1、Lessons Learned Entry: 1792Lesson Info:a71 Lesson Number: 1792a71 Lesson Date: 2007-06-15a71 Submitting Organization: ARCa71 Submitted by: Donald MendozaSubject: Writing winning proposals that compliment a Centers business strategy Abstract: A Centers effort to win new business must be integrated in
2、to its business strategy. Thus, all proposals for new work should undergo a common set of Center-wide reviews. This process should ensure that the Center will be able to support both its existing work and that of any future work awarded through successful proposals.Description of Driving Event: The
3、Project was aimed at developing and running a mission which would attempt to confirm either the existence or absence of water ice on one of the moons poles. It was conceived to be a relatively fast-paced low-cost project and therefore leverage as much existing resources as possible. However, the Pro
4、ject was born out of an environment that was very tense and somewhat unstructured as the Center was trying to recover from the financial reprogramming and organizational restructuring that the Agency had recently instituted. Therefore, the proposal was one of many that the Center had developed and s
5、ubmitted in an effort to bring in much needed new business. While the results of this high energy “shotgun” approach to proposal development led to the Projects approval, it also highlighted several opportunities with which the Centers processes could be improved.Lesson(s) Learned: 1. A quantity ver
6、sus quality approach to proposal writing has some inherent risks, in particular: a. Proposals are less likely to be coordinated with each other or all the appropriate Center organizations and may require the same resources should they be awarded and implemented as projects. This will inevitably lead
7、 to a thinning of Center capabilities and under supported projects. Provided by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS-,-,-b. Proposals may be written using the “figure it out later” philosophy such that the amount of resources required to successfully impl
8、ement the resulting projects may not be included as part of their award. c. Proposals are less likely to be written well and therefore awarded. In addition, there is the possibility that a lack of consistency, especially with regard to Center support capabilities and costs, between all Center propos
9、als will weaken the credibility of each. Recommendation(s): 1. Centers should develop and implement a policy and accompanying procedure for how proposals for new business are written, and in particular address: a. Center-wide (to include all Directorates and support offices) coordination, review, an
10、d concurrence on all proposals such that all new work can be adequately staffed and supported, either by reallocating the Centers current resources or by acquiring what is necessary. b. Participation from independent and non-advocate reviewers for proposals to help maximize the probability that a pr
11、oposals objectives can be achieved within its stated schedule and budget. In effect, these reviewers would help validate the proposals risk assessment. c. Having all proposals written according to a standard but tailorable template prior to their content being transferred to whatever format is requi
12、red by the funding organization. Of particular importance is to ensure that all proposals use the same algorithms, rates, and guidance to calculate the costs of performing the proposals work. Evidence of Recurrence Control Effectiveness: Since the events described by this LL have occurred the Center
13、 has initiated several measures to ensure its process for identifying, acquiring, and performing new business is in line with its overall strategy and mission. These measures have been incorporated into the Centers business management system in the form of an Ames Procedural Requirements (APR) docum
14、ent titled Procedure for Proposal Authorization, Development, Review, Approval and Archiving, APR 8000.1.Documents Related to Lesson: Procedure for Proposal Authorization, Development, Review, Approval and Archiving, APR 8000.1Mission Directorate(s): a71 Space Operationsa71 Sciencea71 Exploration Sy
15、stemsProvided by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS-,-,-a71 Aeronautics ResearchAdditional Key Phrase(s): a71 Program Management.Additional Info: a71 Project: AnyApproval Info: a71 Approval Date: 2008-08-18a71 Approval Name: mbella71 Approval Organization: HQProvided by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS-,-,-
