Category Archives: Capture Planning

Trust Your Gut

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We are change and strategy practitioners. We have the privilege of working in many corporate settings and on a wide range of projects. Over time, when you do what we do, patterns start to emerge.

In previous articles we have written about the psychology of program management and the role of optimism and human biases in project failures and delays. We have also explored why strategic plans fail and suggest a number of remedies.

One of the reasons that strategic plans and associated projects stall is a failure to follow thru, a failure to take account of varied, and sometimes diametrically opposed, inputs and pick a way forward. Sometimes this is a change management issue, a failure to inspire and galvanise a team with an achievable plan designed to overcome human and technical hurdles. But surprisingly often, it just comes down to an unwillingness to make a “big bet”. Continue reading →

The Thrill of the Chase

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A well-considered large pursuit capture strategy should initially be drafted years in advance of a formal release of the Request for Proposals (RFP).

This may seem like motherhood, but we rarely see well developed, long term, mature capture strategies, even in corporations with sophisticated bid and capture processes. More often we see some combination of last minute decisions, very poor competitive intel, simplistic pricing, late teaming, unnecessary additional program costs, and risk.

Why?  Most likely because humans generally hold off, fear mistakes, want more certainty, like to deal in “the now” and underestimate their competition. Our articles on human biases here and here explore this issue. Continue reading →

Proposal Best Practices

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We have seen a lot go right and wrong over many years and many proposals. We have learned that, regardless of the type of opportunity or the size of program or target market, there are common threads – things that work well and common behaviours that trip up proposal teams. This article provides a high level overview of some of the key lessons that we have learned, with emphasis on what should be done in advance of the formal RFP release. Continue reading →

Psychological Sleight of Hand – Part 2

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In Part 1, “It’s All Your Fault”, we briefly explored current thinking on human biases and the role of optimism in human evolution. We declared that common biases, including our inherent optimism, are key contributors to our persistent inability to complete programs on time and within budget.

In this article, we identify some key actions that you can take to acknowledge, temper and compensate for common problematic human behaviours.

This is a long and detailed article – it is not a simple problem. If the contents ring true, we can help you self-assess and identify those strategies that best fit your reality.

Why should you get outside help? Because, apart from the fact that your circumstances are unique, as we noted in Part 1 you and your team carry a suitcase full of biases that impede your ability to act objectively.

Please read Part 1 before you proceed. Continue reading →

The Five Stages of Strategic Grief

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Way back in 1969, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross wrote the book “On Death and Dying” in which she described a model commonly referred to as the “five stages of grief”.  Applied to terminally ill patients, the stages were: denial, anger, depression, bargaining and acceptance.

The model stuck and has been used in many settings. It transpires that a variation on the theme has relevance in the field of business marketing and competitive forces.

Surprised and intrigued? We were. Continue reading →

Known and Unknown

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In February of 2002, Donald Rumsfeld, then Secretary of Defense for the United States, made his now famous “There are known knowns” statement.   Love him or leave him, Rumsfeld’s remarks were widely quoted and have since found their way into numerous writings. It transpires that although we believe that his statement is logically incomplete and it has been criticised as an abuse of the English language [1], it is worth dissecting as it relates to the development of business strategies. Continue reading →