Deb Schaffer, PMP

I'm rewriting my book, "Win More Work: How to Write Winning A/E/C Proposals," and expanding it into my latest book project, "Proposal Mastery” – and I need your help. I'm offering you a ***free*** proposal assessment. I would love to see proposals from various industries. If you’re willing, please share one, or maybe more, of your proposals with me. [I'll keep them confidential, of course.] I will study your proposal, prepare a checklist and specific commentary on where you're nailing it and where you're falling short, and review it with your team. To apply for the free assessment, you must meet the following requirements: 1. Your company cannot have been a Seller-Doer Academy client. 2. You have to be willing to accept straightforward feedback. Because I'm doing this for free, I don't have time to candy-coat everything. I won't be mean, but I will be blunt. 3. You must be in the professional services industry, and the proposal has to have already been submitted, won, lost, or withdrawn. The application process is simple: DM me or click here to schedule a 15-minute screening call. ​https://buff.ly/3LAEkro

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RFP submission Advice for CTOs: I have a very simple advise, Don't submit RFP Responses. As a CTO, managing RFPs (Request for Proposals) can often feel like a thankless task, especially when many of these engagements do not materialize into actual engagements. My advice is simple: do not give your time away for free. At CodeNinja, as an engineering lead, I've participated in countless RFP submissions, involving my AI and data teams, core software architecture leads, and project managers to share detailed technology architectures, technology landscapes, product roadmap integrations, and software optimization strategies. Despite a very detailed submissions, only a small percentage of these RFPs result in actual implementations. Some say this is just "the nature of the beast." I disagree. This realization led us to change our RFP submission strategy. Time is one of the most valuable assets we have, especially as engineering leaders, where our consulting work can be billed at hundreds of dollars per hour. We should not get caught up in a sales rush driven by a desperate head of business development promising huge opportunities that rarely come to fruition. The most successful business engagements we've had at CodeNinja started with early conversations with decision-makers, where the requirements, intent, and business problems were clearly defined. These interactions often led to extensive POC (Proof of Concept) exercises lasting up to six months before fully onboarding the partner onto the CodeNinja platform. At CodeNinja, we now prioritize discovery for every RFP. If a customer is unwilling to invest their time in discovery, it's a red flag. Do not let the customer's head of procurement use you to meet their KPIs. Instead, be upfront with your head of sales: "I charge $1000 an hour. Are you willing to give that away for free?" As Naval Ravikant wisely said, having an hourly rate for yourself helps you invest your time wisely. By the way, have you tried Glean? As an enterprise technology leader, I recommend using the Glean platform to store and access the collective wisdom of your organization. This ensures that when you answer repetitive questions with different contexts and reasoning, you can rely on a platform that consolidates and preserves organizational knowledge in a way that can be deployed in your situations. Here is a picture of Fiza and Adil sharing insights with our engineers about focusing on initiatives that make a significant impact for our existing partners, rather than being overly focused on potential prospects.

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Is SharePoint training in your workforce development plan? If it isn't, it should be. Why? Well, do you remember "proficient in Microsoft Excel"? Someone in the job hunt, who attended the college class I teach, told me that employers are now asking for "proficient in Microsoft SharePoint". She's "seeing it a lot" is what she said. This makes sense to me. Everyone should be aware of SharePoint and it's power. It will eventually replace Excel. To be clear, Excel is a powerful tool that isn't going ANYWHERE, but the way MOST people use it....that will eventually stop once they realize they can use SharePoint instead. 100% my opinion here. So, with that being said, tell your workforce development people to reach out to me. I'll help them build their strategy. I've been training people on IT for over 20 years now. And I'm pretty good at it. 📯 So you're in good hands. ✌🏿

