Project proposals are the first stages to begin an endeavor

Steps to Writing the Perfect Project Proposal

A project proposal is the first step in making a project happen. Here, we show you how to write a good proposal that will help your projects stay on track.

You have a great plan for a project. The more you learn about it, the more you think it’s worth spending money and time on.

It could be a game-changer, and if everything goes as planned, the product will be a huge win for the company and even for the industry as a whole.

But how do you get the people who make decisions at the company to agree with you?

In a few words: Make an interesting proposal for a project.
We’ll talk about what a project proposal is, why you need one, and how to write one that will get the boss’s attention in this guide.

How to write a project proposal for yourself
Step 1: Describe what’s wrong.
Step 2: Give your answer.
Step 3: Set your deliverables and criteria for success.
Step 4: Tell us what you’re going to do.
Step 5: Make a schedule and budget for your project.
Step 6: Connect everything.
Step 7: Check your proposal for mistakes.
Overview: What is an idea for a project?

A project proposal is a document that tells everyone involved in a project everything they need to know to start it. It’s the first thing that needs to be done to get a project going. During the project intake process, a project proposal is often chosen.

A well-written project proposal informs and persuades. It combines project management skills with research, data analysis, and some copywriting.

It follows the usual format for a proposal, which includes the following:
The short version The executive summary is like the elevator pitch for the project. It is short and to the point. It makes the problem clear, talks about how your project will solve it, and talks about what a successful project looks like.

History or background. This section talks about both successful and unsuccessful projects that have been done before, including how the unsuccessful ones could have been done better. The goal is to show how the proposed project will be more successful because of what has been learned from the past.

Requirements. This section gives a brief summary of what is needed throughout the project life cycle in terms of resources, tools, the project schedule, etc.

Solution. In the section on the solution, you explain how you plan to work on the project and finish it. It goes over the steps, techniques, and skills of project management that are needed to get things done faster and better, as well as how to deal with problems.

Authorization. This section makes it clear who makes decisions about the project and to whom the client has given permission to make approval or sign-off decisions.

Appendix. Any information that isn’t in the proposal itself should go in the appendix. For example, materials and resources that team members and other interested parties can use to learn more about the project should go in the appendix.

If you don’t know where to start, you should know that some of the best project management software has free project proposal templates in their tool library that you can use.

Things to think about before writing up a project proposal

Before you sit down to write the outline of your project proposal, you should think about the following:
Your audience
Find out who makes the decisions and how they are related to each other.
Each stakeholder will have different goals and tastes. Depending on who you’re writing the proposal for, you may need to write more than one version.

How well do they know the problem or project? What do they already know? What don’t they understand?

Should you talk about what came before a certain topic?
What are they looking for?
Is there a way to get them to understand what you’re trying to say?

For example, if the proposal is for the head of the technology department, you can probably expect jargon and technical language.

On the other hand, if you’re trying to win over a small business owner, use simple, easy-to-understand language and focus on how the project will help the company’s bottom line.

Potential pitfalls
Francis McNamara’s paper from the Project Management Institute (PMI) Global Congress lists four main reasons why project proposals are turned down:
plan that isn’t clear enough
Not in line with the organization’s goals.

The benefits of the project are not clear and credible.
Poor presentation of a project proposal

In the end, some projects don’t get the go-ahead, not because they’re bad projects in and of themselves but because the proposal wasn’t clear and convincing enough.

Information and study
You need facts, numbers, graphs, and charts to back up your proposal and make the case for the project.

Research both successful and unsuccessful past projects because, to write a convincing proposal, you’ll need as much hard data, proof, and examples as you can find.

How to Write a Project Proposal
Don’t forget that the whole point of writing a proposal is to get the support of executives. You need important people to back your project. To make a vision come true, you need people who can make decisions on your side.

You want the proposal to speak to them and make them want to move forward with the project, which is the next step.
Step 1: Describe the issue.
What problem does your project try to solve? Why does it matter? Why should we try to solve it? Get the other people to see the problem the way you do.
How to figure out what the problem is:
Start strong.  Most people who make decisions don’t have much time to look over a proposal, so make sure to describe the pain point quickly and in a way that makes sense to them.
Use facts, not what you think. Even though you want people to understand how bad a problem is, you don’t want to overstate it. Instead, back up your claims with facts from your research.

