SBIR Proposal Writing Basics

SBIR Proposal Writing Basics: Who’s on First, and How’s in Your Work Plan

Gail & Jim Greenwood, Greenwood Consulting Group, Inc.

As we review Phase 1 and 2 SBIR/STTR proposals, we continue to see work plans (aka research plans) that lack the detail and depth that is needed to convince a reviewer that the proposer knows how to conduct the research. This can be a deadly mistake, especially for newcomers to SBIR/STTR who have not created a reputation with the agency based on prior work. Therefore, this month we will address this important part of your proposal.

A common problem in a sketchy work plan is the lack of specifics about HOW each task will be accomplished. Most proposers include WHAT is being done, but don’t talk much about HOW. Let us use a simple example of what we’re talking about.

You are planning a trip to Canada next month on a project. Let’s talk about the preparation required:

WHAT: The “what” in this project is preparing for a business trip to Canada . Yep, that’s about it. Not much else to say about “what”—we’re going to prepare, yes siree….

Now how much confidence do you have, from that vague statement, that we have any real understanding of what it takes to prepare for that trip? Zilch, zippo, nada, none.

HOW: First we have to figure out how we’re going to get there. After consulting the atlas and asking the advice of the client, we determine that flying through Vancouver or Calgary is the best bet. We check alternatives on Orbitz.com or Expedia.com, and decide the best flights in terms of schedule, cost, and minimum number of flight segments. And yes, we look at which airlines we have “elite status” on, so we can get preferred boarding, a chance to upgrade to first class, etc.

Next, we have to figure out what kind of paperwork is required to get into Canada . By doing some on line searching, we determine that a passport is now required for US citizens . With that knowledge, we seek out our passport, which we remember keeping on the top shelf of a particular bookcase with some other travel documents. We find the passport, and must quickly determine whether it has expired or not. Fortunately it has not, so we do not have to worry about getting a new picture, applying for a new passport, etc.

The other relevant part of getting into Canada is researching what is allowed in terms of outsiders doing business there. Considering information from both US and Canadian sources, we determine that we need to show we have a valid current contract with a Canadian client, so we will now print and make sure to have a copy of that agreement with us.

Next, we need to consider clothing. Living in southwest Florida , Jim hasn’t grown any winter fur on his legs and back, so he will have to come up with some clothing that will do the trick in the arctic weather (we should add a subtask here to check the weather forecast for the community we’re traveling to). Good thing we still have winter clothing from when we lived in the Rocky Mountains , but we will want to try everything on to make sure it still fits and is appropriate for business meetings.

Okay, do you now see the difference between just saying “what” you are going to do in your SBIR/STTR work plan, and describing “how” you are going to accomplish it?

One additional suggestion: avoid using the word “we” in your work plan, since the reviewer has no idea who “we” is. In our example above, go back to every place that “we” appears and replace it with the name of the person who will be doing the task or activity.

So, in your next Phase 1 or 2 proposal work plan, make sure to expand upon each task with enough description of “how” you will accomplish the task to convince that reviewer that you are credible in terms of being able to do this work. And specify “who” is doing it, so the reviewer is clear on the role of the Principal Investigator, subcontractors, consultants, and other key players.