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Another round of "cool PM tools you might not be using"! Today, I want to spotlight one of my favorite project management tools: Microsoft Lists. I have used MS Lists in lots of ways! Most recently I set up a shared deliverable tracker for a federal project that allowed our team and our COR to see real-time updates. Our COR loved it and was amazed by the capabilities and automations I had set up regarding notifications and workflow. They even asked me for the template to use on other contracts! Whether you're new to Microsoft Lists or looking to optimize your current usage, here are some best practices to get the most out of this powerful tool: 📝 Start with Templates: Jumpstart the use of Lists by leveraging the built-in templates. From task trackers to event itineraries, these templates are designed to save you time and can be customized to fit your project's specific needs. 📝Custom Views: Create custom views to filter, sort, and prioritize tasks effectively. Views such as "Tasks by Status," "Upcoming Deadlines," or "My Tasks" can provide quick insights and help keep your team focused on what’s crucial. 📝Integrate with Power Automate: Automate repetitive tasks and set up alerts for critical milestones or changes. For example, set an automation to notify team members when a task is due or when a new task is assigned to them. This can significantly reduce the manual overhead and keep everyone informed in real-time. 📝Use Smart Rules: Leverage the smart rules feature to manage dependencies and ensure smooth workflow transitions. These rules can help automatically update task statuses and assignees as projects progress. 📝Collaborate Seamlessly: Share your lists with team members to foster collaboration. Microsoft Lists' integration with Microsoft Teams allows you to discuss tasks directly within the platform, ensuring that all communications are centralized and accessible. 📝Track Version History: Make use of the version history in Microsoft Lists to track changes and revert to previous versions if necessary. This feature is invaluable for maintaining the integrity of your project data over time. 📝Regularly Review and Optimize: Continuously evaluate the effectiveness of your lists. Gather feedback from your team on the usability of the lists and make adjustments to enhance functionality and user experience. If you have any tips, tricks, or questions about using Microsoft Lists, feel free to share them in the comments below! #ProjectManagement #MicrosoftLists #Efficiency #Collaboration #ProductivityTools #GovCon #Consulting #PMP #ProgramManagement

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11AM today! Come see what a Project site that has the following (remember...these aren't spreadsheets uploaded to folders): 💡Action Items 💡Project Budget 💡Risk Register 💡Stakeholder List 💡Deliverables: MSRs, IPR Slides, WARs 💡Change Requests Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eesGdm35 #projectManagement #govcon #sharepoint

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When it comes to proposals, does your proposal team ever loop in the recruiters? Or does the proposal team write on behalf of the recruiters? This protester's bid was sank due to poorly written staffing plan that was viewed as inadequate. That are a few other aspects, including pricing makes me wonder is the proposal team communicated with the appropriate personnel. How do you keep your recruiting team included in the props?

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Thanks to Robin for sharing this! ‘Everyone does professional and technical writing’ ➡️Technical writers aren’t the only people who do “technical writing” or “professional writing.” You may not recognize it right away, but everyone in an organization (large or small) does some kind of professional or technical writing. Here are a few ways that different roles do their own professional or technical writing: https://lnkd.in/gXjcNXek technically we write . com

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What is wrong with work requisitions like this (aka, "Why do I skip over many projects since they seem so inefficient")? - Conduct work sessions with business stakeholders and function leads to analyze current state processes and systems - Gather, document, and communicate requirements for future state reporting and user interface (UI) enhancements - Develop and maintain clear, detailed, and precise documentation - Manage and deliver tasks in a timely manner - Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including developers, designers, and project managers, to ensure successful implementation of requirements - Identify and propose process improvements to enhance efficiency and effectiveness - Conduct thorough testing and validation of implemented solutions to ensure they meet business requirements - Provide post-implementation support and training to end-users as needed. WAIT. WHAT? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS! POST-IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT AND TRAINING END-USERS AS NEEDED? WHY ARE THE USERS NOT AMONG YOUR STAKEHOLDERS TO START WITH? WHY ARE REQUIREMENTS REPRESENTED AS UI--A DESIGN ARTIFACT?

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🌟 Ready to earn your PMP® certification in just 5 Fridays? PPSI - Project Portfolio Solutions Inc.'s Special West Coast Edition PMP® Exam Prep Course kicks off on January 17th, 2025. With exclusive perks like a 2-hour gamification session and a personalized one-on-one consultation, this course is designed to set you up for success. Registration is closing soon—don’t miss out! Details below 👇 #PMP #ProjectManagement #WestCoast #CareerGrowth #GamificationLearning

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One method you can use to help get your project back on track is to ask for what you need (resources, funding, support, etc.). This is often a challenge for people who struggle to ask for help. This series of #ProjectRescue content is from the collaborative efforts of all participants at the PMI Regina South Sask Chapter Innovative Symposium on November 7, 2024. This is the last post in this series. A HUGE thank you to all of the participants who shared their knowledge! Contact me if you have questions about Project Rescue Horizon Computer Solutions Inc. #PMISouthSask #ProfessionalDevelopment #ProjectManagement #ProjectRescue #ProjectManagers

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As a career pivoter, you're at a disadvantage, Compared to those with industry backgrounds. But I switched from Education to IT, ↳ With no prior IT experience. Here’s what I did to boost credibility. 1. Hired a career coach. 2. Got a PMP certification. 3. Built a strong LinkedIn brand. 4. Accepted a stepping stone job for practical experience. And I networked with industry professionals. If people doubt your "non-traditional" experience ↳ the above will clear doubts. Career transitioning isn't a walk in the park. It requires work and dedication. But it is possible. ------------------------------------------------ Struggling to transition careers? Join my free newsletter to learn the strategies: https://lnkd.in/gsp6g4sA

