proposal with no defined benefits
- Poor or ineffective communication
4. How to create project management proposal examples
If you own a PMO consulting firm or work as an independent project manager, you’ve probably written a lot of proposals. And we understand that crafting each proposal from scratch demands a lot of attention and is sometimes labor-intensive. So, Bonsai has taken it up to provide you pre-designed project management proposal examples to make your work easier. These templates are available for download, and they are easy to edit into that proposal you’ve always admired.
As for newbies, creating a convincing proposal presents you with more business opportunities as a project manager, but how do you ensure all relevant information is included in the bill? Well, our project management proposal examples will help you stay organized with all the necessary details to include in your proposals.
Besides, we'd show you the details that must be missing when writing your project management proposal in the last section of this article.
4.1. Why use a project management proposal
It is a common business practice for companies to seek cost-effective and more efficient ways to get things done. One of the methods businesses employ to achieve that is by outsourcing some of their jobs to companies or independent consultants who provide professional service in their area of need. To do this, companies often send out a request for a proposal (RFPs) to organizations.
Sequel to that, they expect a detailed response in the form of a document highlighting the details of work and deliverables promised and strategy to achieve their goal. Hence, the reason you should see different project management proposal examples and learn how to customize to meet specific needs. That is a proven method to stand out and stay ahead of the competition to guarantee top jobs in your niche.
A project management proposal will benefit you in the following ways:
- Create an excellent impression to hook up a prospective client
- It makes you appear professional
- Proposal are great documents for tracking work
- They are suitable for record-keeping
- It makes it easy to see if you’ve left out a deliverable when drafting the document
- Help you stay organized with clients you’ve worked with in your career.
4.2. Understanding the sections of a project management proposal
Typical project management proposal examples contain vital information about the project in views such as scope, objectives, goal, and timeline. See the details about these sections below.
4.2.1. Cover page
Your cover page is the first thing your client would probably see, therefore, make it striking and visually appealing. The design and content of the page can make the reader generate a keen interest in what you have to offer.
4.2.2. Pain points
Next, project management proposal examples should make the clients reading it nod their heads in agreement to the issues they are facing. Here, the document should paint a picture of what the problem the client's company is facing and how you can come in to solve it. Most times, clients get more interested when a proposal uses their language or explains their pain point from their perspective.
4.2.3. Deliverables/strategy
Your project management proposal must highlight your deliverables and the approach you've planned to adopt in achieving the goals of your client. Project owners often want to see how the project will benefit their business or organization when you complete it.
4.2.4. Successes and best fit
In this section, you’d want to let prospective clients know your unique qualities and capabilities that prove you can handle the project with dexterity. Give details about your deliverables and past project successes.
4.2.5. Compensation
Explain your pricing model and the fees for your service. You may want to adopt an interactive pricing table to ensure your prospective clients understand the pricing since it influences their decision to give you the go-ahead or not. Some PM experts make use of project management apps and time trackers to enhance effective billing.
4.2.6. Acceptance/terms & conditions
This is the section where you state your terms and conditions, including payment options and windows. Include a field for signature in case of acceptance and seek the opinion of legal experts to help out with terms of work.
5. How to create your project management proposal sample PDF
Sometimes, you need more than your ability to initiate, control, monitor, and successfully close a project to succeed as a project manager. Obviously, besides all you know about project management, there are essential administrative tasks that would influence your success in the business. Your ability to craft compelling proposals is a skill you must not joke with if you plan to win top projects in your niche. Writing a winning proposal from scratch seems arduous and often time-consuming.
Generally, being your administrative boss is one of the biggest challenges of independent consultants and project managers. Luckily, crafting a proposal is now fast and seamless with Bonsai's templates and solutions. You can browse through several well-thought-out templates and download a project management proposal sample PDF if you so wish.
Creating and sending your project management proposal should not get in your way of planning new projects and concentrating on other core activities of your work. In a few clicks, you can get a ready project management proposal sample PDF, which you may edit to fit what you desire. Besides, you may use the tools on the platform to build your custom template and send it to the client directly from the interface.
This way, you can create a professional project management proposal ready in no time to be sent to your client. Once sent, the client can receive and view the document with a single click while you receive a notification to that regard. If you are unsure of the details of a professional project management proposal sample PDF, the next section of this article will clarify that for you.
5.1. Understanding a project management proposal sample
Follow these simple steps to build a persuasive project management proposal.
5.1.1. Cover page
Plan to have a striking cover maybe with great project management graphics and give the document a caption that tells it is a project management proposal.
5.1.2. Identification of parties
Identify yourself as the project manager with your business name, mailing address, phone number, website, and contact address. Besides, identify the recipient of the proposal with appropriate information.
5.1.3. Executive summary
The section gives a general overview of your project proposal. Make it simple such that a client would understand what you are proposing only by scanning this section of your proposal.
5.1.4. Core problem & details of work
Your project management proposal sample PDF should address the problem you are trying to solve. Identify the pain point and describe the scope of the job. It is advisable to speak with the proposed client before drawing up a proposal to see from the client's perspective and know the right language to employ in relating information in this section.
5.1.5. Deliverable/strategic goals
Now, you should both understand the set goals of your client regarding a project as well as the problems. So, your deliverables and proposal language must align with the client's objective. Your project management proposal sample PDF may paint a picture of the benefit derived when given the opportunity to manage the project. Besides, a clear and detailed deliverable would help the client measure your performance in the project.
5.1.6. Budget & compensation
What budget do you have to work with? What is your payment? Make a list of the services you wish to render and include the fees for each. Ensure you make things clear here; the clearer you are, the better it is for you.
5.1.7. Project schedule & resources
When are you expected to start the project if employed? Have you broken down the project into manageable bits and set milestones for them? Make it known when crafting your project management proposal sample PDF template. In addition, make a list of resources needed and define whose responsibility to provide them.
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