Step 2: Give your answer.
How will your project help fix the issue? Why is your solution better than other solutions that do the same thing? Talk about why other ideas won’t work in this situation.
How to talk about your solution:
Anticipate questions and objections. Be ready to defend your solution from all different points of view. Be ready to explain, for example, why your more expensive solution is better than one that costs less.
Show the bigger effects of the solution. Most of the time, projects with wide-reaching effects get people more excited than projects with limited effects.
Again, facts come first. Give as many examples as you can that are backed up by research.

Step 3: Set your deliverables and criteria for success.
This section gives an idea of what the deliverable is and how it works, as well as how to tell if the project was a success.
Tips for defining deliverables:
Include a delivery date. Define what your project will give users and what they can expect from it. For example, if you’re proposing a customer service project, you could say that it will give users a cloud-based phone system that they can access 24/7 from anywhere. Also, say when you expect to finish each deliverable.
Your solution must be smart. Your criteria for success will show if the project was a success or not. Make sure your solution is SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound).

Step 4: Tell us what you’re going to do.
This is the most important part of the proposal because it talks about how to reach the goals of the project. It starts with a description of the method and why it’s important and useful. It also talks about how problems will be dealt with.
Tips for making plans:
Introduce project strategies. Are you going to use the traditional “waterfall” method? Why? Will you use outside contractors, people who work for you, or consultants? What will their goals be, and what will they be responsible for? This is your chance to talk about “why” you are making the decisions you are to finish the project.
Tell how the problems will be fixed. This tells you how to deal with risks in your project management plan.

Step 5: Write out your plan and budget.
This is where you break down the costs of the project and explain how you will meet the deadlines.
How to set a schedule and a budget:
Provide as much detail as possible. Divide your budget into sections like supplies, tools, salary, etc. Count all indirect and overhead costs. Stakeholders will know that you have done your research and won’t waste their money if you give them a detailed financial breakdown. Keep in mind that some projects may need financial statements and sources of funding.
Be concrete.  Don’t guess.  Give the start and end dates of the project and say if some parts can be done at the same time.

Step 6: Connect everything.
The last part of your proposal should be a short summary of the problem, the solution, and the benefits. Focus on what’s important and make your proposal stand out by repeating ideas or facts you want people to remember.
Check to see if your ideas are consistent and if the different parts of your proposal work well together.
How to make everything fit together:
You should make your proposal sound like a book. You should tell a story in your proposal. Every part and section must work together to make the whole thing make sense.
Don’t bring up anything that doesn’t belong. Be careful not to add anything that seems wrong or doesn’t help the project reach its goals as a whole. Make sure all project proposal elements are present. Check your document to make sure that all the important points have been made.

Step 7: Check your proposal for mistakes.
If you need to, rewrite your proposal to make it more interesting, helpful, clear, and convincing. Ask for feedback and make sure the proposal is well put together and looks good.
Tips on how to edit:
Check the language and tone. Your proposal is meant for a certain type of audience, so make sure the tone and language used match that. Don’t forget to check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes when you’re done. You want your proposal to look like it’s from a business.
Should your project proposal include software for project management?
A project proposal is a project in and of itself, so project management software can help with it.

Software is an important part of modern project management basics, and here are some of its benefits:
Collaboration is easier. Putting together a good project proposal takes time and is often a team effort. When teams are in different parts of the world, using good project management software will make it easier for them to work together.
Work space in one place. To make a strong business case, you need data and research. If the proposal is for a big, complicated project, you will need a lot of both. Having all the information you need in one place makes it easier for everyone to find files and documents. A central project workroom makes sure that everyone has instant access to all updates, notes, and files.
In the project management software Wrike, this is a shared folder.
All the messages are in one place. Physical meetings will be hard, if not impossible, to set up, especially if people live in different places. Most project management software comes with built-in communication tools like voice and audio conferencing, group chat, private messaging, comments, activity streaming, and presence. Even the ones that don’t have them can be easily connected to other communication tools with just a few clicks.
Access is always available. If you need to make changes to the proposal at home or want to look it over one last time before sending it to decision-makers, saving a copy in your project management software makes sure you have the latest version and that you can make changes to it at any time, anywhere.

Get people to notice your project proposal and get money for your project.

Whether or not your project gets done depends on how well your proposal works and how convincing it is.

Decision-makers probably won’t spend a lot of time deciding whether or not to go with your idea. So, it’s important that your proposal grabs their attention right away, gets them excited about the project, and then makes them want to take action.