Storyboard Training
This training was given to a group of technical
persons to introduce the concept of storyboards
prior to a major competition.
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Why are you here?
• You have important domain and customer knowledge that
is critical to the proposal
• You are recognized by your managers to be someone with
the maturity to be task-completion oriented
• You are analytical, thoughtful, and creative
• You are capable of thoroughly addressing the customers’
requirements, achieving total customer satisfaction
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What do we want to achieve?
• Introduce you to the method we have chosen to develop
the proposal - storyboarding
• Lead you through the storyboarding process
• Prepare you for the storyboard preparation workshop Feb.-24 -25
• Alert you the the fact - that it is time to get serious about
the proposal
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What is the plan for getting to complete draft
prior to final RFP release?
Draft RFP Release
RFP Review and Volume Outlining
Work Package Development
Authors Pre-Workshop Preparation
Storyboard Workshop
Continue Storyboard Development
Volume Manager’s Review
Revise and Modify Storyboards
Storyboard Approvals
Writing of First Draft
Blue Team Review
Gap Analysis
Work Issues Prior to RFP Release
RFP Release
February 8
February 9 - 14
February 12-16
February 16-23
February 24-25
February 26-March 6
March 6 - March 10
March 7 - March 15
March 16 - March 24
March 18 - March 31
Week of April 3
Week of April 10
April 10 - April 30
May 1
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What is a Storyboard?
• Concept is borrowed from the movie/TV/animation industry.
• “a panel or series of panels on which is tacked a set of small rough
drawings depicting consecutively the important changes of scene and
action in a planned film or television show or act” Webster’s Ninth
New Collegiate Dictionary.
• In a proposal effort, storyboards are panels depicting the contents of
the proposal section by section and affixed to walls of the proposal
room so that the team can see how the ‘proposal story’ is being told
and that it effectively responds to the RFP and implements the
proposer’s win strategy.
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Scene Sketch
Storyboard Panel - 67
Dialog:
Computer: You’ve got mail !
Danny Duck: No ! I’ve got a sledge hammer!
Computer: Goodbye!
Danny Duck:You can say that again ! Good
riddance ! Argggh !
Scene Title: Danny Duck attempts
to re-boot his Windows system
Scene Description: Danny Duck is
overwhelmed with frustration with
his computer and takes a sledge
hammer to his system.
Animation Notes: Duck’s face goes from white
to pink to red to piping hot
Sound Effects/Musical
Accompaniments: Use smashing sound
followed by an explosion and electrical streaking
noises.
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Why do storyboards?
• Clearly presents RFP requirements and capture phase
intelligence to authors and reviewers
• Clearly reveals presence of substance or lack thereof
• Allows for early detection of difficulties, weaknesses and
missing elements
• Saves time and frustration
– blank page syndrome; multiple rewrites; multiple reviews
– writing to the wrong topics
• Gives volume manager excellent view of entire proposal
• Allows team to see relationships, conflicts and unifying
aspects
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Today’s Training Overview
Introduction
Critically Reading the RFP
Introduce Storyboard Exercise
Harvesting Data and Information
Defining the Offer
Discriminating Ourselves
Continuing to Define the Offer
Self-Evaluation
Developing Graphics
Developing an Overall Layout
Section Theme Statement
Lunch
Reviewing Storyboards
Presentations by Reviewers
8:30 - 9:00
9:00 - 9:20
9:20 - 9:25
9:25 - 9:45
9:45 - 10:00
10:00 - 10:20
10:20-10-50
10:50 - 11:10
11:10 - 11:25
11:25 - 11:45
11:45 - 12:00
12:00 - 12:30
12:30 - 1:15
1:15 - 2:00
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Elements of the Work Package
• All RFP information to which the section must be
compliant
• Section title as defined in the official volume outline
• Page bogey - number of pages that section must be
• Capture Phase data, information, themes and strategies
• Volume and section manager instructions
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Elements of the Storyboard
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Work package
Theme statement
Critical Issues
Discriminators
Approach Features/Benefits
Tables and Figures
Action Captions
Layout
Plans to fill in all TBD’s
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Some Proposal Development Rules
• Official outlines are controlled by the volume managers
– section or subsection leads may not change the numbering or
headings of the outline.
– in addition, may not add or substract sections, subsections or
appendices
– changes to the official outlines are handled as configuration
changes and must be reviewed and approved
• Storyboards are developed until they complete
• Storyboards are faithful to RFP and complete
• Proposal drafts are faithful implementations of the
storyboards
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Important Advice
• Be certain you understand what the customer wants
• Read, reread, reread and reread the RFP instructions
• Ask yourself - Why is this section important to the
customer? What does the customer want?
• Do not underestimate the importance of your section to the
customer !!
• We can only be evaluated on what we say in the proposal
and not on what we know the customer knows we know
• Step back and look at the problem as an outsider - being
close to the topic is sometimes a disadvantage.
• Say the important things even though it may be obvious to
you
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Carefully Reading the RFP
• Exercise - on purple sheets
• Instructions:
– carefully read and reread the Section L&M instructions
– parse the instructions to identify what topics need to be
addressed
– outline the section around these parsed elements
– indicate how you would apportion the space to these various
elements
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Theme Statements
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Provides most critical information in section to reader
May be more than one sentence in length
Not motherhood or empty slogans
Allow evaluators to quickly grasp strengths of our offer
Provides evaluators with the reasons to select us
Discriminates us from the competition
Quantitative information strengthens the theme statement
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Between Now and Storyboard Workshop
• Work with section leads to understand where you can best
contribute
• Read the Draft RFP - know what is required for the areas
that you will be involved with
• Start working on the critical issues, approaches,
discriminators in your assigned areas
• Complete the work packages
• Understand and provide feedback on work packages
• Bring ‘bricks’ with you to the workshop
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Between Now and Storyboard Workshop
• Think about future directions; read the associated
documents
• Think about your customer and what they want
• Familiarize yourself with the capture phase data
• Keep your eyes and ears open; listen in new ways to your
customer
• Think outside the box
• Elevate ideas and participate in brainstorming meetings
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Various Roles of Proposal Contributors
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Volume manager
Section and sub-section lead author
Section or sub-section team member
Storyboarder
Brainstormer
Data gatherer
Information or data provider
Experience or past performance contributor
Reviewer
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Today’s Training Overview
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Work Packages and Storyboards
Carefully Reading the RFP Instructions.
Begin Storyboard Exercise
Harvesting Data and Information
Defining the Offer
Discriminating Ourselves
Continuing to Define the Offer
Self-Evaluation
Developing Graphics
Developing an Overall Layout
• Reviewing Storyboards
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