What is a Project Proposal?

A project proposal outlines your project’s core value proposition. It sells value to both
internal and external stakeholders. The intent of the proposal is to grab stakeholder and
project sponsor attention. Once you have people’s attention, the next step is getting them
excited about the project.

Getting in the heads of the people you are writing the proposal for is vital: you need to
think like the project’s stakeholders to deliver a proposal which meets their needs.

We have created a free project proposal template to help structure documents, so you don’t
have to remember the process each time.

Questions to Consider When Writing a Project Proposal

There are several key operational and strategic questions to consider, including:

Triple Constraint: How can we address the triple constraint of scope, schedule and cost?
Core Problem: What is the core problem we’re trying to solve?
Resources: What resources will be available?
Timeline: What timeline are we working within?
Budget: What budget do we have to work with? How does this affect our goal setting?
Strategic Goals: What are the strategic goals of our client, and how does our proposal align
with those goals?
Responsible Parties: Who are the people responsible for the project? What are their goals
and motivations?
Client Benefit: How will the client benefit from the completion of our project? What is
their primary goal?
Project Deliverables & Success: How will success of the project be measured? What
deliverables do our stakeholders expect to see at closure?
All project proposals have six elements which construct the proposal’s foundation. Let’s
take a look at those next.
Project Proposal Elements
These six elements are the foundation of a well-constructed project proposal:
Executive Summary: The executive summary captures the attention of your audience. The
goal is to get them excited about the project you’re proposing. It’s essentially the “elevator
pitch” for the project. It should be short and to the point. The summary should be
descriptive, and paint a picture of what success looks like for the client. Most importantly, it
should motivate the client; after all, the goal is getting them to sign on the dotted line to get
the project moving!
History: The history section outlines previously successful projects. It also outlines those
that could have run more smoothly. By doing so, this section establishes precedents.
Namely, how the next project can be more effective using information from previous
projects.
Requirements: Requirements are the items, materials and resources needed for the
project. This section should cover both internal and external needs.
Solution: The solution section addresses how your project will solve the client’s problem.
Accordingly, this section includes any project management techniques, skills and
procedures your team will use to work efficiently.
Authorization: This section covers who the decision-makers are on the project team. It
also covers which stakeholders have sign-off authority on the client’s side.
Appendix: Information not included in the project proposal is part of the appendix. It’s
where many of the more interesting details of a project are located. Also, it’s where team
members and stakeholders can do a deep dive to learn more.

Developing SMART Goals

Specific – Make sure your goals and objectives are clear, concise and specific to the task at
hand.
Measurable – Make sure your goals and objectives are measurable so it’s obvious to see
when things are on track and going well, and conversely, when things are off track and
issues need to be addressed
Attainable – It’s important every project has a “reach” goal. Hitting this goal would mean
an outstanding project that goes well above and beyond expectations.
Relevant – Make sure all of your goals are directly relevant to the project and address the
scope within which you’re working.
Time-Based – Timelines and specific dates should be at the core of all goals and objectives.