1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,720 [Pasan Premaratne] At its basic level, a project proposal should consist of the following sections—the proposed solution, 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:11,600 the specifics of the project, the different phases of the project, and the quote. 3 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:13,600 Let's go over each one. 4 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:20,260 In the proposed solution show that you have taken all the client's goals into account to come up with your proposed solution. 5 00:00:20,260 --> 00:00:25,780 In this section talk about general high-level solutions and basic functionality. 6 00:00:25,780 --> 00:00:28,980 We'll get into the specifics in the next section. 7 00:00:28,980 --> 00:00:35,600 Going back to our list of questions, this section will contain points highlighted in the answers to the following questions. 8 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:41,570 Why do you want this website? Define your goals. What business problems with the project solve? 9 00:00:41,570 --> 00:00:46,000 And what high-level features do you want implemented? 10 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:49,800 The project specifics section talks about the scope of work. 11 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:54,990 Everything that you discuss with the client in the feature section of our questionnaire goes here. 12 00:00:54,990 --> 00:00:58,680 List out all the specifics of the solution that you will be creating. 13 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:02,520 If there are any parts of the project that may seem confusing to the client, 14 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:08,280 this is a good place to describe it—functionality, new piece of technology, whatever it is. 15 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:13,170 The client will appreciate you taking the time to explain what they're spending their money on. 16 00:01:13,170 --> 00:01:21,630 If you will be creating any custom graphics, media, or any assets, this is a great place to detail the process as well. 17 00:01:21,630 --> 00:01:28,810 The next section, project phases, includes a lot of detailed information that's crucial to running the project successfully. 18 00:01:28,810 --> 00:01:33,130 Set expectations early by breaking down your project into stages. 19 00:01:33,130 --> 00:01:38,240 List out the timeline of the process and the milestones you will be hitting along the way. 20 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:42,470 The information you provide should answer the following questions. 21 00:01:42,470 --> 00:01:50,020 What is expected at the various stages and when? What specifically are you working on and what is the delivery date? 22 00:01:50,020 --> 00:01:55,050 What are the responsibilities of each party involved at each stage in the process? 23 00:01:55,050 --> 00:02:01,820 Are there any dependencies? If you need certain assets from the client before you can start your work, when do you need them by? 24 00:02:01,820 --> 00:02:09,600 Take a 12-week project. For the first 3 weeks you ask questions and outline the plan for the rest of the project in clear terms. 25 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:14,480 Each week has milestones that you will hit for the client and deliverables that you hand over 26 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:16,850 in return for that portion of the payment. 27 00:02:16,850 --> 00:02:24,500 So for example on week 1 you're working on the proposal and the contract as deliverables, and you get a signature. 28 00:02:24,500 --> 00:02:31,260 Week 2 you indicate that you will be working on site architecture and have a set of deliverables for that week as well. 29 00:02:31,260 --> 00:02:37,070 These deliverables won't be handed over until you have received payment for that phase of the project. 30 00:02:37,070 --> 00:02:42,670 Moving forward you indicate any other phases that the project will go through, the milestones, deliverables, 31 00:02:42,670 --> 00:02:44,670 and payments involved. 32 00:02:44,670 --> 00:02:48,010 It is very important to highlight dependencies in this timeline. 33 00:02:48,010 --> 00:02:54,470 If the client needs to provide certain assets for you to move forward with your work, they need to be aware of the deadline to do so. 34 00:02:54,470 --> 00:03:01,040 This document then gives the client a detailed overview of the project and what to expect from the working relationship. 35 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:07,050 Some clients are unaware of the fact that they can hold up the project and the earlier on you can make them aware of their role, 36 00:03:07,050 --> 00:03:09,800 the easier the project will be. 37 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:17,440 Our last section is the quote. If you prepare the project specifics section carefully, then it should be fairly simple to prepare the quote. 38 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:25,830 Depending on how detailed you want to be and the pricing structure you implement, you can itemize the tasks and list the cost for each. 39 00:03:25,830 --> 00:03:29,780 It's easier to understand this by taking a look at a sample quote. 40 00:03:29,780 --> 00:03:36,140 Here we have the project specifics broken down into distinct tasks, each associated with a cost. 41 00:03:36,140 --> 00:03:42,000 How you arrive at this cost is based on your pricing method, but you should show how you arrived at that number. 42 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:49,220 If you're charging on an hourly basis, indicate your rate and the estimated time per task to get a cost per task. 43 00:03:49,220 --> 00:03:51,220 That completes our project proposal. 44 00:03:51,220 --> 00:03:57,390 This is an essential document that will help you secure the project, so get comfortable with putting one together. 45 00:03:57,390 --> 00:04:02,940 Start your project proposal templates today so that the next time you're trying to convince a client to give you the job, 46 00:04:02,940 --> 00:04:06,940 you can have the proposal ready as soon as possible.