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😎 I couldn't have started my year any better. Shouts to Meryl Angelicola, CF APMP at ProposalTeam for training the first cohort of 2024. I had a great time and learned a LOT. I suggest you take the training as well if you want to pursue a career in government contracting and proposals. And now it's official...I have my cert. It's also in my profile. 🙂 #govcon #proposalmanagement

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In the webinar recording I posted yesterday, I gave a pretty thorough overview of the ways limited time, money, and staff impact exhibitors (and, by extension, organizers)… along with tips on how both exhibitors and organizers can contribute to the solution (now and in the future).   Today, I’ve got an article for organizers who want to help their exhibitors, but maybe YOUR resources are so limited that you couldn’t squeeze in that webinar recording, let alone implement all of those tips ;) * Here's the link: https://lnkd.in/epPCYSKa   This article offers five quick and easy ways organizers can better support exhibitors with limited resources, including very specific suggestions (e.g. how to phrase things) so you can cut/paste/edit and go!   Fun fact: I wrote this article in preparation for a session I did with the IAEE D.C. Chapter earlier this year – it was a fun session (everyone submitted their biggest challenges via the registration… I explained how they can find good solutions, including some examples there too - see example below… and, then, we split everyone up into groups to work through the challenges together).   Fingers crossed, I’ll see you at the next IAEE DC meeting in February (not 100% sure I’m going yet, but probably like 85% sure so far).   * This is a scheduled post, as I’m still walking from Key Largo to Key West… today is supposed to be the longest day (22+ miles!)…

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Announcing July's Career Training Program of the Month: Project Management   Each month we highlight one of our most popular programs. Keep an eye out for related content from us all month explaining how that program can lead to your next career!   #ProjectManagement #CareerTraining #CDS #CareerDevelopmentSolutions 

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My Encouraging Words: Resolutions or Standards? As we edge closer to that time of year when Resolutions take center stage, many of us will hear grand declarations of change. Resolutions, by definition, are firm decisions to do or not to do something. However, the real test lies in how long these Resolutions last. For some, it's merely a matter of hours or days before they give up. Others might hold on for months. And for a determined few, there will be the satisfaction of seeing their Resolution through to the end. But what then? Personally, I’ve moved away from making Resolutions. Instead, I focus on reviewing my Standards – the guidelines that shape how I live my life. Here are five personal reasons why I choose to update my Standards rather than making Resolutions: 1. **Developing My Mindset**: Resolutions are about achieving a specific outcome, while Standards are about developing repeatable behaviors and mental processes. 2. **Level of Impact**: Resolutions often lead to temporary changes until they are completed, whereas Standards result in long-lasting transformation and personal development. 3. **Flexibility with Self**: Resolutions can be rigid and lead to discouragement if not attained. In contrast, Standards are flexible, allowing for adjustments and continuous improvement. 4. **Level of Motivation**: Resolutions tend to lose their relevance as the initial excitement fades. Standards, on the other hand, provoke daily actions and efforts towards achieving a long-term vision. 5. **Level of Fulfillment**: Resolutions might bring about short-lived, extrinsic celebrations, but Standards foster a deeper, inner sense of purpose and a desire for continuous growth. So, are you a Resolution maker or a Standard creator? I’d love to hear how you intend to ‘Thrive in 2025’. Share your thoughts in the comments below! #coach #encouragement #CliftonStrengths #mentalhealth #myencouragingwords #newyearnewme

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To all my fellow proposal professionals, it's here. Fiscal Year End is upon us. Q4 starts on July 1st and doesn't end until September 30th. For those of us who have to respond during this time, you know how hectic, manic, and downright brutal it can be. 1. Make sure your snack drawer is well stocked! As a matter of fact, tell your leadership that they need to make sure it's well stocked - forget the pizza! - not just with junk, throw some healthy stuff in there, too. 2. Get up every hour and MOVE YOUR BODY! It's easy to get locked in or zoned in, especially when writing. Set a timer on your watch, computer, or phone to remind you to get up and get your blood circulating to help clear your mind and refocus your energy. 3. Get some sleep! You have so many responses that you don't want to stop, but you need to. If your body isn't well rested, you WILL make mistakes. Set your hours and only work within those hours. Need to put in 12-hours per day, fine but at 13 you need to stop. 4. Check your production supplies. Make sure that what you need or what you think you need is on hand. There's nothing worse that getting that proposal done only to find you don't have binding combs or the right paper size. 5. Remind your team they're doing a great job. Don't criticize mistakes just because everyone is rushed. Point it out and move on, complaining about it distracts employees and destroys morale. You are all working for the same goal. Finally, hang in there. Those 90-days will be gone before you know it.

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Listening is a high value skill...here is evidence for those interested in government contracts. 

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