HONING PROPOSAL
IDEAS
Terry A. Ring
CHEN 4905
THE HARDEST STEP IS COMING UP WITH THE
IDEA
IDEATION
• Steps
• Divergent Thinking to come up with a creative idea
• Brain Storming in groups
• Reading to verify that someone has not already done this work.
• Be sure to check patent literature
• Reading to firm up your idea
• Reading to develop supporting information
• Assured that this is a good idea and that it is doable.
• Assure that this is an idea that you have some skills to attack
IDEATION
• In everything that you do and read, ask
• Is there a better way to do this?
• Why is this the only way?
• What are the negatives associated with this way of doing things?
• What are the good things associated with this way of doing things?
• Why not use technology from another arena to do this?
IDENTIFY FUNDING SOURCE
• Goal: Identify an Request for Proposal (RFP) to submit your idea to
• Look at mission statements for
• Industry
• Gov’t agencies
• Foundations
• National
• International
• Non-Governmental Organizations
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Read past RFPs
Read the abstracts of successful past proposals
Talk with Project Managers about future RFPs that might be in the works
Visit Project Managers with Concept slides and ask which proposals they would like
to see
THE HARD WORK OF PROPOSING
PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT
• A proposal answers the following questions
• What is the problem?
• To set up the problem you need to review the state of the art (literature).
• Know the problem thoroughly from many points of view.
• What is the proposed solution?
• Explain the solution.
• Explain how it will solve the problem.
• Explain how it will lead to a better world.
Attention/Need
Need
Satisfaction
Visualization
• What work needs to be done to verify that the solution will work?
• What is the cost in time and $ to verify that the solution will work?
Action
• Does the solution meet regulatory requirements and agency requirements including budgetary
requirements?
• End the proposal with how the solution will lead to a better world.
PROPOSAL NEEDS EXCELLENT
GRAPHICS
• Proposals are limited in the number of pages allowed
• “A picture is work 1,000 words.”
• So more information can be conveyed with a mix of words and pictures
• Graphics have to be very good to convey a new idea
• Schematic of process
• Block Diagrams showing how concepts fit together
• Mockup of a new Device
WINNING PROPOSAL
Yea!!
DO THE RESEARCH WORK
• Goal: A successful grant does the work that is contracted on the schedule
proposed.
• As delays are encountered communicate clearly with Project Manager
• If better research directions are identified get clearance for this different
work from Project Manager
• Interim reports on schedule
• Interim spending reports on schedule
REPORTING OUT
• Goal: Have the Final Report Done on Time
• That means that the work is done on time and the reporting keeps pace with the
work.
RESTART THE PROPOSAL PROCESS
• Often the previous research work uncovers a series of new research
questions
• Get the literature work done and proposal ideas generated along the way
• Identify funding agency along the way
• This becomes an endless loop
• Unknown